Thank you to Professor Hayden for leading us in such an amazing talk.  During the discussion we learnt that poverty was highly correlated to race and discussed some personal steps we could take to breaking down the barriers to success in economically depressed areas of our own city.

The most important take away was understanding the role our communities play discrimination and poverty reduction. This discussion didn’t lead us towards policy changes but rather focused on personal awareness of how individuals contribute to the cycle of poverty in neighbourhoods.

Racial discrimination is a difficult issue since everyone would like to think that we are free from prejudice.  Professor Hayden asked us to re-examin our own prejudices and really use that as a starting point for the role each of us can play in local poverty reduction.

The discussion left us with a lot to think about and more importantly, an understanding that there is no easy answer.  Please share your thoughts on the discussion and social justice below.