Open for Questions with The Root

On Thursday, October 20th at 5:30pm ET, the White House will host a special "Open for Questions" conversation moderated by The Root to discuss the recently released Pathways to Opportunity Report and the American Jobs Act.

President Obama has called for our Nation to "out innovate, out educate, and out build the rest of the world." To answer this call, we must ensure that all Americans have the foundation and opportunities they need to build a strong economic life.  In recent years, too many American families have lost economic ground.  The recession of the late 2000's has left many middle class families facing unemployment and economic hardship, and many more were struggling long before the recession began, and are falling even farther behind today.  The statistics are especially stark for minority communities: over 30 percent of Hispanic, African American, American Indian and Alaska Native children today live in poverty.

Since taking office, President Obama has focused on dramatically expanding access to opportunity for all Americans in his commitment to ensure all Americans have the tools to weather these difficult economic times and a clear pathway to economic stability and security.  Central to this commitment moving forward is the American Jobs Act, a key part of President Obama's plan to spur economic growth and put Americans back to work.

Do you have questions?  Submit them now and tune in to watch The Root's Cynthia Gordy pose them to Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Domestic Policy Director Melody Barnes on Thursday.

Right now, submit your questions to The Root for selection:

• via email: TheRootStaff@theroot.com
• on Facebook, or
• on Twitter

Thursday, October 20th at 5:30pm ET, we hope you'll watch and engage live:

• Watch live on WhiteHouse.gov/live or The Root
• Pose a question to Valerie Jarrett or Meloday Barnes on Twitter with the hashtag #TheRootWH