A Moral Budget for Massachusetts
September 27, 2019
2–6pm
MIT, Room 3-133
77 Mass Ave.
Cambridge MA 02139
Free and open to the Public but seating is limited. Please Pre-register to attend.
2: 05 pm: Welcome: Patricia Weinmann (MIT Radius)
2:10 pm: The Poor Peoples Campaign’s Moral Budget for the Nation- Shailly Gupta Barnes (National PPC & Kairos Center)
2:20 PM Panel 1: Developing a Moral Budget for Massachusetts
Chair: Savina Martin (Mass Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival)
- Increasing the Mass State Budget – State Representative Mike Connolly
- The Congressional Progresive Caucus People’s Budget in Mass – Andrea Burns (Our Revolution)
- Producing a Moral Budget for Massachusetts- Jonathan King (Mass Peace Action)
- Discussion
3:00 pm Panel 2: Housing, Transit, Infrastructure and Energy.
Chair: Caesar McDowell (MIT Urban Studies)
- Affordable Housing – Lee Farris(Cambridge Residents Alliance)
- Public Transit – State Rep Denise Provost (Somerville)
- Sustainable energy – Quinton Zondervan (Cambridge City Councilor)
- Discussion
3:45 pm Coffee Break
4:00 pm Panel 3: Education and health
Chair: Ruth Rodriguez Fay (Save Our Schools, Worcester)
- Child care and Pre-K Education – Dr. Denisha Jones (Defending the Early Years)
- K-12 Education – Lisa Guisbond (Citizens for Public Schools)
- Higher Education: Fund Our Future – Merrie Najimy (Mass Teachers Assn. President)
- Basic and Biomedical Research – Prof. Ishara Mills-Henry (Framingham State)
- Public Health Needs – John Ratliff (Mass Senior Action)
- Discussion
4:45 pm Panel 4: Cutting the Pentagon Budget
Chair: Cole Harrison (Mass Peace Action)
- Investing in Veteran’s needs – Dan Luker (Veterans for Peace)
- Toward a Sustainable Defense budget - Lindsay Koshgarian (Institute for Policy Studies)
- Cutting Raytheon Weapons for Saudi Arabia - Paul Shannon (AFSC)
- Cancelling New Nuclear Weapons – Dr. Kea Van der Ziel (Greater Boston PSR)
- Discussion
5:30: Next steps
- Methodology for a state Moral Budget – Jelena Mitić Elliott (Institute for People’s Engagement) and Lindsay Koshgarian (IPC)
- Constitution of Publications Committee -Panelists
5:45: Benediction - Rev. Leslie Sterling (St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church)
(All panels – 6-8 minute talks, then general discussion)
Program committee: Jonathan King, Savina Martin, Jelena Mitić Elliott, Brian Garvey, Patricia Weinmann.
Co-Sponsors: Mass Poor Peoples Campaign; MIT Radius; Institute for People’s Engagement; Mass Peace Action.
Additional support from the Amy S. Rugel Foundation.