MacArthur Genius Matthew Desmond on Housing Insecurity in America

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist Matthew Desmond spoke on Thursday, November 15, 2018, as part of the Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) Compelling Conversations Series. The MacArthur “Genius Grant” sociologist is the author of the New York Times bestseller Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City that tells stories of eight families living on the edge and the landlords who control their fate.

At the event, Desmond took the BHCC audience through his fieldwork and the data he gathered living in the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee and proposed fresh ideas for solving one of the most urgent issues facing America today–housing insecurity.
 
“We’ve moved to a place where eviction is overturning communities,” said Desmond. “Whatever you care about–poverty, unemployment, affordability–housing insecurity is at the root of that problem.”
 
“We have to find ways to document this,” he continued, urging audience members who’ve experienced housing insecurity to share their stories. “Community-based ground level research will be incredibly useful in pushing the conversation forward.”
 
Prior to the presentation, Desmond spoke with students studying sociology at the College before enjoying a lunch prepared by the College’s Culinary Arts students in the Thomas A. Kershaw Dining Room.
 
Join us for upcoming speaker events:
 
Wade Davis | February 28
Former NFL Player, Equality Advocate and Educator
 
Roxane Gay | March 7
Author and Cultural Critic
 
Seng Ty | April 25
Author of The Years of Zero
BHCC’s 2018-2019 One Book Selection