The Tennessee Democracy Forum’s next “Conversation on Democracy” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday in the University Center at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. This month’s installment will focus on steps the federal government can take to promote economic opportunity in neglected communities.
Lisa Mensah, a national expert on community and rural development, will be the keynote speaker during the hour-long forum moderated by David Eichenthal, a board member with ForwardTN and the Tennessee Democracy Forum.
Mensah is president of the Opportunity Finance Network and former undersecretary of agriculture for rural development. She will discuss steps that the federal government can take to promote economic recovery in often forgotten places, both rural and urban.
According to recent polls conducted by Embold Research for the Tennessee Democracy Forum, 56% of Tennesseans said they support the federal government taking action to provide extra funding to help rebuild the economy in cities and towns that have lost population and jobs over the past two decades.
To attend the Monday night event, registration is required at TNDemocracyForum.org/Register. The event is the third in a series of six Conversations on Democracy – both virtual and in person — hosted by the Tennessee Democracy Forum in partnership with UTC’s Department of Political Science and Public Service as well as the Division of Diversity and Engagement.