Poverty is rooted in a variety of complex factors, and education is one effective strategy to help people realize a more hopeful future, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Andrea Elliott said in her keynote address at The Ohio State University’s 2022 President and Provost Diversity Lecture and Cultural Arts Series.

The virtual event was held Nov. 9, hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

“The President and Provost Diversity Lecture and Cultural Arts Series gives people at Ohio State and in our community fantastic opportunities to engage in dialogue about society’s most pressing problems and issues and work collectively to map out solutions,” Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson said. “For 24 years, this event has connected the community with thought leaders dedicated to advancing inclusion, excellence and diversity and broadening our understanding of each other.”

Elliott is among a series of speakers whose work promotes dialogue on issues that have a nationwide impact, said Yolanda Zepeda, assistant vice provost for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

“These individuals exemplify inclusive excellence and whose cutting-edge thinking deserves a wider audience,” she said. “I hope that our students and the broader community will engage around the ideas shared tonight and will find their own perspectives challenged.”

Elliott is an investigative reporter for the New York Times. She received the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Feature…