U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi were among the keynote speakers who offered bold solutions and challenges to the systemic issues surrounding poverty in America

BOSTON, MA – April 2, 2024 – Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath), a national nonprofit based in Boston dedicated to improving the lives of people living in poverty, hosted its biennial Disrupting Poverty Conference last week, gathering more than 450 practitioners, policy makers, philanthropists, and academics from more than 35 states and five countries to discuss new strategies in disrupting poverty. The conference was the kick-off to a year-long season of celebration to honor EMPath’s 200-year history of empowering women and strengthening families.

Filling the conference center at Boston University from March 25-28, 2024, speakers and attendees engaged in powerful and thought-provoking discussions around a wide variety of topics related to advancing economic mobility – from guaranteed income and closing the racial wealth gap, to affordable housing and centering lived experience in policy and program design.

EMPath President & CEO and former Boston Mayor Kim Janey, who kicked off the Conference, reflected proudly on the impressive gathering of change-makers: "This year's Disrupting Poverty Conference was an extraordinary convergence of intellect, innovation, and purposeful action that has left me inspired. The collective commitment to dismantling systemic barriers, especially those impacting Black and Latino families, was palpable throughout our four days together. The conference served as a vital catalyst for accelerated learning, valuable knowledge exchange, and the formation of meaningful connections—ultimately advancing towards a more equitable future with unwavering determination."

Key speakers at the Public Conference included:

• New School Professor Darrick Hamilton and Boston Foundation President and CEO Lee Pelton who offered perspectives on creating a racially- and economically-equitable society.
• U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) who joined author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi to discuss anti-racism and the steps necessary to create an equitable society.
• Princeton University Professors Kathryn Edin and Luke Schaefer, and Timothy Nelson of the University of Michigan, who spotlighted findings from their new book, the Injustice of Place, and addressed solutions for deep poverty in rural communities.
• MA Housing Secretary Edward M. Augustus who spoke to policies that are working to make housing affordable for all.
• Aisha Nyandoro of Springboard to Opportunities and creator of the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, the country's longest-running guaranteed income program, who closed out the Conference highlighting the importance of guaranteed income for lifting families out of poverty.

Throughout the Conference, attendees also heard from those with lived experience with poverty who have successfully navigated towards economic stability.

Members of EMPath’s global learning network, the Economic Mobility Exchange^TM gathered ahead of the Public Conference for a members-only Convening where practitioners from social service organizations and government agencies across the country came together to continue important and necessary conversations around disrupting poverty in the human services field. The Convening served as an exciting opportunity to mark 10 years since the global network launched, growing from a handful of organizations in 2014 to a network of 1,000+ organizations across the U.S. and globally – all of which adapt EMPath’s economic mobility coaching model, Mobility Mentoring®, in their own work to support families.

The speakers and panelists were energizing and informative, touching on the important policies and issues surrounding poverty today. Here are some standout quotes from the Public Conference conversation:

U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) speaking on anti-racism and equity: “The ten trillion-dollar racial wealth gap is a problem for everyone. Everyone should give a damn about that. There is not just one approach or fix to it. We need reparations, truth-telling, and policies like baby bonds and the cancellation of student debt.”

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, author and director of Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research, on creating a more equitable society: “There’s nothing wrong with poor people. There’s nothing wrong with Black people. But there’s many things wrong about policy.”

Darrick Hamilton, professor at The New School and economist, speaking on racial and economic equity: “Providing poor people with resources will create a canopy of economic opportunity in ways we can’t even imagine.”

Lee Pelton, President and CEO of The Boston Foundation, speaking on economic equity: "Closing the racial wealth gap is far from a zero-sum game. We know that it will bring more dollars and prosperity into the economy."

Aisha Nyandoro, the founding CEO of Springboard to Opportunities, speaking about the importance of guaranteed income: “We are constantly demanding that the poorest among us prove that they’re worthy of being provided with the basic standard of living. In the richest country in the world, we’ve established a national consensus that some people don’t deserve agency over their own lives – and we are all made poorer because of this idea.”

Kathy Edin, Princeton University professor and co-author of “The Injustice of Place; Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America” on poverty in rural communities: "You can’t understand the problems of urban America without understanding rural America.

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About Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath): EMPath is a 200-year-old organization that dramatically improves the lives of people living in poverty. Because creating economic opportunity is multifaceted, EMPath's approach is too. EMPath offers a unique combination of direct services; a learning network of human services organizations; and research and advocacy for what works. This “virtuous circle” allows each part of the organization’s work to inform what it knows, does, and shares with others to seed systemic change. To learn more, visit empathways.org.