West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James Named Inaugural UNUM Fellow

Press release from City of West Palm Beach:

10/01/2020

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA (October 1, 2020) — Mitch Landrieu’s E Pluribus Unum (EPU) announced its inaugural class of UNUM Fellows, including West Palm Beach’s own Mayor Keith James. The cohort of 14 accomplished and diverse Southern elected leaders will embark on a year-long journey to address inequitable and discriminatory policies and practices within their communities. Uniquely positioned to redesign broken systems, they begin this signature program amidst a renewed national movement towards racial and economic justice. The program comes with a commitment of up to $75,000 to support the implementation of an equity-focused project led by the fellow.

“Elected leaders play a crucial role in setting the tone for communities on discussions of racial and economic equity because of their ability to change inequitable and discriminatory policies and practices,” said Landrieu. “Just a few years ago, I was in a very similar position as Mayor James. I know what’s at stake, and I know how important it is to have support and access to resources, experts and tools. That’s where EPU comes in—we designed a program that creates the space for Mayor James and other local elected leaders to better realize their power to make lasting change and leverage the invaluable support of peers, expert advisors and community partners to do so.”

“I thank Mitch Landrieu and E Pluribus Unum for acceptance into this esteemed program, as it is not only a tremendous honor but also a wonderful resource for West Palm Beach,” said Mayor James. “As Mayor, I am working toward a vision of making West Palm Beach a ‘community of opportunity for all,’ a community whereby anyone can achieve their dreams in our city. Addressing issues of racial and ethnic inequality starts at the local level, particularly in our cities. The access to E Pluribus Unum’s resources, experts and tools will greatly help to support our city and the work of the Mayor’s Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Equality.”

The mission of the Mayor’s Task Force for Racial and Ethnic Equality, established by Mayor James in July, is to identify and help address issues of racial/ethnic equity through education about racial and ethnic inequities, research of best practices, and issuance of policy/funding recommendations to address racial/ethnic inequity in the City of West Palm Beach.

Elected in 2018, Mayor James is leading West Palm Beach through the COVID-19 crisis, recently presented a balanced budget which was approved by the City Commission, and established the City’s Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Equality. Previously, in his role as President of the City Commission, Keith James helped create West Palm Beach’s strategic plan, finance plan, water plan, and mobility plan. Mayor James is also the former Chair of the West Palm Beach Citizens’ Ethics Task Force, and the first African American Chair of Leadership Florida and the Quantum Foundation. Mayor James holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

As part of EPU’s foundational research journey in 2018, the organization found that people place a great deal of hope in their local political leadership and better embrace the concept of racial equity when local leadership actively seeks to advance it. Through this opportunity, fellows will gain or expand upon their understanding of how to address racial and economic equity within communities. Each UNUM Fellow will learn from nationally-recognized experts, consult with peers across the South and design and implement an equity-based project that will create sustainable, meaningful change.

While success will look different in each community, Fellows will leave the program equipped to:

• Foster meaningful participation among key community partners and leaders to drive the advancement of equity goals and projects;
• Advance initiatives—beginning with their Fellowship project—that address racial and economic disparities in communities;
• Cultivate long-term visions for equity within their communities that outlive any single term or administration;
• Talk about racial and economic equity in ways that advance discourse, with a common language and understanding; and
• Act with urgency with the support of a strong peer network and community.

To learn more about UNUM Fellows, visit www.unumfund.org/fellows.

This press release was produced by the City of West Palm Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.