Black Lives Matter: A Statement from the Cogent Team
ON April 27, 2021
Our core values of reducing and eliminating inequity, beginning with the direction of capital and financial solutions, have always driven Cogent Consulting’s work. Cogent and our partners like the Twin Cities Impact Investing Ecosystem are founded on principles of relentless positive change using our privileged resources and networks in the financial sector for good.
Our hearts are broken with events in our home the Twin Cities and global community. While the verdict of guilty on all murder charges for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on April 20th is a positive development, racism is far from over. The Cogent team knows it is not enough to be “not racist,” but we and all white people need to be actively anti-racist. We affirm that Black Lives Matter and recommit to that value in the wake of Duante Wright, Adam Toldedo, and Ma’Khia Bryant’s deaths at the hands of police.
We are reaching out to express that our hearts are with our Black friends and colleagues. We also ask our fellow white folks to seek out opportunities to join anti-racist efforts. We have included some places to start in this post.
Listen & Learn
Allyship
Laylee Amadi of the creatives education podcast “So, Here’s the Thing” featured former Cogent Communications Associate Akua Konadu and her expertise in allyship to Black communities.
Partner
Social Strategy
Akua today empowers social media entrepreneurs with personalized strategies. Get in touch with her via her website.
Support
Initiatives
Donate capital and time to a local Community Development Financial Institution like Meda that supports BIPOC.
Support
Businesses
Order delivery and buy from local Black businesses like Junita’s Jar cookies.
Attend
Events
Support the Center For Economic Inclusion, the first organization dedicated to inclusive economic growth, and attend their events for professionals and businesses who want to take action.
Join Cogent for events that embody our mission for social impact through investment.
Build Forward Better: the 2021 Twin Cities Impact Investing Ecosystem conference, features a dozen guests with proven social impact strategies, nearly all of who are offering their valuable experiences as BIPOC. Tickets are available now.
Our next Social Entrepreneur Roundtable is May 18. Founder Susan Hammel uses these sessions to connect with professionals new to impact investing, students, businesses, and anyone who may value the perspective of a veteran in the field – plus a chance to network with others.
What I'm doing now
Top of my mind these days is investing in line with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion values. Many institutions promised bold moves after George Floyd was murdered. Who is following through and doing this well? Racial justice requires new pathways for capital flows. I’m excited to be part of the McKnight Foundation’s Groundbreak Coalition, aiming to deploy $2b in flexible capital over 10 years to disrupt the status quo. In Minnesota we are a generous state, a charitable state, a hard-working state: we need to try new approaches to create that famous quality of life for all. We are leading a session on Place Based Impact Investing at the Mission Investors Exchange conference in Baltimore. Reach out if you’ll be there so I can include you in the informal MN meet-ups.
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