Rewriting a “JUST” Normal: Dr. Beverly Scott Hosts National Shared Mobility Summit Conversation

On July 20th, 2021, Dr. Beverly Scott hosted a Key Conversation for the National Shared Mobility Summit to present “Rewriting a “JUST” Normal”, an Iyai+ vision that we are pushing for. Speakers included from left to right are: Dr. Laurel Paget-Seekins (Open Society Foundations), Iyai+’s very own Isaiah Chauhan, Jarred Johnson (TransitMatters), and Taiwo Jaiyeoba (City of Charlotte).

In a time where COVID-19 has disrupted our urban mobility systems, Dr. Scott asked questions that she and the Iyai+ Youth raised at the end of last year: 

While we urgently talk about getting back to “normal” – what kind of normal do we want to get back to? The normal that forces households to own cars because shared mobility and public transportation is not available, affordable, accessible, or convenient? The normal that privileges the movement of private vehicles over people and community needs? The normal that was built on discrimination, systemic racism, extractive capitalism, and environmental destruction?

This is all a part of Iyai+’s Re-Imagining of Infrastructure, which includes an amplification of the youth voice, an effort that we have been working towards with programs such as the San Bernardino Valley College and at the Greenbuild Keynotes promoting youth engagement.