“We want to chip away at the issues and work together to make our children’s lives better,” said Dr. Pamela Brown at the AAWGT education session, “The Geography and Color of Anne Arundel County Poverty.”

Our first education session of the year drew over 200 participants. Dr. Brown’s presentation included, among many topics, social determinants of health, food deserts, the opportunity gap, kindergarten readiness, homelessness, youth unemployment and Covid racial and ethnic disparities. 

Dr. Brown, who is an AAWGT member, has an amazing resume. She is the executive director of the Anne Arundel County Partnership for Children, Youth and Families. Her dissertation focused on the importance of community partnerships in diverse neighborhoods to improve outcomes for children and families. She is the principal author of the publication “Poverty Amidst Plenty,” which is put out by the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County. Dr. Brown and her co-writers interview hundreds of people and gather data from around the county from hundreds of sources. The latest issue of the publication will be coming out soon. Read more here.

The education session had the right mix of charts and text, which along with Dr. Brown’s narrative, gave us a clear picture of the issues affecting our citizens. This picture will help us work toward solutions that help diverse populations in our community.

We appreciate Dr. Brown’s generosity in sharing her knowledge of this issue with our members and with the community.