The first session in our Poverty: A Community Conversation panel series, sponsored by Avon Friends for Equity and funded by the Avon Greater Together Community Fund. All sessions are free to attend, and will be held in-person at the Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Rd., Avon, CT 06001, unless indicated as a virtual event.

Join us for a lecture and discussion featuring Matthew Desmond’s book, Poverty, by America.  This event will be led by Dr. Beth Merenstein, with audience questions moderated by Carrie Firestone.  Copies of Poverty are available at the reference desk on the first floor of the Avon Library. Please read before this event!

About Poverty, by America: In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond educates us as to why poverty exists in America, how it touches all of us, and that there are ways to help eradicate poverty and create equity, starting with understanding the current crisis. 39% of Connecticut residents struggle to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Many in town might not realize that, in Avon alone, roughly 5% or 1,000 residents live below the poverty level. This series draws on history, research, and original reporting to show that the more we understand the reasons behind these numbers, the more able we are to change the old model that keeps poor people poor. Join us for these programs to unpack the ideas in this book and become more informed as a town to do something about this.

Click here to register for this session: https://www.avonctlibrary.info/event/povertydiscussion2024/

This is the second session of our Poverty: A Community Conversation panel series.

Join us for a screening of Fighting for Home: How Housing Policy Keeps Connecticut Segregated, followed by a panel discussion.  This program is a bonus program in our Poverty: a community conversation series.  The legacy of exclusionary zoning and redlining imposed a painful divide we see today in our state’s current housing crisis. Our towns and cities are segregated by race and class because of systemic barriers that have persisted over time. Witness the struggle and determination of those fighting for change.  Running time, 57 m, 36s.  Panel discussion members will be announced soon!

Click here to register for this session: https://www.avonctlibrary.info/event/fighting-for-home/

This is the third session in our Poverty: A Community Conversation panel series.

THIS IS A VIRTUAL EVENT. ZOOM links go out the day before the event!

Join us for a panel discussion on the Economics of Wealth Inequality in Connecticut, moderated by Tina Panik. Our panelists include Janée Woods Weber, Executive Director of She Leads Justice, and Keith Phaneuf, Budget Reporter for the CT Mirror.

Click here to register for this session: https://www.avonctlibrary.info/event/wealth-inequality-in-ct/

This the fourth and final session in our Poverty: A Community Conversation panel series.

Join us for a panel discussion of Housing in Connecticut, moderated by Avon resident Carrie Firestone.

Peter Harrison of Desegregate CT has over a decade of experience in tenant organizing and housing & climate policy research. He holds a BA in History from the College of the Holy Cross and a MUP from Columbia University. His hometown is Simsbury, CT.

Ginny Monk is CT Mirror‘s children’s issues and housing reporter and a Report for America corps member. She covers a variety of topics ranging from child welfare to affordable housing and zoning. Ginny grew up in Arkansas and graduated from the University of Arkansas’ Lemke School of Journalism in 2017. She began her career at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette where she covered housing, homelessness, and juvenile justice on the investigations team. Along the way Ginny was awarded a 2019 Data Fellowship through the Annenberg Center for Health Journalism at the University of Southern California. She moved to Connecticut in 2021.

State Representative Eleni Kavros DeGraw was elected in November 2020 to represent the 17th District in Avon and Canton. She is currently in her second term. She is Chairwoman of the Planning and Development Committee and serves as a member of the Public Health and Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committees.  A resident of the Farmington Valley for 25 years, Eleni lives in Avon with her three children and her husband, who is the founder and CEO of a service-disabled veteran-owned small business.

Carrie Firestone is an educator and children’s literature author. She co-founded ForwardCT, a grassroots community service and advocacy organization, with State Representative Eleni Kavros DeGraw, and serves as the Chair of the Avon Clean Energy Commission. A graduate of William Smith College and Columbia Teachers College, Carrie’s lifelong work centers around efficient, equity-based community work. Learn more at www.carriefirestonebooks.com

Click here to register for this session: https://www.avonctlibrary.info/event/housinginct2024/