On June 26, 2012, the Bay Area Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society and United Way of the Bay Area presented:
So Rich, So Poor: Why It's So Hard to End Poverty in America
Featuring:
Peter Edelman
Professor of Law, Co-Director, Joint Degree in Law and Public Policy, Faculty Director, Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Public Policy, Georgetown Law; Chair, ACS Board of Directors; Author, So Rich, So Poor: Why It's So Hard to End Poverty in America
If the nation’s gross national income -- more than $14 trillion -- were divided evenly across the entire U.S. population, every household could call itself middle class. Yet the income-level disparity in this country is now wider than at any point since the Great Depression. In 2010 the average salary for CEOs on the S&P 500 was more than $1 million -- climbing to more than $11 million when all forms of compensation are accounted for -- while the current median household income for African Americans is just more than $32,000. How can some be so rich while others are so poor?
In his provocative new book, Peter Edelman, a former top aide to Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and a lifelong antipoverty advocate, offers an informed analysis of how this country can be so wealthy yet have a steadily growing number of unemployed and working poor. So Rich, So Poor delves into what is happening to the people behind the statistics and takes a particular look at the continuing crisis of young people of color, whose possibility of a productive life too often is lost on their way to adulthood.
A special thanks to Reed Smith LLP for providing drinks for this event.
Video Recording of the Event:
Photos from the Event:
