May 4, 2026 | 12:00 P.m.-1:00 p.m. ET
virtual conversation
The Fight for Families, the Cost of Poverty, and the Power of College
May 4, 2026 | 12:00 P.m.-1:00 p.m. ET
Join us for an engaging discussion of Nicole Lynn Lewis’s book, Student Parent: The Fight for Families, the Cost of Poverty, and the Power of College.
Single mothers represent 80% of single-parent households and 29% of all mothers nationwide — with over 30% experiencing poverty. They also make up more than 11% of all post-secondary students. Higher education remains one of the most powerful tools for disrupting generational poverty, yet only about 8% of single mothers attending community college graduate within six years.
Informed by lived and learned experiences, we will examine the obstacles parents face in accessing higher education, explore the links between education and economic mobility, and highlight actionable policy solutions that underscore the necessity of sustained investment in families, education, and student parents.
speakers
CHASTITY LORD
JP President and CEO
Chastity Lord is the President and CEO of the Jeremiah Program. As a national nonprofit leader, she has dedicated her life to disrupting systems of inequity through a social justice lens in an effort to bridge the opportunity gap. Chastity has a unique mix of both practitioner and executive leadership and has spent two decades specializing in organizational development, education, college access, fundraising, and leadership development.
Chastity’s professional North Star and commitment to equity and justice for the past two decades is influenced by her own personal experience as a first-generation college graduate.
Chastity serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. She has been quoted as a thought leader in top-tier outlets including Reuters, Politico, CNN, MSNBC, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, CBS Morning, and NPR.
Nicole Lynn Lewis
Generation Hope Founder and CEO
Nicole Lynn Lewis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Generation Hope, a nonprofit organization that surrounds motivated teen parents and their children with the mentors, emotional support, and financial resources that they need to thrive in college and kindergarten, thereby driving a two-generation solution to poverty.
A former teen mother who put herself through the College of William & Mary with her three-month old daughter in tow, Nicole now works every day to change the statistic that less than 2% of teen mothers will earn their degrees before age 30.
Nicole is a member of the board of trustees of Trinity Washington University. She has been featured on major news outlets including Good Morning America, CNN, NBC Nightly News, and The Washington Post. She is also a nationally known author and speaker with her book, Pregnant Girl, named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2021.
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Brooklyn, NY
Friday, May 8, 2026
Boston, MA
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
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Tuesday, July 14, 2026
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Thursday, September 3, 2026
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Wednesday, September 16, 2026
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Friday, September 25, 2026
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Thursday, December 10, 2026
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