On a day set aside to honor the work and sacrifice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, I hope you got a chance to tune in last night for “The Price of Poverty in Kentucky.”
Both Renee Shaw and I thought the conversation surrounding one of the most important issues facing the state and the nation was timely, interesting, and thought provoking.
Our guests were phenomenal. During the program, you heard from:
-Terry Brooks, Ph.D., executive director of the Kentucky Youth Advocates
-Attica Scott, Louisville Metro councilwoman
-Eric Schansberg, an economics professor at Indiana University-Southeast and member of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Board of Scholars
-Reid Livingston, Kentucky state director for Save the Children USA
-Courtney Trent, early steps to school success coordinator for Save the Children USA
-Gerry Roll, executive director of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky
-James P. Ziliak, Ph.D., founding director of the University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research and a UK Gatton Endowed Chair of Economics
-Michelle Tooley, Ph.D., religion, social ethics and public policy professor at Berea College.
During the discussion, Terry Brooks talked about the picture of poverty in Kentucky.
I asked Councilwoman Scott why we can’t end or put a stop to poverty.
Toward the conclusion of the program, there was a robust discussion on how best to tackle the issue and the steps needed to reduce poverty in Kentucky’s urban and rural areas.