NEWS

We want to inform you about the North Mecklenburg Economic Mobility Collaborative (NMEMC), which will address insufficient upward economic mobility facing many groups in our towns – Davidson, Huntersville and Cornelius.

As you probably know, a Harvard University/UC Berkeley study discovered the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community ranked 50th out of 50 in economic mobility among the largest U.S. cities— specifically the ability of a child born in the bottom income quintile to rise to the top income quintile as an adult.

This was a sobering moment and a wake-up call.

The Leading on Opportunity Task force was formed, and eighteen months were dedicated to analyzing the problem, but the action steps as a result of that effort are focused primarily on Charlotte.

The NMEMC intends to address our towns. A launch event was held January 30 at Cornelius Town Hall.

North Mecklenburg is becoming less diverse than the county overall. We believe we have a shared responsibility for each other.

Beyond assessing the effectiveness of current community resources, what we may eventually be tasked with are changes in policy, practices and priorities. This is ultimately about addressing systems that become mutually supporting toward the goal and the ability to enact change on a population level. We are connected to the efforts based in Charlotte. We believe in “community” in its truest sense, and we can´t remain on the sidelines.

We don´t have all of the answers yet. Our working groups are beginning to form. We are intentional. We recognize this requires taking important steps with a long-term view.

We need our community civic leaders, businesses, nonprofits, town governments, and residents to be warriors in this battle. Can we count on you? Please learn more at our website.