Inclusion, Innovation and Philadelphia’s Future: Mayoral Candidate Forum

At this forum, a panel of WURD hosts will engage the mayoral candidates in a discussion of how their plans for technological growth in Philadelphia will include Black residents, students, workers, and entrepreneurs. We want to know which candidate will make sure Black Philadelphia has access to:

• Cutting-edge tech education
• Funding and capital
• High-paying jobs

In partnership with Philly Tech Week, Technical.ly Philly and the University City Science Center

This forum’s topics will include:

Tech education: For new programs and curricula in Philly schools focused on technology, what skills should children be learning? How do we make sure that the best and most relevant training goes to students equitably across the district and not just the top magnet schools? And how do we find teachers qualified to do this?

Networks and funding: What is the complexion of the venture capital landscape in Philly? Which businesses are getting picked for early-stage investments? How will city leaders make sure that the startup landscape in Philly looks like Philly?

High-wage jobs: Technology jobs can come with high salaries. But a lot of “tech jobs” are lower-wage jobs. How do city leaders plan to make sure that Black Philadelphians have equal access to jobs that pay a livable wage? How can we prepare Philadelphia residents to be competitive for these jobs?