Waging a Living: The Struggles of America’s Low-Wage Workers
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
9:00 am - 10:45 am EDT
The Brookings Institution
Falk Auditorium
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
One out of every four families in America is considered low-income, living paycheck to paycheck, often without health care or a real opportunity for advancement.
A new documentary “Waging a Living,” directed by Roger Weisberg and funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Ford Foundation, takes an in-depth look at the struggles of three low-wage workers trying to make ends meet. The Brookings Center on Children and Families presented a 30-minute documentary titled, “Waging a Living: Opportunities for Action,” on July 26. The full documentary will premiere on PBS’ Emmy award-winning P.O.V. (Point Of View) series on August 29.
Following the preview, Brookings hosted a panel discussion with leading experts and program directors to address the obstacles facing low-income workers and steps that can be taken by employers and federal, state, and local policymakers to provide better lives for their families.
Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the Center on Children and Families, Ron Haskins, provided introductory remarks. Jason DeParle, staff writer at the New York Times and author of American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation’s Drive to End Welfare, moderated.
Introduction: Ron Haskins Senior Fellow, and Co-Director, Brookings Center on Children and Families
Moderator: Jason DeParle Staff Writer, New York Times
Panelists: Jared Bernstein Senior Economist, Economic Policy Institute
Lashawn Richburg-Hayes Senior Associate, Young Adults and Postsecondary Education Policy Area MDRC
Harry Holzer Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University
Kate Jesberg Interim Director, D.C. Department of Human Services, Washington, DC
Larry Temple Executive Director, Texas Workforce Commission