HOUSTON – (Aug. 21, 2018) – Leaders and experts from government, nonprofits and academia will gather at BakerRipley’s Ripley House Aug. 31 for a public forum convened by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy to build community consensus around the need for a more equitable Houston.

The event, which is co-sponsored by the Baker Institute’s Center for Health and Biosciences and the Office of Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, will explore potential policy, programmatic and investment solutions to Houston’s most pressing inequities. It will also highlight the implications of ongoing Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts as the city marks the one-year anniversary of the storm. The forum is free and open to the public; visit https://www.bakerinstitute.org/events/1942 to register.

Sylvester Turner, mayor of Houston, will offer introductory remarks.

Michael Lindsey, the Constance and Martin Silver Professor of Poverty Studies and executive director of the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, will deliver the keynote address.

Panelists will be Elsa Caballero, president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) of Texas; Dr. Quianta Moore, fellow in child health policy at the Center for Health and Biosciences; Juliet Stipeche, director of Turner’s office of education; Shao-Chee Sim, vice president for applied research at the Episcopal Health Foundation; Tom McCasland, director of the Housing and Community Development Department for the city of Houston; Bakeyah Nelson, executive director of Air Alliance Houston; and Chrishelle Palay, co-director of the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service.

Ginny Goldman, an independent strategist who served as chair of the Houston Mayor’s Task Force on Equity, which completed its work in fall 2017, will conclude the event by outlining actionable next steps.

A public forum titled “Houston Stronger: A Path to A More Equitable City.”

Friday, Aug. 31, 8:30-11:30 a.m. Breakfast and registration will begin at 8. at the Ripley House, 4410 Navigation Blvd.

Cities across the country are facing growing social and economic inequality and Houston is no exception, according to event organizers. Despite Houston’s strong economic expansion, income inequality has sharply increased over the past 30 years, while worker wages have remained nearly stagnant. Inadequate opportunities and a widening economic divide combine with racial and ethnic discrimination to place a particular burden on communities of color, preventing them from enjoying a full opportunity to share in Houston’s success, organizers said.

Cities are safer, healthier and more economically vibrant when everyone has a chance to share in prosperity, organizers said, and maximizing economic mobility and opportunity will only make Houston stronger.