Core Conversations: “If Not Us, Then Who?” Working towards Equity & Justice

Join a virtual discussion with Phillip Yates, Founder/CEO of Equiliberty, on the impact of race on our current virus + violence crises; followed by best practices from the Impact Hub community’s work on AIDE – Access, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity – to support and empower change-makers of color in the United States.

We will discuss:

1. How COVID-19 threatens African-American communities and community-based businesses; and how social enterprises like Equiliberty can help expand access for underinvested communities to asset-building opportunities through shared ownership.

2. How persistent police violence has inspired a generation of new civil rights leaders that has America re-thinking power structures, long-standing institutions, and governance.

3. How this new movement to end racism and violence against Black Americans and people of color has influenced so many people across the country and around the world to action, that 2020 may turn out to be a pivotal moment in human history.

4. How we can collaboratively envision what our world can look and work like under new systems that offer economic growth and justice for all, and co-create what might be.

Helping spark and lead discussion:

Phillip J. Yates – Attorney (Yates & Associates, PLLC); CEO/Founder of Equiliberty, Inc.; Board Chair of Impact Hub Houston.

Phillip founded Equiliberty to end poverty by helping people learn how to use their existing resources and talents to grow thriving businesses, create jobs, and develop strong local economies that contribute to global prosperity. It leverages technology to democratize access to credit and provides the tools for creators to build infrastructure and self-sustainable revenue models that ultimately promote economic growth and justice for all.

Phillip Yates is also a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Diversity Fund Houston. The Diversity Fund Houston is a micro venture fund created to invest in black and brown tech founders during the “friends and family” round. Prior to founding Diversity Fund Houston, Phillip helped establish a pre-venture business incubator for minorities at the Houston Area Urban League (HAUL). In this role, he focused on identifying key resources to assist startups and early-stage founders with opportunities to scale . Since its inception, this program has helped over 5,000 minority entrepreneurs join the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Phillip is a licensed attorney in the State of Texas and the Southern District of the United States where he practices Bankruptcy and Corporate law. He also sits on the board for Lone Star Justice Alliance, League of Women Voters Houston, 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston, and serves as General Counsel for the Business Angel Minority Association (baMa) and Chairman of Impact Hub Houston, which connects and empowers people working to solve social problems in our city and around the world.

Grace Rodriguez – CEO/Executive Director of Impact Hub Houston

Grace has helped spread ideas, create experiences, and spur action as a speaker, facilitator, producer and community developer for diverse companies and organizations, directly reaching over 296,000 people in the past decade. During Hurricane Harvey, she helped disseminate information to a quarter of a million people throughout Houston, and helped Sketch City’s tech volunteers connect with resources to effectively inform, rescue, shelter and feed people across the region. Grace has promoted Houston;s creative and startup communities to over 17,000 people over seven years of leading “Houston at SXSW;” and was responsible for engaging and energizing 800+ high-profile participants as TED’s “TEDActive” Creative Director.

Grace mentors startups and entrepreneurs at MassChallenge TX, Rice University’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (LILIE), Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at UH Bauer College, Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute (TMCx), and Capital Factory. She serves on the boards of Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston (MATCH) and Writers in the Schools (WITS), and is the lead organizer of Women In Tech: Houston (WIT:H) and TEDxHouston.

Grace is also as an active member of the: Nationswell Council; Kauffman ESHIP Ecosystem Developers community; Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE); City of Houston Women and Minority Business Task Force; Houston Exponential Startup Development Organizations Roundtable; and the Page 30 Coalition.