Watch Next City’s Senior Economics Correspondent Oscar Perry Abello in the latest webinar series that goes beyond the issues of equitable economic development to talk to the people who do the work.

On Wednesday, January 19, at 1 p.m. Eastern, join Next City’s Senior Economics Correspondent Oscar Perry Abello for the latest in a webinar series that goes beyond the issues of equitable economic development to talk to the people who do the work.

The Federal Reserve is one of the most powerful yet least understood economic institutions in the world. How does it make its most important decisions, and how do those decisions affect communities of color?

We’ll hear from two guests with particular insight on the Fed’s inner workings and impact. Claudia Sahm, founder of Stay-at-Home Macro (SAHM) Consulting, is a former section chief in the Division of Consumer and Community Affairs at the Fed. She has intimate knowledge of how the Fed leadership makes decisions, and who participates in those discussions. And we’ll also hear from Andre Perry, senior fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, whose research centers on Black communities and the impact that economic institutions such as the Fed have on them. (Perry is also a Next City board member.)

The Fed faces a rare moment. Its senior leadership — members of the Fed’s board of governors and bank presidents — are 100% white and 83% white respectively. But with three of seven seats to fill on the Fed’s board of governors over the next few months, the Biden-Harris Administration could dramatically shift diversity at the central banking system’s highest level.

Next City’s series “The Bottom Line” explores scalable solutions for problems related to affordability, inclusive economic growth and access to capital. The series is made possible with support from Citi.