After escaping from slavery in 1838, Frederick Douglas became a national leader of the abolitionist movement and later started an antislavery newspaper in Rochester, New York, called The North Star.

Almost 200 years later, the North Star Coalition is continuing Frederick Douglas’ efforts to create a just and equitable Rochester. Comprising philanthropic, business, labor, political, nonprofit, clergy, and education leaders, the coalition focuses on getting resources into the hands of people who have previously been excluded from economic growth—especially people of color.

Before the pandemic, Rochester ranked 241st of 274 cities on overall inclusion, 236th on economic inclusion, and 223rd on racial inclusion. The coalition understands that failing to close these gaps would not only hurt the most economically vulnerable people in Rochester but also the economy overall (PDF).

To promote an inclusive recovery, the North Star Coalition is using evidence and capitalizing on unprecedented federal funding opportunities. The Urban Institute is providing evidence and rigorous analysis to help inform this effort. Here are a couple of steps the coalition is taking that could inform other cities’ recovery efforts.

The first step in promoting an equitable and inclusive recovery is bringing together stakeholders from diverse groups, including those who represent historically excluded populations, such as residents with low incomes and people of color, and those who hold the power to make decisions, such as political and business leaders.

The North Star coalition is bringing these diverse stakeholders together by first asking them to sign a pledge to get recovery dollars into the hands of those that have been marginalized. In this way, the coalition is treating inclusive recovery almost like a political candidate—campaigning for people to support it.

Read the full article about inclusive recovery funding by Christina Plerhoples Stacy, Rebecca Dedert, and Nikhita Airi at Urban Institute.