Contact: Charlotte Tomic, 718/990-6364, [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY EXPLORES SOLUTIONS TO POVERTY
Jamaica, NY (September 28, 1999)--At a time when most of the world is enjoying relative economic prosperity, it may be easy to forget that millions of people - from the other side of the globe to our very own neighborhoods - remain mired in poverty. Seeking to expand the dialogue on the issue, St. John's University will host an all-day conference exploring "The Moral Dimensions of Poverty" on Saturday, October 16, on the University's Queens campus.
Sr. Margaret John Kelly, Executive Director of St. John's University's Vincentian Center for Church and Society, said, "It is a particularly appropriate time to assemble this diverse, highly experienced group to share insights on the complex issues surrounding poverty and to explore potential responses and strategies to contribute to our national ideal of 'justice for all.'"
Nationally-recognized experts will deliver keynote addresses including:
* James K. Galbraith, Ph.D., Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, and author of Created Unequal: The Crisis in American Pay.
* Rev. John Francis Kavanaugh, S.J., Professor of Philosophy, St. Louis University, and author of Following Christ in a Consumer Society.
* Janet Poppendieck, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology at Hunter College (CUNY), author of Sweet Charity? Emergency Food and the End of Entitlements.
Other notable attendees include Hon. Gregory W. Meeks, representing New York's Sixth Congressional District in Southeast Queens; Andrew Revkin, award-winning New York Times author and journalist; Mary Rose McGeady, D.C., President and CEO of Covenant House and St. John's University Trustee; and Randy Daniels, Senior Vice President/Deputy Commissioner of Economic Revitalization in the Empire State Development Corporation.
The workshops will focus on the topics of Hunger and Public Health; Immigration; Community Development and Housing; and Education. Registration is $15 for students and $40 for professionals, and includes materials, lunch and refreshments.
The Vincentian Chair of Social Justice was created in 1994 through a joint endowment by St. John's University and the Congregation of the Mission, Eastern Province, with the goal to "search out the causes of poverty and investigate short and long-term solutions." Sponsors for the conference include St. John's Vincentian Center for Church and Society, the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Brooklyn, and Vincentian Visioning 2000.
For reservations and more details, contact Mary Ann Dantuono, Assistant Director, Vincentian Center for Church and Society, at 718/990-1612.
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