Western Carolina University’s Free Enterprise Speaker Series will host the documentary “Bus Stop Jobs” and hold an open discussion about poverty and economic mobility in North Carolina on Monday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. in the A.K. Hinds University Center theater.

The event is free and open to the public.

Craig Richardson

The event will be led by Craig Richardson, professor of economics and director of the Center for the Study of Economic Mobility at Winston-Salem State University. The 11-minute short film by photographer and filmmaker Diana Greene examines a day in the life of Brittany Marshall, a Winston-Salem resident and single mother who is dependent on public transportation.

Richardson will be joined by Edward Lopez, WCU professor of economics and director of the university’s Center for the Study of Free Enterprise, which sponsors the series.

“At issue are the everyday difficulties faced by the least advantaged in our society,” said Lopez. “This conversation will include some of the best ways ― which aren’t always the most traditional ways ― to help the poor in both our rural and urban communities in Western North Carolina and beyond.”

Richardson is the author of “The Collapse of Zimbabwe in the Wake of the 2000-2003 Land Reforms” and numerous articles about economics for publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and Forbes.

With three events each semester, WCU’s Free Enterprise Speaker Series is a forum for the campus and community to explore all points of view on important issues of the day, hear from renowned experts from a variety of fields and understand multiple perspectives.