An Open Letter from the President and Chief Executive Officer of the MetroHartford Alliance, David Griggs

The MetroHartford Alliance shares the anger and frustration over the countless violent acts perpetrated across the United States against our black and African-American community, most recently exemplified by the senseless killing of George Floyd. The energy coming out of this tragedy has created an opportunity for progress. We need to seize the opportunity to create the change our region and this country needs. The entrenched discrimination that has long plagued our country, and our region, must be recognized and corrected. Each of us has a role to play in correcting the centuries of injustice; we can no longer look to someone else or some other organization to carry the mission forward.

The MetroHartford Alliance has a stated mission to attract jobs, capital, and talent to the Hartford region—the fundamental basics of economic development. At the heart of this mission is a recognition of who we are as a region, to celebrate it and invite others to participate in what we have built as a community. The strength of our region is in the diversity of its residents, but our weakness is in our failure to create economic opportunities for all our residents.

Racism and discrimination and the associated social inequities that stem from them directly affect our region’s ability to achieve true economic growth. For at the core of economic development is the goal of improving ALL residents’ quality of life.

Our role at the MetroHartford Alliance is already defined: inclusive economic growth. While we may not have a concrete plan on how to accomplish this goal, we know we need to listen to the people most affected and more actively engage the organizations that have been fighting for change for years. Our organization, with the help of our investors and partners, must bring meaning and real action to inclusive economic growth for our region.

David Griggs

President & Chief Executive Officer