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Mayor Malik D. Evans – BRIEFING and TALKING POINTS

Lance and Hope Drummond’s Annual Celebration of Diversity
5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Home of Lance and Hope Drummond, 397 Coastal View Dr., Webster
Onsite Contacts: Clayton Jones, cell: (585) 507-2205;
Karen Chance Mercurius, cell: (585) 469-6122
Communications Contact: Hannah Barry, cell: (585) 645-8985

TIME:

● Event Begins: 5:30 p.m.

● Remarks Begin: 6:15 p.m.
● Mayor to Speak at: 6:30 p.m.
● Event Ends: 8:00 p.m.

AGENDA:

Time Speaker Remarks

6:15 p.m. Lance Drummond ’85S (MBA) - Welcome remarks and
introduction of President
Mangelsdorf
6:20 p.m. U of R President Sarah Mangelsdorf - Remarks and of gift to Lance
- Introduce YOU
6:30 p.m. Mayor Malik Evans Remarks
6:38 p.m. Lance Drummond Closing Remarks
Enjoy the Reception!

LOGISTICS:

● Parking: Event is in a residential neighborhood; guests are invited to park on

the right side of the street
● Seating Arrangements/Podium/Mic Details: Event is in a large event tent
behind the house on Lake Ontario. A podium and mic will be provided.
● Special Requests: Casual attire
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BACKGROUND:

● The purpose of this event is to celebrate the rich diversity of the University of
Rochester community as well as share the University’s commitment to diversity,
equity, and inclusion, including the work of its Diversity Advisory Council (DAC).
● Invitees include alumni and community leaders living in Rochester who identify
as Black, Indigenous, or person of color, have indicated an interest in diversity
initiatives and have supported the University and diversity initiatives.
● About 75 registered guests including several dignitaries and community
leaders are expected to attend.
● The mission of the DAC is to engage diverse alumni and students in the life of
the University. The DAC will utilize its talent, energy, and resources to assist the
University in developing and implementing strategies to create, maintain, and
promote a truly inclusive institution.
● The University of Rochester:
o Shares a fundamental commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
o Recently expanded and strengthened its commitment to Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion including the establishment of the Office of DEI on both the
River Campus and Medical Center.
o UR believes that diversity strengthens its organization and is beneficial to
the local community.
o Is committed to providing and enforcing equal access to suppliers and to
facilitate equity in its business relationships.
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TALKING POINTS:

Good afternoon and thank you President Mangelsdorf

for that kind introduction.

I’m so excited to be back here with all of you for

another Celebration of Diversity!

<RECOGNIZE ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT>

Thank you to our hosts, Lance and Hope Drummond

for once again hosting this event in your beautiful
home.
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I’m always happy to talk about the City’s

commitment to equity and diversity – and this
conversation is taking place at a criminal moment in
our nation’s history.

It’s shocking to see the movement in other parts of

nation to re-write our history with racism and erase
diversity, equity and inclusion from public policy and
academic achievement.

And the Supreme Court ruling prohibiting the use of

Affirmative Action in college admissions looks like a
blatant attempt to reverse the gains we have made to
ensure more people of color are given the
opportunities that come from higher education.
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I was happy to see President Mangelsdorf’s recent

statement expressing her concern over this ruling and
the University’s continued commitment diversity,
equity and inclusion.

As our city’s largest employer, and a driving force

behind our emerging innovation economy, the
University of Rochester is a critical player in our
efforts to bring equity and diversity to Rochester.

American poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou,

once said that “In diversity there is beauty and there
is strength.”

To find a good example of a city proving this, look no

further than Rochester, NY.
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We are the adopted hometown of Civil and Women’s

rights leaders Frederick Douglas and Susan B.
Anthony; and we are well aware of that proud legacy
in City Hall.

My team and I are working to create a safe, equitable

and prosperous Rochester by inspiring hope and
delivering opportunity for everyone.

Hope and opportunity are the critical components of

that equation.

Every neighborhood in Rochester is home to people

who have hope. And that’s where we’ll find the
solution to our challenges; the key to our success: In
their hope – in their motivation to succeed.
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Their motivation to do great things with their God-

given talents.

Everyone wants the chance to lead a better life, and

everyone deserves to have the same basic
opportunities to do so.

All they need is a chance — an opportunity!

A simple opportunity to turn their hopes and dreams

into reality. A simple opportunity to give their
children a life better than their own.

Sadly, too many of our residents, especially our Black

and Brown residents, have been denied access to
opportunity.
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And hope without opportunity is like faith without

works: Dead.

But when you bring hope and opportunity together,

it’s like the miracle of the fishes and loaves. They
multiply!

This is why Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice is

one of our six Key Priorities.

These goals are embedded within all of our priorities,

but we also have to recognize them as priorities of
their own.

Because without them, none of the other priorities

are possible. A city can’t be safe or prosperous if half
the population is cut out of the economy and denied
access to opportunity.
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Two of our most substantial equity programs are the

Guaranteed Basic Income program and the Buy the
Block program.

