One in five children grows up poor in the richest nation on earth. Harvard Professor Robert Putnam documents this human and economic failure in his new bestselling book Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis.
Putnam’s presentation was followed by a distinguished panel of religious and national leaders who discussed long-neglected questions including how Catholic, evangelical, and other leaders can help make overcoming poverty a moral imperative and urgent national priority.
- Mary Jo Bane of Harvard University
- Jim Daly of Focus on the Family
- Pastor Melanie DeBouse of Evangel Chapel and Children's Mission, Inc.
- Michael Gerson of Washington Post
- Bishop Jaime Soto of Catholic Campaign for Human Development
John Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, moderated the conversation. Georgetown President John J. DeGioia opened the dialogue.
On May 12, 2015, President Obama participated in the Catholic-Evangelical Leadership Summit on Overcoming Poverty at Georgetown University with Robert Putnam, Arthur Brooks, and E.J. Dionne. Watch the video here.
The Catholic-Evangelical Leadership Summit on Overcoming Poverty was organized by the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown and the National Association of Evangelicals. Co-sponsors include the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, World Vision, the PICO Network, and Oxfam America.