Welcome back to three things. Our guest today has a big goal. She's setting a new standard for

American cities when it comes to achieving racial equity, social justice, economic opportunity,

employment, and mobility. Vi-Liles is the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina,

one of the top five fastest growing large cities in the U.S. and home to Red Ventures.

In 2021, her racial equity initiative made headlines as a first-of-its-kind partnership,

bringing together the public sector and members of the private sector, including Rick,

to build a more equitable future for all.

In this episode, Mayor Lyle shares what progress means to her as a public leader.

Her experience, becoming the first black woman elected mayor of Charlotte after growing up in the segregated South. And while creating opportunity for others is her ultimate definition of success. This is three things with Mayor Vai Liles.

Bye, welcome to the podcast. Well, thanks for having me. I'm excited about three things.

Well, let's get to know you a little bit. And I did a little research. So I went to places

that are not public, but you are the middle child. Is that correct? I grew up in a

family of five brothers.

So they always would say that I was small spoiled, but I would say I was toughened up, actually.

So how did Europe bringing in such a setup prepare you to lead in government?

There seems to be some probably some skills you learn with so many,

you know, being a middle child and having to deal with government. Well, I think the part of it that really resonates with me as I look back on growing up is that I grew up in the segregated South.

And my father had a business. And I saw what it meant to be a black man

owning a business, raising a family. And I saw that not just with my immediate family, but I saw it

throughout the extended family. My mother had eight sisters

and two brothers. My dad had four siblings, and they were all entrepreneurs. They were all people

that ran businesses, but you couldn't go to the bank and get money to operate your business.

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