An interactive conference to define, build, elevate and sustain middle-class Americans facing economic, housing and health care challenges
Submitted by Suzan McDowell
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — OIC of South Florida’s 2024 Middle Class Summit, is a two-day, mission-centric event dedicated to addressing the challenges facing the middle class and those aspiring to enter it. By convening a diverse group of powerful voices including workforce, housing, health care and economic development professionals, policymakers, educators, employers and community stakeholders, the Middle Class Summit strives to drive progress toward removing or abating obstacles that threaten the realization of America’s thriving middle class.
The Middle Class Summit is happening October 2nd & 3rd, 2024 at the Hardrock Hotel & Casino located at 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood, FL 33314. The Summit is open to the public and tickets are available at www.middleclasssummit.com.
According to a recent United Way study which considered many factors that affect the middle class, especially most recently the Covid 19 pandemic, the ALICE study argues that while the overall number of Florida households who were struggling financially increased from 2019 to 2021, the impact of competing forces played out differently across demographic groups. In many cases, the pandemic exposed and exacerbated disparities and vulnerabilities that have long existed in our society, with substantial differences in rates of hardship by race/ethnicity, age, and household composition.
OIC-SFL President and CEO Newton B. Sanon highlights the importance of these issues to all communities, commenting, “Many families are already feeling increases at the gas pumps, grocery stores, and certainly as they attempt to find affordable housing here in South Florida and around the country. The objective of our Summit is to identify actionable solutions to these challenges facing the middle class so everyone in our community has the opportunity to reach their potential. At OIC of South Florida, it’s important that we elevate the voices of the underrepresented and foster timely discussion with key stakeholders to develop and deploy solutions. The issues discussed at the Summit affect absolutely everyone.”
This action-packed event is a convening of thought leaders brought together to define and create an eco-system that can develop innovative solutions to issues like the disparities in education, affordable housing, rising costs of childcare and healthcare, criminal justice reform and unsustainable increases in the everyday costs of basic necessities facing America’s middle class.
The Summit features an impressive lineup of industry experts and community voices of whom the is Summit intended to positively impact. Highlights include Chairman Marcellus W. Osceola, Jr., of the Seminole Tribe of Florida; Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick; José Javier Rodriguez, Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Lenita Jacobs-Simmons; Broward County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Howard Hepburn, Miami-Dade County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jose Dotres, Desmond Meade of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition; and more.
About OIC
OIC of South Florida is a community-based, non-profit organization that provides quality education, job training and placement for individuals looking to enter or advance in the workforce. With a focus on empowerment and skill development, OIC of South Florida has been making a positive impact on communities for nearly 25 years. Follow OIC of South Florida on social media.
