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Media Contact: Sophia N. Johnson, sj2482@columbia.edu, 212-854-1566

Joseph E. Stiglitz to Discuss Race and Inequality in Trump’s America

The event commemorates the Kerner Commission

WHAT:             Public Forum to discuss Race and Inequality in Trump’s America.

WHO:              Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate (2001), and University Professor, Columbia University           

                        Ras J. Baraka, Mayor, City of Newark, New Jersey

                       Shawn Dove, CEO of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement

                       Heather Ann Thompson, Winner of 2017 Pulitzer Prize in History for her work Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy

WHEN:          Friday, April 20^th 5:00 pm -7:00 pm

WHERE:       Union Theological Seminary’s Social Hall (3041 Broadway @121^st street)

DETAILS:     This year marks the 50th year anniversary of the publication of the Kerner Report, famous for declaring “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one white, one black, separate and unequal.” The anniversary of the Kerner Report presents an opportunity to call attention to the issues such as inequality of income, racism and ethnic discrimination, education, public safety and the police, sentencing and the prison-industrial complex.

This event follows the launch of Healing our Divided Society: Investing in America Fifty Years After the Kerner Commission, a Fiftieth Anniversary Kerner Report Update published by the Eisenhower Foundation which will act as jumping off-point for a larger discourse on racial inequality.

About the Department of Economics

The Department of Economics offers a general economics major, in addition to five interdisciplinary majors structured to suit the interests and professional goals of a heterogeneous student body.  All of the undergraduate programs have different specific requirements but share the common structure of core theoretical courses that provide the foundation for higher-level elective courses culminating in a senior seminar.  Graduate students receive training within an outstanding research environment, supported by members of faculty who are leading research in their fields.

In 2017, the Department offered 42 undergraduate courses.  A total of 4765 students were enrolled, 742 in the Department’s majors.  The M.A. program provides a technical and rigorous approach to the study of economics.  In addition, the doctoral program receives approximately 1,000 applications each year for an incoming class of roughly 25 students.  The Department has played a prominent role in the development of economic thought.  It will continue to through its faculty and students, and contribute to a better understanding of economic activities and the elaboration of policy.