Conference on Inequality March 30-31

United not Divided: Economic Inequality and the Opportunity Gap

The distribution of income and wealth in the United States has been widening steadily for several decades. The American middle class is shrinking. Children of disadvantaged families lack access to the quality educational resources and the opportunity gap between the poor and affluent Americans is increasing. The trend is alarming, but many believe that it can be reversed.

United not Divided: Economic Inequality and the Opportunity Gap is a two-day public forum where scholars, community leaders, policy makers, students and the general public will discuss issues of economic inequality and the opportunity gap with the goal of exploring ways to mitigate their negative impacts on the social, cultural and political fabric of the nation. The second day is devoted to discussions on Baltimore and its efforts to transform low-opportunity neighborhoods.

The speakers include Hon. Steny Hoyer, U.S. Representative and nationally known scholars, such as Dr. Karl L. Alexander, John Dewey Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Branko Milanovic, the Presidential Professor at the Graduate Center City University of New York and former lead economist at the World Bank.

Distinguished Baltimoreans who speak at the forum include Kurt L. Schmoke, President of University of Baltimore and Mayor of Baltimore from 1987 to 1999; Keiffer Jackson Mitchell, Special Advisor to Maryland Governor and Member of House of Delegates from 2011 to 2015; Diane Bell McKoy, President and Chief Executive Officer, Associated Black Charities; and Michael Cryor, Chair of OneBaltimore.

At the end of the forum, attendees are invited to participate in the “Theory Meets Practice” -tour of the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA), a non-profit organization co-founded by Herbert J. Hoelter, one of the forum speakers. NCIA provides support services to individuals with intellectual and emotional disabilities and develops credible alternatives to incarceration and institutionalization. This free tour will last 1 hour 15 minutes. Bus transportation is provided.

The event is organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and NCIA.

The forum is free of charge and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Please register online by March 25, 2016 or by calling (240) 895-4215.