Land of Opportunity? 

Land of Opportunity?  Not for the Poor in the Queen City.

The gap between the rich and poor continues to grow.  Upward mobility and the ability to achieve “The American Dream” has become more about where you live than good old fashioned hard work. Statistics are particularly grim in the Queen City.  Recent surveys confirm that the odds of climbing out of poverty in the Charlotte metro area are among the lowest in the nation. In other words, if you’re born in the bottom 5%, your odds of climbing to the top 5% are less than 5%. Hear from experts in the government, nonprofit and healthcare sectors about obstacles to upward mobility and how we can combat them to reverse the trend.

Moderator:

Andrea Stevenson
Executive Director
The Lee Institute

Panelists include:

Leslie Winner
Executive Director
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation

Rebecca Riccio
Professor and Director of The Social Impact Lab
Northeastern University

Nicholas Wharton
Chief Operating Officer
Urban League of Central Carolinas