Faith & Action Fall Event with Raj Chetty

A story is worth a thousand numbers.

That twist on the familiar phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words” could be used to sum up many of today’s approaches to talking about poverty. Recognizing how quickly people become numbed by numbers, we have become adept at using a moving story to inspire action, rather than pointing to data.

As effective as this can be, there is a problem: The anecdote-focused approach runs the risk of allowing people to underestimate the prevalence of poverty or to overlook details hidden in the data that could help us address poverty more effectively.

For example, we could share a powerful story about an ALICE household—one that is Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. But unless we also show you that including ALICE households in poverty data means more than 257,000 Marion County households are living in real economic distress, you won’t grasp the full scope of the problem.

Similarly, we could tell you a moving story about a child living in poverty in Indianapolis. But without connecting it to data showing that higher employment rates in the child’s community today could improve their future prospects, we aren’t pointing toward real solutions.

That’s why we’re bringing Raj Chetty to Indianapolis on September 25 to share his latest poverty data. Highly regarded as an economist studying economic mobility, Chetty has helped poverty fighters across the nation understand the stories that numbers can tell.

In what has become landmark research, Chetty has highlighted data indicating what children need to rise above poverty. Pointing to things like stable housing, great schools, nourishing food, trusted adults, and meaningful opportunities to grow and succeed, he suggests that efforts to address those factors — and driving even small changes — could improve children’s lives. Thus, he offers guidance to community members, faith leaders, nonprofits, and policymakers seeking to make a difference.

Chetty’s latest work — including a 10-year update to the landmark Land of Opportunity study — reveals how opportunity is shifting across race, class, and geography. These insights offer critical guidance for congregations, organizations, leaders, and the community about how they can take on poverty by acting on findings such as:

• Economic mobility improves when children grow up in communities with more cross-class friendships 
• Social capital is shaped by institutions such as schools, houses of worship, and afterschool programs 
• Segregation and friending bias can be reduced through intentional policy and practice
• Black-white gaps in mobility have narrowed, but disparities remain
• Community-level factors like parental employment rates and social interactions are central to shaping outcomes for children 

Chetty’s research includes a number of similar revelations and offers guideposts to effective poverty mitigation. Think about it: How could your church create spaces where children from different backgrounds learn, play, and grow together? How could your agency help parents secure livable-wage work as a way to improve a child’s long-term prospects? And how could your nonprofit work intentionally to help children build friendships across neighborhood and income lines—friendships that break down barriers and foster meaningful connections across all backgrounds?

Asking and answering questions like these requires hearing the stories but also understanding the data. As Pastor Beau Underwood of Allisonville Christian Church recently said, “Preachers know the power of a good story. We use sermons to teach people faith and to inspire people to take action. Sometimes we struggle with a different kind of story: a story revealed in data. That is why I’m thrilled that CTS is bringing Raj Chetty to Indy for the Faith & Action Fall Event. I’m excited to learn from him, to understand what he is seeing in the data, and to know what we might be able to do about this problem based upon what his findings reveal.”

Join us to learn more at the Faith & Action Fall Event: Stronger Futures Through Economic Mobility  with Raj Chetty on Sept. 25. You’ll walk away with:

• Practical insights grounded in data 
• Tools and inspiration to reimagine ministry for greater impact 
• A clearer vision of how congregations can help shape a more inclusive economy and stronger future for all children 
• Inspiration to reimagine how faith communities can build networks of opportunity
• A deeper understanding of how to act for justice, not just charity 

In 2022, the Rev. William Barber II challenged a Faith & Action audience to emulate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by both having a dream and setting an agenda. Our dreams can be shaped by a desire to rewrite the stories of the children and families living in poverty in our area. Our agenda can be shaped by the data — and stories — Raj Chetty shares with us on Sept. 25.

Reserve your seat today: cts.edu/fall.