2021 Prosperity Indiana Summit

Prosperity Indiana's 2021 Summit is focused on Advancing Racial Equity and Inclusion to Rebuild Communities Together. 

Hear from MLK’s “Smallest Freedom Fighter” and co-author of Selma, Lord, Selma Sheyann Webb-Christburg about the path she helped pave over 50 years ago to address racial injustices and the work that lies ahead to ensure equity for all. Also part of the line-up, Brian Dabson, past president of Prosperity Now, is a world renowned expert on community and regional development, especially around strategies that bridge rural and urban places.

Keynote Speakers

Sheyann Webb-Christburg
Civil rights & voting rights activist, author, humanitarian & the recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal from President Barack Obama. These are only a few words to describe a woman of humble beginnings who has become an inspiration to the world. Sheyann Webb-Christburg, a native of Selma, Alabama has been a voice of justice, equality, courage, commitment, and character since the tender age of eight. Nationally known as the co-author of the book Selma, Lord, Selma: Girlhood Memories of the Civil Rights Days, which was later made into an NAACP Image Award nominated Disney movie, Sheyann is currently at work on her second book, Didn’t Let Nobody Turn Me Around.

Brian Dabson - Regional Collaboration: A Path to Geographic and Racial Equity for Rural America
Brian Dabson is a Research Fellow, School of Government, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and consultant to the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group. He researches and writes on rural and regional economic and community development, including regional collaboration and rural-urban connections. His December 2020 brief focused on COVID-19 recovery and resilience for Thrive Rural is titled "Equitable Recovery and Resilience in Rural America."