Roundtable to explore poverty, inequality in South Africa

Aleksandra Deptula ’16, who studied in South Africa in 2015, will be the first Salve Regina student to lead a Pell Center roundtable discussion when she explores the link between South Africa’s history of apartheid and its youth growing up in poverty today.

“From South Africa to Newport: Poverty, Inequality and Their Effects on Children” will be held at 11:45 a.m. Friday, Feb. 19 in the Miley Hall executive dining room.

“Living in South Africa for five months, it was difficult to ignore issues of race, poverty and inequality when the reality of the effects of apartheid were still so visible,” Deptula said. “I took courses on various topics pertaining to society, culture, history and human development, but my most valuable education was found outside of the classroom; on the streets, visiting townships, talking with locals and volunteering.”

Deptula hopes the roundtable will help participants recognize how issues of race, poverty and inequality can be interrelated, and how creating a positive environment for children can eventually change the course of intergenerational poverty. “Also, bringing this topic to a roundtable will influence participants to think about mercy as a way to empower people and build strong communities for the long-term benefit on both local and global levels,” she added.

Roundtable discussions are open to Salve Regina students, faculty and staff, and lunch is provided. As space is limited, those interested in attending should RSVP to pellcenter@salve.edu.