The Starting Line: Poverty and Economic Opportunity Before, During, and After the Recession
A majority of Americans polled in 2008 by the Half in Ten Campaign knew of a family member who was experiencing poverty. The situation has since worsened, with unemployment near double digits and data revealing one in six Americans living in a household struggling against hunger. These circumstances demand congressional action.
As we develop policies to promote economic recovery and create jobs, it is essential that we recognize the hard truth about poverty in so many of our nation’s communities. That is why I hope you can attend the first in the Half in Ten campaign’s briefing series, “Restoring Economic Opportunity: The Need for a Recovery that Cuts Poverty in Half in Ten Years”
The first briefing in the series is entitled “The Starting Line: Poverty and Economic Opportunity Before, During, and After the Recession.” At the briefing, Center for American Progress Action Fund economist Heather Boushey will discuss how the recession has brought economic hardship to many American families, the labor market problems underscoring this hardship, and policy solutions to help jumpstart job creation. She will be joined by Dr. Deborah A. Frank of Boston Medical Center’s Grow Clinic for Children, who will describe the long-term health effects on children of growing up with hunger and poverty and federal programs that can help in mitigating some of these effects. Finally, Kelly Dolberry, a resident of DC’s Park Road Family Shelter, will discuss how the recession has affected her family.
Date: March 12, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM -12:30 PM
Room: Capitol Visitors Center, Room HVC-200, Washington DC
Heather Boushey, Senior Economist, Center for American Progress Action Fund
Kelly Dolberry, Resident, Park Road Family Shelter
Dr. Deborah A. Frank, Director, Boston Medical Center’s Grow Clinic for Children
Moderated by Wade Henderson, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and Half in Ten partner.
Please RSVP to [email protected].
And save the date for the next briefing in our series, which will be held on April 9!