(Editor’s note: This essay is part of PBN’s 35th anniversary publication, which can be viewed here.)
Congratulations to PBN on 35 years as the state’s preeminent business news source.
When I look back just five years to 2016, the Rhode Island Foundation was celebrating its 100th anniversary along with PBN’s 30th. Who could have foreseen that the next five years would be marked by political upheaval, a growing focus on social justice and a global pandemic that would affect us all? So, we reflect and learn from the past, deal with the present and plan for a better future.
The recent past has been taxing to say the least. Divisiveness and uncertainty abound. Both make it challenging for us to come together to strengthen our tenuous economy, eliminate disparities, inequities and achievement gaps, and plan for an equitable future. However, many Rhode Islanders have demonstrated generosity of support, spirit and resilience in the face of hardship. Those are traits we can leverage to meet challenges head-on, as a community.
We have work to do, that’s for sure. It feels daunting, but doable.
We are still facing the uncertainties of the pandemic and the need to turn around the economy in a way that supports all Rhode Islanders – not just some. Too many Rhode Islanders have been left behind. The “K” recovery is real. Some who have worked from home, saved on expenses and had the privilege of investing for retirement are on the upside of the “K,” while many other workers, who we all rely on and who have continued to head to jobs in-person, support families on low-to-moderate wages and struggle with increased expenses and much less room to save for the future, face the downside of the “K.”
We also need to immediately address learning loss, and the social and emotional needs of all of our schools; conditions that we know are widening achievement gaps. And, we need to do a better job of providing access to affordable and quality health care to begin to reduce, and eventually eliminate, disparate health outcomes. We also need to meet basic needs for our neighbors who are struggling to obtain food and housing.
This is a critical time for Rhode Island to build on some successes, to correct past mistakes, to anticipate need and opportunity, and to be held accountable for meeting the needs of residents.
So, what gets us to this better future? Let’s be more inclusive by race, ethnicity and geography, among other factors, and more equitable by providing opportunities for all.
Let’s wisely utilize the billions of dollars of federal funds being made available in the state, guided by “Make It Happen: Investing for Rhode Island’s Future,” the Rhode Island Foundation-led effort to recommend big, sustainable, transformative and equitable recommendations for $1.1 billion to be invested over the next three years.
Let’s drive forward as we have previously recommended in “Chart a Course, Stay the Course” to create a world-class education system by 2030 that prepares all students to succeed in life and to contribute productively to the community and to the workforce.
Let’s embrace “Health in Rhode Island” in order to make this the healthiest state in the country by 2030, by providing access to high-quality and affordable health care and ensuring that all Rhode Islanders have the opportunity to be in optimal health and to deal with the social determinants of good health.
Let’s create an integrated academic health system with Lifespan Corp., Care New England Health System and Brown University that meets the needs of all Rhode Islanders and provides quality, affordable and accessible health care, while building an economic engine for research.
Let’s actually create housing units that will make a dent in the growing need for affordable homes for all.
Making a statement or pronouncement is not leadership. Creating action and results is leadership. Our challenges are complex. In many cases the solutions are straightforward and simple, but hard to get done.
The social and economic will to create a better future must sometimes exceed the political will. And we need to push past divisiveness to find common ground and work together, to have hope. So, let’s ALL join together in our families, neighborhoods, organizations, companies and hometowns to demonstrate the leadership we need.
The Rhode Island Foundation will work with all of you to encourage the bold and innovative steps necessary, learning from the past, dealing with the present and creating the better future.
(Neil D. Steinberg is CEO and president of the Rhode Island Foundation.)