 I'm Stacey Abrams and hello to all the change makers coming together for Spectrum. I'm sorry we're not able to convene in person, but I am inspired by your capacity to adapt to meet the moment. This is a critical event to create a plan of action to support, invest in and empower business leaders and entrepreneurs of color. But I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the pain so many in our nation are feeling at this moment, particularly the black community, who once again face the cruel reality of police brutality and injustice under the law. The murders of Imad Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have further stained the threads holding together the fabric of our society. I see and share your call for more than lip service and response to anguish and outrage. We must have systemic change at every level. I promise to do all I can to ensure that every protest leads to real solutions. But as long as those who are born in justice are in charge, nothing changes. To bring about change, we must vote. Not because voting is the only answer, but it is the one we cannot afford to ignore. I will fight to have every vote counted so we can elect leaders who value black lives and who will work to make our system just for all. While systemic change and electing new leadership can take time, there are steps we can take today. In the midst of such darkness, I am filled with hope by your commitment to action over these next few days. While your work is about the future and how you all can help shape it, we cannot ignore a waning economy and the pandemic ravaging our nation. The data paints a clear picture. Black and brown communities are not only at a higher risk for the public health impacts of COVID-19, but also the economic devastation. Not only are black workers more likely to be laid off, but black-owned businesses are among the most likely to face extended closures demanded by controlling the public health crisis. Facing a history of lending bias, battered by employment discrimination and neglected by high interest rates, black Americans face greater economic barriers across the board as a result of COVID-19. Only by building an equitable economy that works for all can we address these divisions to ensure recovery and prosperity reaches the people who have been the hardest hit. Our opportunity is grounded in the power of your joint efforts. Our future has never been rooted in any one leader or any one election. Our capacity to solve challenges is rooted in people like you. This multicultural community of change makers fighting for good and pushing toward a more inclusive, vibrant and prosperous democracy where every American, regardless of their identities, has the opportunities to create and participate in an inclusive impact economy. Spectrum's capacity is boundless with artists, investors, business leaders, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and cross-sector practitioners collaborating to share tools, networks, and knowledge on ways to build new systems that support and drive capital to leaders of color, to increase access, embrace inclusion, and expand impact in communities across the country. We must fight for access to give historically marginalized communities the funding, knowledge, and tools they need to thrive. We must demand inclusion to build an economy in which all of us have equal opportunity to achieve prosperity. And we must work to deliver impact with solutions that deliver positive social change. I look forward to seeing how your ideas, expertise, and creativity do just that because it is your voices and your values that are going to help rebuild our nation. I know you will accomplish great work over the next few days and throughout your careers, but I encourage you to embrace the struggles and grow from the challenges because that will make your triumphs all the more laudable. Strive for understanding, empathy, and patience for yourselves during these difficult times and allow yourselves to stumble and fail. It is through these dark times we emerge together stronger individually and as a nation. So let's hold on to the hope and then we can grasp the promise for a better tomorrow. Thank you.