The America21 Project Introduces 'Inclusive Competitiveness' at White House

Online, March 12, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Washington D.C.: The White House will host a gathering of Cleveland area business leaders on March 9, 2012, for a day of exchanging ideas on economic development, innovation and job creation.

Inclusive Competitiveness

Johnathan M. Holifield, Co-founder and Chief Evangelist for The America21 Project (America21) will join senior Obama Administration officials and fellow business leaders from the Greater Cleveland area for a day-long forum on how the private sector and government can collaborate more effectively to foster greater opportunity, innovation and job creation.

Holifield will encourage the Administration to adopt a national economic strategy of Inclusive Competitiveness, designed to connect disconnected African American and Latino Americans to 21st century regional innovation clusters, ecosystems and industries.

Partnership to Promote Urban Innovation

America21, the first and only national voice for accelerating the growth of African American and Latino American prosperity through increased innovation capacity and economic competitiveness, has partnered with innovation ecosystem leadership organizations to seed Inclusive Competitiveness in Northeast Ohio and is similarly partnering with other regional innovation-based economic development organizations in three additional urban regions.

"America21 developed Inclusive Competitiveness, which includes a federal policy and programmatic thrust, as a solution to the economic woes experienced in far too many urban communities," Holifield said.

"More than 40 consecutive years of African American unemployment consistently double the national jobless rate is strong evidence that what we are doing may be necessary, but is insufficient. We are at the place in American history where we must have 'All Hands on Deck' to ensure our national prosperity in an increasingly flat and uncompromisingly competitive world. Not only must America become more competitive, America21 firmly holds that we must become more inclusively competitive."

About The America21 Project (A21):

A21 is a national nonprofit dedicated to changing the economic narrative across Urban America while building urban innovation ecosystems that connect economically disconnected sectors to established regional innovation clusters and the 21st century Innovation Economy.

Job growth and wealth creation in economically disconnected urban regions are the outcomes of A21's strategic approach. A21 employs three core pillars to engaging communities nationwide:

STEM Education & Workforce Development
Entrepreneurship (especially high-growth)
Access to Capital and Risk Capital Formation

A21 offers consulting and advisory services, conference programming, workshops, speakers and media content.

To learn more about The America21 Project, visit www.blackinnovation.org.