This year’s theme was “Toward an Equitable Future for All.” Next City is a nonprofit news organization that selects a different host city each year to bring together a group of inspiring and engaged young urban leaders to collectively learn and think about ways to improve cities. 

The opening Tuesday morning session, “Narratives of Greensboro’s History,” was moderated by Rodney Dawson of the Greensboro History Museum and Preservation Greensboro’s Benjamin Briggs. Other panelists were Greensboro History Museum’s Glenn Perkins, Ed Cone, and Dr. Arwin Smallwood of N.C. A&T University. Each speaker expanded on assumptions and highlighted the need to go beyond past single narratives telling an incomplete story of our region’s past.

Gwen was asked to speak to the region's Quaker history with a focus on Quaker influences on access and attitudes towards education and equality. The session highlighted the depth and diversity of Greensboro’s history and the overlaps and interconnections within our community — whether it be through education, industry, finance, or social justice initiatives over time.