The City of Monroe has announced the CityStart Financial Empowerment Summit May 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Terrace on the 7th floor of the Library at the University of Louisiana Monroe.
The event is aimed at fostering discussions on financial empowerment and wealth equity in the black community, and is facilitated by Katrina Branson.
The CityStart Financial Empowerment Summit represents a step in addressing economic barriers faced by black residents. Through panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and the participation of local community vendors, attendees will have the opportunity to explore practical strategies and resources for achieving financial stability and prosperity.
This summit, along with several weeks of community and stakeholder meetings, will inform the City's strategic steps to help enable residents to take steps toward financial freedom.
"We are thrilled to host the CityStart Financial Empowerment Summit," said Mayor Friday Ellis. "This summit underscores the City’s commitment to promoting economic inclusion and opportunity for our residents, specifically addressing the felt needs of our black community members who continually face barriers to wealth building."
The summit will feature local panelists who will share their expertise and experiences in navigating financial challenges and building generational wealth. Attendees will also have the chance to interact with community vendors offering resources and services to support their financial goals.
“I am excited about what we have accomplished in Phase 3 with our community engagement efforts.” said Katrina Branson, community engagement consultant facilitating the CityStart Initiative. “At the Financial Empowerment Summit, attendees can expect more than just another community meeting like we have had these past three months. Think of the Summit as a live podcast event with a panel of dynamic speakers who are successful entrepreneurs, a game night with an interactive spin on Q&A, and a financial resource fair with vendors who have real solutions to help you with your financial goals and wealth building.”
This is the final event in the City Start grant for community engagement, and is part of the community engagement portion of the partnership between the City of Monroe, the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The City invites those who are interested in advancing economic equity and empowerment to attend and engage. Admission is FREE, but registration is required by visiting oneroe.city/citystart.