#TalkPoverty
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 22nd, 2014
Good morning!
After what’s been blogged and talked about in the last few days, this seemed like a natural follow-up write.
#TalkPoverty
Real People. Real Stories. Real Solutions For Poverty.
In America, too many of us fall into the trap of thinking: “Poverty is terrible but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Today, the Half in Ten Education Fund — dedicated to cutting poverty in half in 10 years — introduced a new project called talkpoverty.org dedicated to demonstrating that exactly the opposite is true: we know how to dramatically reduce poverty. The website is a hub where people can learn about poverty in America and what we can do to reduce it.
It also serves to unite and strengthen the antipoverty community, bridging the gap between local and national voices, between grassroots activism and policy work, and between those who are struggling and those who are more economically secure. At the site, you can find basic data and interactive maps about poverty in America; hear from people living in poverty and people dedicated to the fight against poverty; and get involved with local, state and national organizations to take action.
Celebrity chef, food activist, and head judge on Bravo’s Top Chef Tom Colicchio helps kick off the site with one of it’s first posts: “It’s time to #VOTEFOOD.” He traces his history as a chef: from not thinking about hunger and poverty, to attempting to offer food “at a more democratic price point” than his fancy restaurants, to raising money for organizations combating hunger, to finally starting the activist network Food Policy Action. He writes:
As soon as one legislator loses their job over the way they vote on food issues, it will send a clear message to Congress: We’re organized. We’re strong. Yes, we have a food movement, and it’s coming for you.
Former governor Ted Strickland (D-OH), the President of CAP Action, recalls his own personal story of growing up in poverty and always remembering those less fortunate than himself. “It’s un-American, frankly, that you can work and work and work and not get out of poverty,” he concludes.
National figures aren’t the only voices, however. Another featured post is by Sherita Mouzon, a member of Witnesses to Hunger and a Peer Mentor for the Salvation Army in Philadelphia. She writes:
My scars run long and deep—they will always be there. The long lasting effects of trauma stick with you. But I refuse to let my past dictate my future. My memories keep me humble. I’m shaped not by the commonly accepted “fact” that since I grew up in poverty I have to live in poverty now. Instead, I’m shaped by the idea that while you can’t change the past, you can change the future.
Talkpoverty.org melds these activists’ voices with an extensive data set of poverty indicators and demographic data, as well as interactive maps like the one below:
CREDIT: TALKPOVERTY.ORG
In addition to blog content and data, the website will include:
- Updates on local, state, and national anti-poverty campaigns and how to get involved
- Features on anti-poverty victories and lessons learned
- Alerts for anti-poverty actions and events
- Synopses and links to the latest research, articles, videos, television programs, and
other media
Head over and check it out now!
BOTTOM LINE: 46 million Americans live in poverty, including more than one in five children. We need to have an informed conversation about how to dramatically reduce poverty in this country, and low-income people themselves should play a leading role. By listening to those who are living in poverty and those who are fighting poverty every day, we can grow the movement we truly need to ensure that all Americans have a fair shot at economic prosperity.
*****
Readers: Well, as I am sure you discovered, the full version of Robert Greenwald’s movie, Koch Brothers Exposed: 2014 Edition, was not on the live stream on Tuesday. However, if you haven’t watched it yet, you can watch it on Brave New Films. I think it’s important for all of us to take the time to watch and spread the word in any way we can: Talk about it, blog it, have a party and show the screening of the film. I HOPE that you do.
Thanks to Robert Greenwald for producing this movie. Thanks to Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders, and Marge Baker for taking the time to speak out against the Koch Brothers in the live stream on Tuesday.
Howie: Thanks for posting. Done.
Will, Lilly, Katy et al: Thank you all for supporting me in keeping the Koch Brothers and their greedy ways exposed. This is just the beginning, so I HOPE you’ll continue to keep blogging it here and elsewhere. Thanks.
Christopher*: I am a little surprised to read parts of your comment. Voting Republicans out and retaining control of the Senate, and getting control of the House is the only way for Obama to be successful in anything and any chance of bringing about change for the betterment of all, and we can do it. Thinking for a moment that it won’t produce the desired effect that we are hoping for is not a “can do” attitude. We have no other choice but to vote out the repubs. It is something we must do. By the way, I signed too. Thanks for posting.
Von: Thanks. I won’t. I HOPE you won’t either.
