On April 17, 2015 Access will commemorate 50 years of fighting poverty in northeast CT with an educational forum titled Facing Poverty in Our Midst: Past, Present, Future. The purpose of the forum is to educate, engage and inspire through information and discussion of America’s 50 year War on Poverty and its impact in our area.
The event will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut, in partnership with the Dodd Center, the UConn Community Outreach Program and the UConn Honors Program.
The afternoon will include a conversation with Sasha Abramsky, author of The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives. Abramsky’s book delves into the stories of the long-term chronically poor and the new working poor and describes the shattered lives behind the overwhelming poverty statistics. Abramsky brings a powerful indignation and viable solutions to the topics of poverty and inequality in America.
There will also be a screening of a documentary short by photojournalist Brad Clift called Even Here, which will tell the stories of people who have benefitted from the services provided by Access. His work has appeared in hundreds of publications and web sites around the globe, including Time, Newsweek, Paris Match, Stern, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times newspapers, Smithsonian magazine and NationalGeographic.com. Clift was a finalist for the 2003 Pulitzer Prize.
To end the forum, a panel of local leaders and policy makers, including Department of Social Services Commissioner Roderick Bremby, State Senator Mae Flexer, and former State Senator Don Williams will discuss the challenges we face locally in helping the low income community move out of poverty.
The public is invited to attend the event which promises to be thought provoking and memorable. Additional information and registration is available at www.accessagency.org.
The Access Community Action Agency serves Windham and Tolland Counties, CT. Founded in 1965, Access’s mission is to create opportunities that empower people and communities to achieve and sustain economic stability. Access offers a number of community-based programs in support of this mission, including provision of supplemental food, emergency shelter, energy assistance, energy conservation services, job and life skills training, youth mentoring, group homes, senior housing and more for low-income families and individuals. For more information about Access’ services, call (860) 450-7400 in the Willimantic area, (860) 412-1600 in the Danielson area, or visit www.accessagency.org.