Former R.F. Kennedy aide Peter Edelman to speak at on poverty and abuse

Former R.F. Kennedy aide to speak at on poverty and abuse

EDITORS: At the conference, Edelman will sign copies of his most recent book, “Searching for America’s Heart: RFK and the Renewal of Hope.” Copies of the book, published by Houghton-Mifflin in January 2001, will be available for purchase at the event.

ANN ARBOR—Peter Edelman, law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, will deliver the keynote address at the Trapped by Poverty / Trapped by Abuse Third Research Conference on (Oct. 26) at the University of Michigan League. Beginning at 3:30 p.m., Edelman will speak on “Ending Poverty: What would we do if we were serious?” The conference is open to the public.

[Central Campus map, Michigan League #15, near center]

Edelman, who was a top aide to Sen. Robert F. Kennedy from 1965 until the senator’s death, served as assistant secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He resigned his position in 1996 to protest the signing of the federal welfare reform bill.

The conference—co-sponsored by the U-M School of Social Work‘s Center on Poverty, Risk, and Mental Health, the U-M Institute for Research on Women and Gender, and the Chicago-based Center for Impact Research—brings together policy makers, advocates, welfare department staff, service providers and researchers from all over the country to learn about the impact of domestic violence on the lives of low-income women, particularly women who receive welfare. More than 35 presentations will be made during the three-day meeting, featuring new research data, and innovative service delivery approaches.

As part of the program, a symposium on fatherhood initiatives and domestic violence will occur on (Oct. 27) at 10:30 a.m. Symposium presenters include national researchers and practitioners, such as Ronald Mincy Sr., Columbia University; Martha Davis, NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund; and Johnny Rice II, Center for Fathers, Families and Workforce Development.

The U-M School of Social Work, which began in 1921, is ranked No. 1 nationally and is one of the largest schools of social work in the United States. For further information on the symposium and the school, visit the Web site at www.ssw.umich.edu.

Searching for America’s Heart: RFK and the Renewal of HopePeter EdelmanCentral Campus mapPlanning and EvaluationSchool of Social WorkSymposium presenterswww.ssw.umich.edu