Social Butterfly: -Thanks. Done. Oh…/SB: Yes, you read that correctly and my sentence was confusing in my rush to write it. Thanks for noticing. I was out late the night before and didn’t have a chance to proof it until yesterday morning. I scheduled the blog to post at 9:00 AM yesterday, the evening before, as I usually do. I proofed it early yesterday morning and saw where I needed to clarify + a few other things I wanted to change. I tried to update my changes but the server kept scrolling and wouldn’t make them, nor could I put off the scheduled post until a later time so that I could make my changes. So, unfortunately the blog posted and I couldn’t make the few changes until the early afternoon when I could get on.
#PeaceOut.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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May 22nd, 2014 at 11:23 am
America’s homeless crisis is soon to get worse because people for the most part don’t give a fuck.
May 22nd, 2014 at 11:24 am
Doing what one/we can for the least of these, my/our sisters & brothers, & others, to the best of one’s/our abilities, where we live & beyond, with the help of God in Jesus Christ, that’s being the church, our church. Amen.
May 22nd, 2014 at 11:25 am
You broke motherfuckers are always looking for a handout.
May 22nd, 2014 at 11:27 am
I agree with you John. The fixation with central planning, uniformity, and “fairness” is why the Dems will continue to be the party of the stupid people.
May 22nd, 2014 at 11:29 am
There are some who think poverty is eradicable. The pols that run on the same ideal are generally disingenuous. I agree with John there will always be broke motherfuckers.
May 22nd, 2014 at 11:30 am
There’s no accounting for decisions. Several years ago, I was involved in an audit involving Ma payments for maternity care. In examining the medical records to ensure that conditions for payment were met.
One young girl (and she was a girl, 15 year old) miscarried. She promptly anounced to her social worker that she would refuse grief counseling, and attempt to become pregnant again withing a year, because she was sure she could handle high school and a baby. There is no economic policy that is going to overcome this kind of poor judgment. We will always have errors, some that have lifelong consequences.
May 22nd, 2014 at 11:31 am
Most of those do-gooders have the hubris that they can replace all the millions of decisions that people make everyday. But that’s no surpise, after all what collectivists are really interested in is control of people.
May 22nd, 2014 at 11:32 am
The intentions of the anti-poverty crusaders are not good
If order is good, and efficient order even better, and efficient, prosperous order best, then the intentions of the anti-poverty crusaders are not good.
That’s because john is correct: These people only want control over other people to establish an order that is neither efficient nor prosperous. Indeed, the thing that most highly recommends their order to them is that they would be in charge.
Why not just do away with the anti-poverty crusaders and keep the poor? After all, we can’t do away with the latter group because according to our greatest prophets, they’ll always be with us.
May 22nd, 2014 at 11:33 am
Most leftists have a very external focus: making others see them as caring and compassionate, rather than actually being caring and compassionate. To take a reference from the Bible:
(Matthew 6:2) Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.
Liberals grunts are trumpet sounders. They wear their compassion as a badge of honor, and trumpet it for all the world to see so that others will honor them for their goodness.
The fact that their active breed of compassion fails every time it is tried is irrelevant. They did something, where advocates of capitalism and property rights just sit back and demand that others succeed on their own. The fact that they must control the lives of those they help, and rob from the successful to give to their targets is incidental to the fact that they are seen as compassionate for doing something.
Of course, the leaders of the left know their method fails every time it is tried. They harness the desire of the trumpet blowers to be seen as good, and use it to gain power over others. The leaders of the left are evil, the grunts just want to be seen by others as good.
May 22nd, 2014 at 12:53 pm
Michelle: Of course you are correct, we must remove the power from the Republican controled Senate. Keep the pressure on Scotus, that we are not gonna tolerate them continually ruling in favor of corporate interests and regain a government that is for the people.
You know, sometimes I just get so friggin’ sick of the crap that goes on. Combine that with an already really bad day and these are times that I shouldn’t be commenting at all. My apologies for projecting negativity on an already potentially dire topic, I know better than to do that.
Negative vibes can be very contageous. So lets kick some republican ass come November and hound them to death with letters, phone calls, petions and protests until then.
Nice post on poverty, but today I am not gonna go there
May 22nd, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Slight typo mixing up house and senate. Oops.
May 22nd, 2014 at 1:09 pm
Christopher* I too get sick of the crap that is going on. I can’t wait to kick some republican ass.
May 25th, 2014 at 11:55 am
[…] Christopher*: I hear ya. I get sick of it too. And a bad day on top of everything else can just be too much. No need to apologize. We all have them. I HOPE the rest of your week went better. […]