Wes Moore: The Fight Against Poverty | SALT Talks #149

Wes Moore is the CEO of Robin Hood, a leading foundation in the fight against poverty. He is also the author of the bestselling books “The Work,” “Discovering Wes Moore,” and “This Way Home.” Venture philanthropy involves using business-oriented data to identify the best solutions to poverty around the country. The capital investments in communities are delivered in partnership with on-the-ground collaboration with the affected community members. It's important that the investments made are not seen as charity, but as tools for change. This also requires understanding why poverty exists. Poverty does not happen in a vacuum but is structurally predictable because of the public policy we implement. "We have policies that are very much still in place that are putting people and keeping people in poverty; Where we have a legacy of public policy… that's making poverty incredibly predictable." Poverty affects every aspect of a community and its members. The pandemic presented just another example of how the effects of COVID-19 were felt disproportionately in poor communities and communities of color. "Poverty has this way of showing itself in every way. It's the water you're drinking, the air you're breathing, the food you have access to, the schools your children attend, transportation assets you have or don't, the way you're policed." ————————————————————————— To learn more about this episode, including podcast transcripts and show notes, visit salt.org/talks Moderated by Anthony Scaramucci.