On May 11th-12th 2006, the UCI Community Outreach Partnership Center sponsored a provocative conference, “Inequality: Southern California’s Major Fault Line.” The conference featured keynote addresses by Harvard Professor William Julius Wilson and University of Minnesota Law Professor Myron Orfield.
Professor Wilson’s address, “Bridge Over the Racial Divide: Rising Inequality and Coalition Politics Reexamined,” called for a political constituency of working and middle class Americans to combat the eroding strength of the nation’s equalizing institutions, including public education, unions, and political structures that promote the interests of ordinary families. Professor Wilson’s lecture attracted a diverse audience of over 300 attendees, including faculty and students from throughout Southern California, elected officials, policy analysts, and community leaders.
Myron Orfield’s remarks focused on Southern California’s growing trends of socioeconomic disparity and demographic shifts and their impact on local economies. Professor Orfield argued for a regional agenda that would increase government efficiency and make the best use of limited resources.
Workshops on economic, education, labor, social and public policies, and regional problems, examined how inequality is structured and challenged across different arenas. Each session included a combination of academics and community practitioners and was organized to provide participants with “real world” and scholarly perspectives on these issues. The conference helped to build new networks of groups and individuals who are doing work to challenge growing inequality in the region.