Castille Among Baton Rouge Business Leaders at BRAC Conference to Discuss Community Race Relations

July 15, 2016

Click here to read The Advocate story
Click here to read WAFB story and watch TV newscast
Click here to read WBRZ story and watch TV newscast
Click here to read Baton Rouge Business Report story

Photo courtesy of The Advocate

Taylor Porter and Executive Committee Member Preston Castille was among the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce business leaders and diversity and inclusion committee representatives to speak at a Thursday press conference to discuss the business community's role to improve race relations and economic inequities in Baton Rouge. The group pledged to bring change to the criminal justice system, improve education, enhance workforce training opportunities, expand economic opportunity, champion and make the business case for greater diversity and inclusion in the workplace, reinvest in the community and strengthen families. The press conference was covered by local Baton Rouge media - The Advocate, Baton Rouge Business Report, WAFB and WBRZ TV stations. 

Castille said the statistics demonstrating the racial divide in the economy are sobering. In East Baton Rouge Parish, the unemployment rate for African Americans is 12.4 percent, nearly three times that of white residents. The poverty rate among African Americans is 27 percent, more than twice the rate of whites. African Americans' household median income of $34,430 is a little more than half that of white households. The percentage of African Americans with bachelor degrees or higher, 19.7 percent, is less than half that for white residents.  "It's no more apparent than anywhere else than in our educational system," Castille said. "And the more that we can bring our community together, the more resources we can put into the East Baton Rouge Parish school system. I think that we will have a greater impact on our community." 

The business community must recognize that these figures reflect deeper systemic issues that affect everyone, Castille said. Public policy must address criminal justice, poverty, educational attainment, jobs and job-preparedness and community reinvestment.

Castille said the group hopes the process that emerges from the conference will tackle those issues. “We know there are many problems that didn’t start July 5,” said Castille. “While many actions … are underway, they are not enough and we simply need to do more. ... We are going to commit to making sure something happens."

At Taylor Porter, Castille practices business litigation and transactions. Prior to attending law school, he worked as an economist for the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. Castille is the National President of the Southern University Alumni Federation. In 2011, he served as President of the Baton Rouge Bar Association and President of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society from 1998-2000. He served on the Board of Governors of the Louisiana State Bar Association from 2001-2004 and as a member of the House of Delegates from 2009-2012. He currently serves as a member of the National Conference of Bar Presidents.

Castille is active in various education-related organizations including New Schools for Baton Rouge and several charter school organizations. He previously served on the Greater Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce Business Advisory Committee.

Read our Case Studies

See how we can help. Contact us today

  • Disclaimer
  • © Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips L.L.P. All rights reserved.