A Message from Our Vice President, Civic Affairs

A message from the Chamber’s Vice President, Civic Affairs Yvette A. Núñez to our member community.

Coming from a career serving low-income communities of color, where we dismiss “outside” efforts as all talk, I naively came wanting to do more than just talk. But I quickly learned that in some spaces, and depending on the topic, talk alone is progress.

But there is no more opportune time than this to shift from talk to action.

The Chamber actively advocates for inclusive growth and diversity, equity, and inclusion, regardless of an individual’s economic position, gender, race, creed, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability. As we explore how our existing commitment to these practices can evolve to better serve this moment, I invite you to view our recent conversation about how companies are currently taking action by retooling, upskilling, and yes, hiring for a sustainable future for Philadelphia’s neighborhoods.

As a daughter of poverty, mother to Black children, and sister to a good cop, I know the complexities of what we are facing as individuals and a nation are many. Still, we must do better and not let what is hard get in the way of doing what is good, what is right, and what is just. In our talk and in our action, it must be clear that Black lives matter.