R.E.A.L. Talk – Economic Equity



Here’s what people are saying about R.E.A.L. Talks

"Enjoyed the webinar immensely. There was real understanding of the economic gap and a concrete solution offered."

"I felt empowered and eager to learn more and do more as well as
to educate others on economic equity."

"I was able to hear useful information and perspectives on the economic disparities facing individuals in NY state, and was able to begin reimagining what a more just and equitable NY state could look like."

Nearly one in five New Yorkers, a majority of whom are from communities of color or immigrant backgrounds, are living in poverty. Nearly 40% are unable to afford basic household needs for themselves or their family. These disparities are not new, but rather the result of purposeful and systemic economic exclusion for generations of Black and brown communities. How did we get here and how do we begin to address these deep, historic economic disparities across our city?

On October 1, from 9:30-10:30 AM, we will discuss how to achieve economic equity in our city. Join FPWA’s CEO and Executive Director, Jennifer Jones Austin, in conversation with:

  • Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute
  • Darrick Hamilton, Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy and Founding Director of the Institute for the Study of Race, Stratification, and Political Economy at the New School
Jennifer Jones Austin
Moderator, CEO & Executive Director, FPWA
Jennifer Jones Austin, a child and family advocate, is Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA), an anti-poverty, policy and advocacy organization with 170 member human services agencies operating throughout New York City. Mayor de Blasio appointed Ms. Jones Austin as Board Chair in March 2020. She has served as a Board Member since October 2014. Prior to joining FPWA, Ms. Jones Austin served as Senior Vice President of United Way NYC, Family Services Coordinator for Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Commissioner for the NYC Administration for Children's Services; Civil Rights Deputy Bureau Chief for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, and Vice President for LearnNow/Edison Schools Inc.
Ms. Jones Austin has chaired and served on several influential boards and commissions, including serving as Co-Chair of NYC Mayor de Blasio's Transition, Chair of the NYC Procurement Policy Board, and Co-Chair of the New York State Supermarket Commission. She currently is a Board Member of the National Action Network, the New York Blood Center, the NYC Board of Correction, and the Fund for Public Housing.
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Ron Deutsch
Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute
Ron Deutsch is the Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute A position he has held since 2014. The Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and education organization committed to improving public policies and private practices to better the economic and social conditions of all New Yorkers. Founded in 1991, FPI works to create a strong economy in which prosperity is broadly shared. Under Ron’s leadership the organization has played a major role in critical statewide policy debates including $15 minimum wage, millionaires tax, economic development transparency, refugee resettlement and many more.
Ron has been a tireless advocate for working families for over 25 years in Albany. Before joining FPI, Ron served for 8 years as the Director of FPI’s sister 501(c)(4) organization, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness. Prior to that he led the Statewide Emergency Network for Social and Economic Security (a statewide anti-poverty advocacy organization) for 13 years. Deutsch is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany. In his spare time Ron is one of the founding board members and leaders of the Giving Circle, an all volunteer non-profit (www.thegivingcircle.org) that works to help improve the lives of families in the Capital District, nationally and internationally.
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Darrick Hamilton
Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy at the New School
Darrick Hamilton is the Henry Cohen University Professor of Economics and Urban Policy, and the founding director of the Institute for the Study of Race, Stratification and Political Economy at The New School. Considered one of the nation’s foremost scholars, economists and public intellectuals, Hamilton’s accomplishments include recently being profiled in the New York Times, Mother Jones magazine and the Wall Street Journal and being featured in Politico Magazine’s 2017 50 Ideas Shaping American Politics and the People Behind Them issue.
Also, he is member of the Marguerite Casey Foundation in partnership with the Group Health Foundation’s inaugural class of Freedom Scholars. He currently serves on multiple advisory and governing boards including the boards of Americans for Financial Reform (AFR) and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.Hamilton has been involved in crafting policy proposals, such as Baby Bonds and a Federal Job Guarantee, which have garnered a great deal of media attention and served as inspirations for legislative proposals at the federal, state and local levels. He has served as a member of the economic committee of the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force; he has testified before several senate and house committees, including the Joint Economic Committee on the nation’s potential policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced health and economic crises; he was a surrogate and advisor for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign; and he has advised numerous other leading Members of Congress, as well as various 2020 presidential candidates.
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Registration is required.
Please be advised that by registering for this event, unless we hear from you otherwise, we will include you as part of our regular mailing list and you may receive solicitations from FPWA. Please also be advised that the event will be recorded by FPWA. By enrolling for this event, you hereby: (1) give consent for FPWA or any third parties to use your photograph or image in its print, online and video publications; (2) release FPWA, its employees and any outside third parties from all liabilities or claims that you might assert in connection with the above-described uses; and (3) waive any right to inspect, approve or receive compensation for any materials or communications, including photographs, videotapes, website images or written materials, incorporating photos/images of you. To revoke this waiver, please email info@fpwa.org.