Asian poverty is often overlooked. The model minority myth describes Asian Americans as uniformly affluent and educated. Yet many Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) groups have high poverty levels. Treating Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as one uniform group fails to recognize the diversity in poverty rates among ethnic groups and ignores the many AAPI groups in which poverty is a major problem. Read More

Every year at the Inner City 100 Awards and Conference, ICIC presents an entrepreneur with the Marcia Lamb Inner City Innovation Award, which recognizes visionary leadership at the forefront of creating positive change in urban economic development and inner cities. This year, the honor was presented to Bo Menkiti, CEO of The Menkiti Group and Keller Williams Capital Properties, real estate development and brokerage firms in Washington, DC. Read More

The relationship between universities and their surrounding communities can often prove challenging, with both groups struggling to find a common language for communicating needs and opportunities. In Washington, D.C., Howard University has long had a complex and multilayered relationship with the LeDroit Park neighborhood, located immediately southeast of the university. Read More

Impact investing is a double bottom line investment approach that looks to generate a competitive rate of return while investing funds into projects that will have a positive social, economic or environmental impact. There are now at least $114 billion worth of impact investing assets under management, according to a recent survey conducted by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), a group of charities, banks, foundations, insurance companies and asset managers dedicated to increasing impact investing. Read More

From urban agriculture to kitchen incubators, many forms of food-related enterprises can act as catalysts for inner city job growth and business development. While the direct impact of grocery stores is more commonly considered part of the broader discussion around food deserts, they too can have significant economic effect on their local communities. Read More