In light of the COVID-19 health crisis and to prioritize the well-being and safety of our members, exhibitors, sponsors, and partners, ICMA launched its first-ever digital event, UNITE, which took place September 23–26, 2020.

UNITE was a great success, bringing together more than 4,500 local government leaders from across the globe to learn from each other and address the new realities of our world today. COVID-19 and the impact it has had on our communities and those who are working tirelessly to protect, support, and lead their communities through this crisis was one of the key topics discussed during the event.

UNITE kicked off Monday, September 21, with pre-conference opportunities, including the League of Women in Government Symposium with featured speaker Glennon Doyle, as well as several other live sessions focused on equity in criminal justice, redefining leadership when battling two pandemics, and gathering opinions of hard-to-reach residents, to name a few.

The main event began on Wednesday, September 23 and ran through Saturday, September 26. Programming throughout the week focused on the most pressing local government topics including COVID-19, racial equity and social justice, financial recovery, policing, and more.

ICMA Executive Director Marc Ott kicked off Wednesday’s opening general session, sponsored by ICMA-RC, with a rousing speech to attendees. His powerful words come at a time when local government leaders are facing extraordinary challenges, and he reminded us all why we chose this profession and what it demands of us. His encouragement and reassurance set an inspirational tone for the conference.

Nadja West

Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General, 44th U.S. Army Surgeon General, and former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command, Nadja West presented on Leading Through Uncertainty during her Wednesday keynote session, sponsored by ICMA-RC. “I believe these are more uncertain times than ever,” West began. A global pandemic. Economic insecurity. A turbulent political landscape. Institutional racism. Environmental concerns. West acknowledged there is no shortage of large-scale, destabilizing challenges that create nearly incalculable uncertainty. Good leadership is needed to overcome this. Read more.

Dr. Manuel Pastor

The author of State of Resistance, Dr. Pastor is an expert on racial equity and sustainable development, as well as social, economic, and environmental justice in urban areas. Pastor opened his remarks by acknowledging race, racism, and racial equity are difficult subjects: "The central message is that when we talk about race and racism, we have to be sure that we’re not just going to the lowest common denominator. That we actually have the hard conversations about why there’s such a persistent pattern of racial disparity in terms of policing, the economy, and homeownership, the very air we breathe. Uncommon common ground is the way to make real change.” Read more.

Kristen Cox

Having spoken at the 2019 ICMA Annual Conference, Cox returned to UNITE with further insight into the use of data for local government managers, gained from helping lead the state of Utah through the COVID-19 crisis as its executive director of the Office of Management and Budget. At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Cox was buried under countless projections based on data we didn’t have nor had ever experienced before. It became imperative that Cox learned to look past all the “noise” to focus on Utah’s vision for the future. Likening her process to the cane travel method taught to her as she became blind, Cox used data to help her discover the path forward for Utah through quick adaptation and management. Read more.

Robin DiAngelo

“I want to start by drawing your attention to my race. Right out of the gate. It’s a very uncomfortable thing for me to be doing.” Robin DiAngelo, PhD and affiliate associate professor of education at the University of Washington, Seattle, wasted no time jumping right into the sensitive and controversial topic of white fragility (also the title of her bestselling book) during her Thursday keynote session, sponsored by Tyler Technologies. DiAngelo said everyone has an opinion on race and racism, but that does not make it informed. Furthermore, she explained it is difficult to have an informed opinion when these issues are not openly talked about, when we aren’t given good information in school, and when we don’t know our own history. Read more.

Vijay Gupta

Captivating. Moving. Human. These are just a few words to describe Vijay Gupta’s Trailblazer session on Thursday night, sponsored by Cigna. Vijay Gupta is a violinist, educator, and activist whose efforts to merge music with mental health are changing the world, note by note. His organization, Street Symphony, serves to connect with individuals recovering from homelessness and incarceration through music. He divided up his session by playing several movements composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, and sharing anecdotes from his time playing music at the Patton State Hospital and Skid Row, both in Los Angeles, California. Read more.

Richard Florida

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, best-selling author and leading urbanist Richard Florida offered his thoughts on how new ways of working and living would drive economic recovery from an historic crash in his book, The Great Reset, in his Friday keynote, sponsored by Buxton. A decade after popularizing the term, he observed, “We are looking at the greatest of the ‘great resets’ of our time.” Echoing themes heard across UNITE’s agenda, Florida acknowledged the intersections of multiple complex and devastating challenges facing communities. “This pandemic has caused a cascading series of economic and fiscal issues,” and these impacts, he said, have fallen along race and class lines. Read more.

Chris Gardner

Saturday’s General Session speaker, Chris Gardner, spoke about “Hard Pivots, Atomic Times and A New Vision of the American Dream.” An entrepreneur, bestselling author, and award-winning film producer, Gardner’s autobiography, The Pursuit of HappYness, became a New York Times #1 best seller, and he is the inspiration for the critically acclaimed film “The Pursuit of HappYness,” starring Will Smith. Born to a childhood of poverty and violence, Chris overcame incredible odds to become a world-class stock broker. In his remarks, Chris talks about how ideas and attitude can change your life, and what it means to be “world-class.”

To learn more about the keynote speakers, trailblazers, and featured speakers, along with the Wednesday and Thursday evening events, and more, watch the wrap-up video.

 

 

The September event was such a success that ICMA wanted to “continue the conversation” with another day-long event of live sessions and Q&A on November 13. We find it more important than ever to foster discussion about the ever-changing issues in our communities. To that end, UNITE: Continuing the Conversation explored three different themes: bridging the digital divide, resilient leadership, and racial equity and social justice.

Rio Hondo, Texas, Wins Bridging the Digital Divide Initiative

The Bridging the Digital Divide Initiative and social responsibility campaign was a distinctive feature of ICMA’s UNITE: A Digital Event, and we, along with the sponsor of the initiative, ICMA-RC, are proud to have awarded $15,000 in funding to help one small town increase broadband internet access in their community. At UNITE: Continuing the Conversation on November 13, the initiative winner was announced. The review process made by members of ICMA’s Smart Communities Advisory Board was challenging, as they had received 16 competitive submissions from communities across the United States sharing their stories on the barriers to—and planned solutions for—broadband internet access.

The Bridging the Digital Divide Initiative and its $15,000 in funding courtesy of ICMA-RC was awarded to the city of Rio Hondo, Texas, and city administrator and ICMA member Ben Medina Jr. Read more about the winner at icma.org/digital-divide-winner.