click here to view the forum program!
The New England Community Action Partnership (NECAP) 2020 Presidential Forum, Opportunity & the American Dream, was held January 16-17 in Manchester, NH. Over 200 people attended the event,co-sponsored by the Community Action Partnership and National Community Action Foundation. The two-day forum focused on the national leadership needed to enable all Americans to reach their full potential and contribute to the well-being of their communities. All presidential candidates were invited to share their vision for achieving the American dream of a good quality of life and the opportunity to thrive, free from the hardships of poverty.
The forum featured keynote speakers Professor Kathryn J. Edin, author of $2 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, and Dr. john a. powell, Director, Othering & Belonging Institute, UC Berkeley. Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard spoke, along with former Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney and Republican presidential candidate Matt Matern. Other policy experts included David Cooper, Economic Policy Institute; Neil Levesque, NH Institute of Politics; Josie Albertson-Grove, NH Union Leader; Lauren Chooljian, NH Public Radio; and, Jeff Behler, U.S. Census Bureau. We were also pleased to be joined by our national partners: Allison Ma’luf, from CAPLAW, David Bradley, from NCAF, and Denise Harlow, from Community Action Partnership.