May 23-25, 2005:  Advancing Regional Equity: The Second National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was co-convened by PolicyLinkand the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities.  Summit participants included leaders and advocates from the non-profit, public policy, philanthropy, business, and academic arenas that share a commitment to full economic and racial inclusion based on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to participate and prosper in society.

The  Race & Regionalism Conference 2005 took place in downtown Minneapolis May 6-7, 2005. The conference was a full two-day event. The conference, supported by the Ford Foundation and the University of Minnesota Law School, was an opportunity to explore new legal and empirical scholarship about race and the regions and frankly discuss the possibility of coalitions for regional reform among people of all races. Blacks, whites, Latinos and others met to discuss the growing policy and legal framework that shapes our understanding of racial dynamics in regional affairs.