Bergen Poverty Summit Features Pulitzer-Prize Winner
PARAMUS, N.J. – The federal government estimates that nearly 37 million people in the United States live below the poverty line, with 9.7 percent of the New Jersey population and 6.6 percent of the Bergen County population among them.
To foster dialogue on the issue, Bergen Community College will host the “Poverty in Our Communities Summit” featuring Matthew Desmond, Ph.D., the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of “Poverty, by America,” on Wednesday, April 2 at 3 p.m. in the Moses Family Meeting and Training Center (Technology Education Center room 128) at the College’s main campus at 400 Paramus Road in Paramus. The summit is free, open to the public and presented by the College’s Office of Community Affairs, Equity Council and Common Read Committee.
The College has made the study of poverty a central focus of the current academic year, selecting Desmond’s book on the topic as the institution’s “common read.” The initiative encourages all members of the College community to read the book and participate in various discussions, activities and projects surrounding the work throughout the year. Faculty also thread the book through coursework and assignments.
During the April 2 summit, Desmond, a Princeton University professor and sociologist, will discuss the book, which offers a multifaceted argument for ending poverty. His concept of “poverty abolitionists” seeks to inspire audiences to develop a deeper understanding of the underlying issues of poverty in the United States. Desmond will sign copies of the book at the event. Visit bccevents.ludus.com/200475471 to register for the summit.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.
Photo Caption: Matthew Desmond, Ph.D.
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