I am honored to join bestselling author and leader, Hedrick Smith, who is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, for a robust conversation around ‘re-imaging everything’ as we seek sustainable solutions to the economic and other challenges facing Southern California.
Information on the program below. If you are a foundation leader or grant maker in greater Southern California, you should try to be there. You can reach them here.
Let’s go…
AFTERNOON PLENARY – RECLAIMING THE AMERICAN DREAM
How can Southern California make both economic and social equity gains so that more people can realize the American Dream? Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hedrick Smith will draw on his decades of experience reporting on global and national issues to lead a conversation on countering our society’s growing opportunity gap.
Following his remarks, Smith will engage in a fascinating dialogue with John Hope Bryant, one of the world’s most prominent business and philanthropic leaders working at the forefront of financial dignity issues for current and future generations.
Hedrick Smith
Author, Who Stole the American Dream?
Hedrick Smith is a best-selling author, Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and editor, and an Emmy award-winning producer/correspondent, who has established himself over the past 50 years of his career as one of America’s most distinguished journalists. In 26 years with The New York Times, he has covered Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights struggle, the Vietnam War, the Middle East, the Cold War, and six American presidents and their administrations. In 1971, as Chief Diplomatic Correspondent, he was a member of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team that produced the Pentagon Papers series. In 1974, he won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting from Russia and Eastern Europe.
Smith has also created 26 PBS specials and mini-series on such varied topics as terrorism, Wall Street, education reform, health care, the environment, the arts, and national political issues. His book The Russians, based on his years as New York Times Moscow Bureau Chief from 1971-74, was a Number 1 American best-seller. Another of his books, The Power Game: How Washington Works, was also a major best-seller. Smith’s most recent work, Who Stole the American Dream? has been lauded for its adept analysis of political and economic trends and changes in the United States over the past 40 years.
John Hope Bryant
Creator, Bryant Group Ventures and Founder/CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc.
John Hope Bryant is an entrepreneur, businessman, author, thought leader, and philanthropist, as well as and the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, Inc. and Bryant Group Ventures. Through Operation HOPE and its partners, Bryant is responsible for more than $2 billion of private capital supporting low-wealth home ownership, small businesses, entrepreneurship and community development investments in under-served communities across the U.S. The organization operates on-the-ground partnerships in more than 300 U.S. cities, South Africa, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and has served more than 1.5 million clients. With his book, How The Poor Can Save Capitalism: Rebuilding The Path to the Middle Class, Bryant became the only best-selling author on economics in the world today who happens to also be African-American. In 2014, he was appointed by President Obama to serve on his new U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans. Bryant has co-founded a variety of other organizations and initiatives including Wikia-HOPE Global Money Initiative, Gallup-HOPE Index, Global Dignity, The New Leaders organization (Los Angeles) and Just Brothers (Atlanta).