The Sanders Institute’s inaugural conference, The Sanders Institute Gathering, is to be held in Burlington from Thursday, November 29 through Saturday, December 1, with an array of speakers coming from both the national and international progressive community. CHT’s Brenda Torpy will be a featured speaker on housing policy during Saturday’s session.
“I am thrilled to be invited to speak about the ways in which we can move towards a society that makes access to housing a right of all citizens, and how we’ve pioneered permanently affordable housing here at Champlain Housing Trust and in Vermont,” said Torpy.
Founded in 2017 on the belief that a vital democracy requires an informed electorate, civil discourse and bold ideas, the Sanders Institute focuses on progressive solutions to economic, environmental, racial and social justice issues.
David Driscoll, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the young, non-partisan think tank, said that the event will host “elected officials, organizers, educators, economists, writers, artists and emerging leaders from a full spectrum of experience and expertise.”
The conference will include leaders from a variety of sectors:
- Mayors Carmen Yulin Cruz (San Juan, Puerto Rico), Bill deBlasio (New York, NY), Ada Colau (Barcelona, Spain) and Michael Tubbs (Stockton, CA) will be on a Mayor’s Roundtable.
- Labor leaders such as UE President Peter Knowlton, APWU President Mark Dimondstein, NNU Co-President Jean Ross and former NNU Executive Director RoseAnn Demoro will be speaking.
- Yanis Varoufakis (former Finance Minister of Greece), Nikki Ashton (Member of Canadian Parliament), Bernie Sanders (Vermont Senator), David McWilliams (Irish author/economist) and others will discuss international cooperation and the need for a Progressive International movement.
Other speakers include well-known names like Danny Glover, Stephanie Kelton, Shaun King, Naomi Klein, Ben Jealous, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Winona LaDuke, Bill McKibben, Nina Turner, Simon Sinek, Cenk Uygar and James Zogby. Researchers and policy development experts such as Jane Kim, Robert Pollin, Chirlane McCray, Michael Weinstein, Radhika Balakrishnan, Matt Nelson, Joseph Geevargese, Karin Ryan, Jo Beardsmore, Diane Archer, Ron Goldfarb and John Davis and many more will be part of the program – which includes fifteen of the Institute’s eighteen fellows.
More information on the conference and speakers can be found at www.sandersinstitutegathering.org.
Jane Sanders, Co-Founder & Fellow, said “the selection of topics and speakers will ensure that the conference is insightful and relevant, as we discuss some of our nation’s most pressing issues and share innovative solutions. Medicare for All, the climate crisis, housing issues, criminal justice, workers’ rights, international cooperation, civil rights and austerity in Puerto Rico are some of the issues that will be addressed.”
“Social justice, economic justice and human dignity will be focuses threaded throughout the conference,” said Driscoll, concluding, “The core intent of The Sanders Institute Gathering is to share replicable policies, develop actionable steps, establish ongoing networks and articulate a progressive vision.”