The Guaranteed Basic Income program will provide a

monthly payment of $500 dollars to 351 individuals
for 12 months.

The payments are unconditional, which means that

there are no strings attached, no work requirements,
and no restrictions on how the money can be spent.

And I have no doubt this program can be successful.

How do I know that?
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Because, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the

temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit in the
American Rescue Plan Act cut childhood poverty by
almost half – 46 percent.

And what did families use that money for?

● 59 percent of those families spent the extra

money on food.
● 52 percent spent it on utilities.
● 45 percent spent it on rent or mortgage.
● 44 percent on clothing.
● 40 percent on education.
● In all, 91 percent of these families spent that
extra money on basic needs.

We launched the GBI last month by opening the

application to be entered into a lottery receive the
benefits.
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About 11,000 eligible residents applied. We recently

conducted the lottery and are in the process of
enrolling the participants into the program now.

Our Buy the Block program is underway in the Upper

Falls Neighborhood, which still bears the scars of
redlining and so-called “urban renewal.”

We’re building brand new homes for income eligible

homeowners to help them create generational wealth
and build equity in their neighborhoods.

We’re also offering home-repair and roof-replacement

grants to existing homeowners to improve their
equity in the home and lift property values in the
neighborhood. We know it doesn’t do us much good to
build brand new homes beside houses that falling
apart.
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And our new Office of Financial Empowerment

provides these potential homeowners financial
counselling to get them mortgage-ready.

In addition to homeowners, the Office of Financial

Empowerment offers support to two other target
audiences: youth and entrepreneurs.

So we’re expanding opportunities for young people to

find jobs, especially in the summer.

And the Office of Financial Empowerment is working

with our Department of Recreation and Youth
Services to encourage city children to open savings
accounts and learn the value of saving – what I call
“Paying yourself first.”
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And we’re supporting entrepreneurs with programs

like Kiva Rochester -- which has facilitated more than
$1 million dollars in interest-free microloans to small
business owners, cementing Rochester’s status as one
of the top-performing Kiva markets in the United
States.

We’ve also expanded the Minority and Women

Business Enterprise – or MWBE program – in our
Purchasing Bureau.

Just a few months ago, we hosted the first-ever

Upstate New York MWBE Conference to help minority-
and women-owned companies across the region learn
how to secure government contracts to grow their
businesses and create jobs.

The City has very ambitious MWBE goals built into its
procurement process.
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We’re working hard to help more women and minority

owned firms complete the certification process so
they can be eligible for a city contract either as a
prime or subcontractor.

And the compliance officers in our Purchasing Bureau

are now using state-of-the-art software to ensure
prime contractors are making timely payments to
their MWBE subcontractors – who often rely on those
revenue streams to make payroll or purchase
materials because they haven’t been in business long
enough to build up reserves.

As you well know, healthcare is another important

component of equity. URMC is one of the very best
medical facilities in the country. So it only makes
sense that making our city’s healthcare system a
national leader in health equity is a high priority.
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Which is one reason I joined the Rochester Black

Agenda Group in declaring “Racism is a Public Health
Crisis.” And we are doing all we can to address that
crisis.

The City has contracted GROW Rochester through the

Children’s Institute since 2021 to provide free
training for childcare, family childcare and healthcare
providers on the implementation of early childhood
screenings.

And Rochester’s Total Health and Wellness Initiative

is a collaboration of the City of Rochester and
Rochester City Council to help define the gaps in the
health and wellness needs of Rochester’s underserved
communities and bring services right into the
neighborhoods that need it most.
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Mental Health and Addiction Services have to be part

of the health equity equation.

So we’ve brought mental health counselors into four

of our R-Centers to help our children and families
process the trauma they might experience in their
neighborhoods.

And Our Office of Crisis Intervention Services

provides a comprehensive, community-based
response to support victims and families dealing with
homicides, mental health, domestic violence, and
other related crises.

We also have the Person in Crisis (PIC) Team, a unit

that responds alongside or in lieu of the police in
mental health and substance abuse crises to ensure
everyone gets the health support they need when
they need it.
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Safe shelter is a key component impacting a person’s

health – which is why we are investing so heavily in
affordable housing.

Since the start of 2022, we’ve completed or started

projects to build or renovate 1,136 affordable units —
including 48 for extremely low-income residents and
244 for very low-income residents — for a total
investment of an astonishing $441 million dollars.

That’s almost half a billion dollars in investments in

just over one year!

Now, another one of my priorities is Economic

Empowerment, and we have several equity-focused
initiatives in process.
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We raised minimum wage to $15 per hour across all

City departments, and signed on to RMAPI’s Level-Up
initiative.

We are also hosting multiple ROC the Block

Employment Fairs, an initiative that brings
employers directly into neighborhoods.

I always say: It’s not me, it’s we.

And together, WE can inspire hope and deliver

opportunity for everyone.

Thank you, and God bless.

(end)