Explore actionable solutions to one of the most pressing issues of our time—homelessness—at a moment when our local community is reporting the fastest and highest rates of homelessness in its history. This event features a powerful new documentary, Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness, which examines the root causes of homelessness and explores comprehensive solutions, followed by a panel discussion.
Join us for an event that’s more than just a celebration—it’s a call to action. In alignment with the University of Michigan’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium's 2025 theme of "Restless Dissatisfaction: An Urgent Call for the Pursuit of Justice and Equality," we invite students, staff, faculty and the greater community to a powerful and inspiring gathering.
Kahn Auditorium
Biomedical Science Research Building
The 35th Annual Health Science MLK Lecture, hosted by the University of Michigan School of Medicine / Michigan Medicine, will focus on the exploration of interdisciplinary approaches to achieve health equity. After the lecture, Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes will participate in a panel discussion on health equity.
Jazz musician Etienne Charles explores the effects of climate change on vulnerable communities. We are excited about his appearance as the Ford School of Public Policy’s annual Martin Luther King Day speaker on January 17.
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall
Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
This session will examine innovative policies that promote direct cash transfers and tax credits to low-income families, new mothers, and other sectors of society.
Robin Jacob and A. Foster will discuss how the partnership has developed since initially proposed by WCJC, the challenges involved in beginning such work, and other lessons learned after more than 8 months of partnership.
Sister Simone Campbell has led three cross-country “Nuns on the Bus” trips, focused on economic justice, comprehensive immigration reform, and (most recently) voter turnout. She will discuss these issues and more.
Authors Kathy Edin and Luke Shaefer discuss the majorn themes of their revelatory research on income inequality and extreme poverty in the United States.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
University of Michigan Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
Jazz musician Etienne Charles visits the Ford School as the annual Martin Luther King Day speaker and explores the effects of climate change on vulnerable communities. January, 2025.
Luke Shaefer will examine the latest research and evidence with Mary Pattillo of Northwestern University, Darrick Hamilton at The New School, and the Ford School's Natasha Pilkauskas, associate professor of public policy. April, 2024.
The Ford School is recognized again as one of America’s top graduate programs in public affairs, ranked 4th in the U.S. according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. April, 2023.
In this talk, H. Luke Shaefer reviews research on the impacts of the largest and most comprehensive expansion of the social safety net in modern times, and where the nation goes from here.
Barr spoke at the annual New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Coalition conference, sharing his experience as a Clinton administration official as the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act was established and signed into law in December, 2
This lecture discusses the use of longitudinal administrative tax data from Washington DC (DC) to study how Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) expansions undertaken by the Washington DC affect income and inequality in the city.
