Racial inequality continues to be a problem in Ohio.

To combat this, Team NEO has partnered with Minnesota-based Center for Economic Inclusion to close the racial wealth gap and create an inclusive and equitable economy in the Northeast Ohio region.

The partnership will be called the Northeast Ohio Equity Trust and creates a collaborative learning and action network with access to the center's racial equity tools and analytics.

This includes proprietary Indicators for an Inclusive Regional Economy, a data disaggregating tool designed to support communities seeking to make key data more widely available as a means of holding all employers accountable for accelerating inclusive economic mobility for all, according to the center.

These tools will be specifically available for Black, Indigenous, Asian and Latino job creators, according to Tawanna A. Black, founder and CEO of the Center for Economic Inclusion. 

According to a news release from Team NEO, the trust will bring together more than 20 regional employers and policy makers to provide data-informed strategies that will support anti-racist actions to transform the outcomes and experience of their employees, supply chains and communities.

The Brookings Institution's The Economic Gains from Equity estimates that "the US economy would be $2.6 trillion larger if gaps in labor market opportunities and returns (by race and gender) were eliminated."

According to a recent McKinsey study, the northeast Ohio regional economy could grow by up to $7 billion (about $22 per person in the US) by closing the racial wealth gap between Black and white businesses and people.