The conflict context in the United States must include an analysis of rural communities, including the urban/rural divide and rural resident views on state and federal government investments (or lack thereof) in their communities. Join our session to hear from leaders of economic development and opportunity initiatives in rural communities as they discuss the challenges facing rural communities and describe how support for entrepreneurs and workers in rural communities contributes to a more just and peaceful society.

Speakers:

• Joseph Bubman, Executive Director, Urban Rural Action (Moderator)

• Sherri Powell, Founder & Executive Director, Rural America Chamber of Commerce

• Don Fraser, Jr, Chief Program Officer, Education Design Lab

• Whitney Kimball Coe, Director of National Programs, Center for Rural Strategies

• Molly Pyle, Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development Lead, Center on Rural Innovation

Throughout the Spring, starting April 14th until the end of June the Alliance for Peacebuilding and the U.S. Peace, Justice and Democracy Working Group is hosting a series of weekly webinars, Preventing and Reducing Conflict and Instability in the United States: Shaping What Comes Next, with leading peacebuilding and conflict prevention experts, donors, and policymakers from across the country. The series focuses on the conflict dynamics driving instability, extremism, and toxic polarization, and more importantly, the political and policy changes needed to build a society that is just, secure, and fair for all Americans.  Register here.