Massaro to Moderate Forum on Poverty
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 20 percent, or more than 100,000 people, in Tucson are living below the poverty line.
That is the central focus of an upcoming “Poverty and Prescriptive Solutions Forum,†which will be moderated by Toni Massaro, dean at The University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law.
At 20 percent, that means Tucson’s poverty level is higher than any other city in Arizona.
Monday's forum, which is being presented by the Primavera Foundation, will include numerous other UA faculty members. The event is part of a series of forums meant to raise awareness about poverty and to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the foundation, an advocacy organization that also supports the needs of those who are homeless and impoverished.
Among the topics that will be discussed, within the context of poverty, are: the criminal justice system, health care
access, child abuse and negligence, substance abuse, immigration, and efforts to reintegrate prisoners after they have been released.
The panelists include Nina Rabin, who directs border research for the UA’s Southwest Institute for Research on Women, Paul D. Bennett, a UA clinical law professor and Child Advocacy Clinic director, and law professor Barbara Atwood. Peggy Hutchison, Primavera's executive director, and Ruth W. Brinkley, president and CEO of Carondelet Health Network and West Ministry Market Leader for Ascension Health, also will serve on the panel.
The event will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. at the UA’s Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1713 E. University Blvd. To learn more, or to register to attend, call 520-623-5111, ext. 104.