Advances in Poverty Elimination Symposium to address entrenched poverty in New Orleans

Dee Boling dboling@tulane.edu
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Twenty speakers who will be at the Advances in Poverty Elimination Symposium

Nearly two dozen local and national speakers will be represented at the Advances in Poverty Elimination Symposium, to be held March 17, 2022.

Poverty in New Orleans, as in other large and mid-size metro areas, disproportionately impacts the city’s Black community. With funding from an unnamed donor, Dr. Thomas LaVeist, dean of the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and a renowned expert in health disparities, has spent the past two years leading an effort to research and explore the city’s entrenched poverty. The project’s goal is to leverage the university’s extensive network of resources and cross-sectoral partnerships to reveal innovative solutions that could eliminate poverty in the city through economic mobility. 

The Advances in Poverty Elimination Symposium will reflect the outcome of this examination, bringing together both local and national leaders to engage in panel discussions addressing five potential poverty solutions:

  • addressing systemic and institutionalized racism
  • providing a guaranteed income
  • increasing workforce development and supports for people facing barriers to employment
  • place-based initiatives that invest in and transform communities
  • removing barriers to changing policies that impact poverty 

“Poverty has had an unrelenting hold on the city of New Orleans going back generations, and it’s not just an economic problem,” says LaVeist. “Poverty plays a major role in the health and well-being of a community, and until we address these underlying issues, this city and many others like it will remain hampered in its growth and prosperity.”

The symposium will feature speakers from non-profit organizations, state agencies, the court system, academia, and the business community. Five panels will address the key domains, with opportunity for questions and discussion from the audience. Particular effort will be made to invite community members impacted by poverty in New Orleans and organizations on the ground addressing the outcomes and concerns brought about by poverty. 

Learn more about the symposium at the Advances in Poverty Elimination Symposium website. NOTE: For the health and safety of all involved, this event has been transitioned to an all-virtual format. Details on how to register for and view the symposium will be announced soon.