This post is a paraphrasing of some of the major points presented at the Remaking America: From Poverty to Prosperity conference January 12, 2012 at George Washington University. To hear the conference in full, click the link at the end of this post.
Tavis Smiley: Co Host, “Smiley & West,” Best Selling Author
Majora Carter: Coined term, “Green the Ghetto,” Host, “The Promise Land,” Urban Revitalization Strategist
Barbara Ehrenreich: Author, “Nickel and Dimed,” New York Times Columnist
Cornel West: Renowned African-American Studies Professor (Princeton University), Intellectual, Best Selling Author, “The Rich and The Rest of Us”
Michael Moore: Author, “Here Comes Trouble,” Award Winning Filmmaker
Suze Orman: Author, America’s Leading Finance Expert
Vicki Escarra: Feeding America, President & CEO
Roger Clay: President, Insight Center for Community Economic Development; Co-editor, “Building Healthy Communities”
Poverty isn’t a new issue, but the issue of poverty didn’t make its way to the 2008 campaign. The country is in or near poverty. The poor now has a new demographic: the new or near poor. It’s been suggested that poverty means there’s something inherently wrong with a person. Poverty isn’t a character flaw. It means there’s a shortage of money. Most people are not paid enough for their services. To get a job, you’ll be character tested and personality tested and then the public sector works to make it true. How did it get this way?
Read Full Article By Veronica Young
