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PlaceKeepers, a real estate and small business development program designed to equip Black residents and stakeholders in northeast Oklahoma City with resources to become real estate developers, business owners and job creators, will host its fourth annual Minority Developers Conference July 12-13.
This year’s theme is “Community Catalyst” and will feature thought leadership on topics ranging from ethical design to cooperative economics and community stewardship. The event will kick off on Friday morning with networking at Metro Technology Center’s Springlake Campus. General sessions and breakouts will take place throughout the day, with topics including placemaking and real estate development, strengthening social infrastructure for community transformation, alternative investment strategies and more. The conference will resume on Saturday, July 13, with community development tours in Tulsa.
PlaceKeepers was created in 2021 to increase the number of community members involved in the development process in Oklahoma City’s historically Black communities. It’s a program of Northeast OKC Renaissance Inc. and has received support from The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City and other collaborators.
In addition to hosting the Minority Developers Conference each year, PlaceKeepers also operates a mentorship program where professional real estate developers, business owners, lenders and investors serve as mentors to budding real estate developers who gain an understanding of northeast Oklahoma City’s history, development mentorship, real estate advice and opportunities along with resources to secure financing.
The PlaceKeepers program brings together five to 10 stakeholders for 25 hours of instructional training over five weeks. This intimate setting allows members to get to know their trainer and peers, ask questions and have thoughtful conversations.
Placemaking, a term adopted by Northeast Oklahoma City Renaissance in 2019, is a people-centered approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. It is about more than the physical location. It is about creating a common vision for those who live, work and play in that space.
The PlaceKeepers program has received praise for its proactive approach to combating the devastating effects caused by the intentional suppression of Black communities for generations. To participate in the historic work of redeveloping northeast Oklahoma City, attend the Minority Developers Conference or participate in the PlaceKeepers mentorship program, visit neokcr.org/placekeepers.
Kenton Tsoodle is the president of The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City.
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