Photo: Alana AdetolaDividend Report
When All of Us Have Equitable Access to Opportunities, Everyone Will Benefit from Greater Growth
Greater Buffalo is on the rise, and everyone should have every opportunity to fulfill their potential. By identifying and addressing gaps in racial equity, everyone will have more opportunity. And when all of us have equitable access to opportunities, everyone will benefit from greater growth.
What Would Happen When We Close All the Gaps?
Education and Job Readiness
1,000 more people earn a high school diploma on time. Once they walk across the stage, they can take the next step.
Criminal Justice and Safety
2,000 more families get to stay together. An equitable criminal justice system makes our community stronger.
Quality of Life and Neighborhoods
Home values nearly double among neighborhoods of color. Increasing our region’s wealth by $1.7 billion.
Income and Wealth
Incomes grow by $3.5 billion. Helping people better afford childcare, transportation and homes.
The Data Explained
When the Roundtable began meeting in 2015, it became clear that the group needed to ground its work in data, not hearsay, not perceptions and not anecdotes, but rather numbers, which will guide our efforts. The Roundtable commissioned the University at Buffalo Regional Institute and Make Communities to develop a report with Roundtable members titled The Racial Equity Dividend: Buffalo’s Great Opportunity. Researchers used publicly available data measuring 16 indicators across four areas that span education and job readiness, criminal justice and safety, quality of life and neighborhoods and income and wealth.