How to solve poverty in Miami? Upcoming summit has some ideas

Can community land trusts solve our affordable-housing crisis? Are public banks the answer to inequality? How can we tweak policies to ensure people of color get more accurate medical diagnoses?

These are among the topics at the upcoming Poverty Solutions Summit hosted by the nonprofit Catalyst Miami from Feb. 4-6. Attendees can register for the free online event at catalystmiami.org/summit. It’s the fifth year that Catalyst has held the event and the first year it will run virtually.

The three-day summit will feature more than 50 national and local speakers and panelists, including Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who founded Catalyst in 1996. Other panelists will include Lydia Lowe, director of the Chinatown Community Land Trust, which is working to stabilize the future of Boston’s Chinatown as a neighborhood for working-class families. Closing remarks Saturday will come from Darrick Hamilton, professor and founding director of the Institute for the Study of Race, Stratification and Political Economy at The New School in New York City.

This year’s theme is “Divest from White Supremacy, Invest in Community Healing and Ownership.” Sessions are largely focused on three areas: community-controlled initiatives, health equity and equitable governance. They have been scheduled mostly during lunch time and after-hours to allow for a greater number of attendees, said Catalyst spokesperson Carolina Fernandez-Mazzoni. Spanish, Haitian Creole and American Sign Language interpretation will be available.

“We encourage everyone to tune in,” Fernandez-Mazzoni added. “Whether you’re an elected official, business, educator, healthcare professional, community leader, or a resident who wants to get more involved in making Miami more equitable and resilient.”