The negative impacts of poverty and income inequality in the District are clear. The District lost half of its low-cost housing in a decade, and the typical low-income family spends two-thirds of its income for rent and utilities. Homelessness has increased to crisis levels. Progress in improving education outcomes is confounded by a high rate of child poverty, with thousands of children coming to school with stress, malnutrition, and other barriers to succeeding academically.
Ed Lazere
Ed Lazere, executive director for the DC Fiscal Policy Institute is the guest speaker for the Community Cinema [DC] preview of A PATH APPEARS. The January 25 screening (5 PM) at Busboys and Poets (14th & V) will feature the 2nd episode from the mini-series, “Breaking the Cycle of Poverty.”
A PATH APPEARS is from the creative team behind the groundbreaking series Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. The series follows author/reporters Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn and celebrity activists Malin Akerman, Mia Farrow, Ronan Farrow, Jennifer Garner, Regina Hall, Ashley Judd, Blake Lively, Eva Longoria, and Alfre Woodard to locations throughout the United States, Colombia, Haiti, and Kenya, as they explore the roots of gender inequality, the devastating impact of poverty, and the ripple effects that follow — including sex trafficking, teen pregnancy, gender-based violence, and child slavery. In their travels, they meet with inspiring activists who are creating effective solutions to gender-based oppression, transforming lives, and providing a roadmap for sustainable future change. Based on the book by Kristof and WuDunn, A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity (a copy will be given away as a door prize at the event), the three-part series, a pillar program of the Women and Girls Lead initiative, premieres as a special presentation of “Independent Lens” on three consecutive Monday nights, January 26, February 2, and February 9, 2015 at 10/9c (check local listings) on PBS.
ABOUT ED LAZERE:
Ed has led the work of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute since its inception in 2001. Under his leadership, DCFPI has become the primary source of independent information on the DC budget and one of the most influential policy organizations focused on the District. Lazere is recognized as a leading expert on the District’s budget and tax system, and he is looked to as a resource on a number of policy issues such as affordable housing and welfare-to-work programs.
Ed’s work at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute has received numerous honors, including awards from Bread for the City, the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, the DC Employment Justice Center, the DC Primary Care Association, the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, DC Jobs With Justice, and the Healthy Families/Thriving Communities Collaborative Council. He is cited frequently in the media, including The Washington Post, the Washington Business Journal, WAMU, WTOP and numerous blogs.
Ed served as the Chair of the Public Education Finance Reform Commission in 2011-2012 and a member of the DC Tax Revision Commission in 2012-13. Lazere also serves on the board of directors of a number of local non-profits, including the Children’s Law Center, the Consumer Health Foundation, the DC Primary Care Association, and Temple Micah.
Ed earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Maryland
