Segun Idowu: Shall We Rest in These Ruins?

Common Good Podcast

The Common Good Podcast is a conversation about the significance of place, eliminating economic isolation and the structure of belonging.

Since it’s founding over 30 years ago, the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts’s mission has been to create local, green, and fair economies. Every year SBN hosts an annual conference to promote this mission and on June 4th, with the help of the Common Good Collective, our 31st Annual Conference was held virtually. We sought to inspire collaborative action which will contribute to developing an economy that is local, green, and fair. Over the coming weeks, presentations and discussions from the Conference will be featured here, on the Common Good Podcast. The first keynote presentation we’d like to feature is from Segun Idowu, the Executive Director of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA). Segun discusses Black Wall Street, Juneteenth and asks if we will rest in these ruins. After Segun speaks, Laury Hammel, the Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts responds to Segun’s remarks.

Segun Idowu is the Executive Director of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts. Segun Idowu is one of the foremost leaders in Boston, and was recognized as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the City of Boston" by Boston Magazine (May 2020). He has led the conversation on empowering Black communities in Massachusetts, and has made significant breakthroughs at the State House advocating for Black-owned businesses, holding city and state governments, to equity standards in contracting. With Segun's leadership, BECMA raised $1.5 million last year through an initiative called the Greenwood Challenge, the majority of the funds for which are expected to go toward a technical-assistance program for Black-owned businesses.

Laury Hammel is the Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts. Laury Hammel is the President and CEO of The Longfellow Clubs of Massachusetts, which encompasses health and sports clubs, holistic health centers, children’s centers, and camps that serve 15,000 members. Laury has helped dozens of Independent Business Alliances and other local business coalitions get started. Additionally, he founded the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN) in 1988, Business for Social Responsibility in 1991 and, in 2001, co-founded the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies.

You can find more information about the Common Good Collective and the reader here. Common Good Podcast is a production of Bespoken Live and Common Change - Eliminating Personal Economic Isolation. This episode has been guest hosted by Manjulika Das and produced by Joey Taylor with music from Jeff Gorman.