Chief DEI Officer Rhonda Talford Knight collaborates in the launch of The Equity Collective

The Equity Collective is a collaboration led by Black philanthropists and allies in Columbus, Ohio, representing a partnership with JewishColumbus, with a goal of deploying resources in areas with high strategic impact to enhance Black life.

Joel Marcovitch, President and CEO of JewishColumbus, alongside Adam Troy, Chief Engagement Officer of the Community of Caring Development Foundation, led discussions on the similarities of the Jewish and Black communities and noted their historic partnerships. These conversations yielded The Equity Collective, comprised of Marcovitch, Troy, Michael Robinson, Director of Planned Giving and Endowments at JewishColumbus, Tracy Sharp, Owner of the Staffing Studio, and Rhonda Talford Knight, PhD, Chief DEI Officer here at Bricker.

In an article published by The Columbus Dispatch, Dr. Knight notes “There’s an opportunity to formalize the normal, being able to mobilize the entire community—that’s what this will do. We have to come together as a collective to ensure equity happens for our community.”

Beginning with a “passport” program, allowing young Black people to visit Ghana—inspired by the Jewish community’s visit to Israel—the Equity Collective plans for the funds gathered to help the Black community be proactive instead of reactive. They ask those who believe in the initiative to build with them and bring critique so that they can continue to revise the opportunities that they provide.

To learn more about The Equity Collective and its mission, check out its website here.