The public is invited to participate in the upcoming “Economic Opportunity and Social Mobility” event from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, as the Lorentzsen Center for Faith and Work continues to explore answers to the question: “How do we build a more trustworthy world?”
“Under that broad umbrella, we invite people who have different areas of expertise in our democratic society, especially areas that are important, but kind of fragile right now,” said Dr. Michael Chan, Concordia College executive director for Faith and Learning.
Dr. Scott Winship, a prominent researcher in social mobility and poverty issues with the American Enterprise Institute, will speak at the hybrid in-person and virtual conversation in Barry Auditorium in the Grant Center at Concordia College.
The American Enterprise Institute is traditionally a right-wing think tank, Chan said, and though a concern with poverty is traditionally associated with the left, Winship’s studies show that there are serious conversations about poverty on the right as well.
“We wanted to bring him to offer that perspective,” Chan said.
Winship has a doctorate in social policy and a master’s degree in sociology from Harvard University, with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and urban studies from Northwestern University. During his time as executive director of the Joint Economic Committee, he started the Social Capital Project, investigating the dynamics and nature of social relationships. He is also a prolific writer and a key voice shaping antipoverty policy in the U.S.
“So many of the democratic problems we face as a country are related to the fact that the American Dream is not a reality or even accessible to many people,” Chan said. “What can we get done here to get the American Dream so that it can be a reality and not just an ethereal myth?”
Anyone interested in moving the needle on poverty who is also open to hearing a wide range of viewpoints should attend the event, and all are welcome, he added.
What can we get done here to get the American Dream so that it can be a reality and not just an ethereal myth?