Poverty and Legal Rights Subject of One Book, One Community Event

University of Arkansas assistant professor of law Annie Smith will lead a program on the subject of “Where the Law Doesn't Apply:Legal Rights in Poor Communities.” This event will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, in room 326 of the Law School. It is free and open to the public.

People taking part in the program will be asked to consider whether people's legal rights are dependent on their wealth. Smith plans to use examples of people profiled in The Working Poor, by David K. Shipler, to explore such questions as whether poor people have the same rights as those with more money; if not, why not, and can be done about it. The hour-long exercise  will include small group discussions, opportunities to advocate to the larger group, and engagement in large-group discussion.

Members of the University of Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas communities are taking part in the annual “One Book, One Community” project, which this year is centered around David K. Shipler’s best seller, The Working Poor: Invisible in America. This program is one of about a dozen free public events taking place this month to explore themes and issues raised by the book.