“Welcome Home.” These are the first words that Equal Space co-founder and CEO Citi Medina says as he invites folks into the sprawling 19,000-square-foot campus located in downtown Newark. On a bright May morning, as the city comes alive outside, this feels like a homecoming. A transplant from Brooklyn, Medina landed in Newark almost a decade and a half ago and never looked back. Though the city has transformed before his eyes in the past ten years, when Medina first began navigating the city, he realized that despite the wealth of talent, there was no safe co-working space for people of color. He and his co-founder and COO, Ralphie Roman, dared to change that.
Equal Space is much more than a co-working space. In addition to more traditional office-type spaces and desks, between both campuses, there is everything from Trap Art’s retail shop, owned by founder Moustapha Sylla, to a luxe music studio, a podcasting studio, a gym and countless creative spaces. Additional members include Newark’s LGBTQ+ Center, The Bessie Mae Women and Family Health Center and Fitnescity.
Years of tireless effort and getting lots of nos prompted Medina and Roman to stop trying to walk the same path as their contemporaries. Instead, they shifted their focus toward what Newark residents actually needed. As soon as they began walking their own path, things started slotting into place. Audible, also a major stakeholder in Newark, championed Equal Space as a waymaker, which led to a connection with Wells Fargo.
Over the past few years, we’ve all watched in horror as the conservative-leading Supreme Court has dismantled years of legislation that protected diversity, equity and inclusion. “As people who are in that diverse space in America, we have to go after what we want on purpose – intentionally, regardless of any court mandate,” Destination Newark Magazine publisher Sakina Cole said. “I do believe we should fight for those court mandates because what we’re dismantling is structural racism.” Zooming out, while the federal government might be pushing back against opportunities for minorities, this legislation will do nothing to stop the browning of America. According to new census population projections, by 2045, white Americans will make up less than half of the population.
Cities like Newark and networks like Equal Space are taking the initiative on the local level to champion minority-led businesses, leaders and their patrons. They are looking ahead to create and reframe infrastructures that will thrive despite race-based governmental tantrums.
The recent The Equal Space Weekend Experience included a tour of the city with Antonio Vallas’ “Have You Met Newark?,” explore Audible’s Innovation Cathedral, which is the company’s headquarters, visit Harriet Tubman Square, candle making with Kanea Candles and engage in an in-depth fireside chat with Audible’s Global Head of Urban Innovation Aisha Glover.
“What really makes this work successful is the way we collaborate with key community stakeholders: working together hand in hand to support local innovation and entrepreneurship and expanding opportunities for historically marginalized founders,” Glover said. “Equal Space has never wavered from their mission to create a space that is accessible and where people can be their true selves. It is a great honor to support their vision—and ours—to grow a tech and innovation ecosystem that is inclusive and that looks like our now and our future.”
There is no book to success. Equal Space has proven that building community while safeguarding the culture and creating safe and authentic spaces is a way to take charge of our narratives, allowing cities like Newark to shine as brightly as they were always meant to.
