Aspen Ideas to Go White Poverty
Oct 23, 2024
Reverend William Barber II, a social advocate and co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, teams up with Mitch Landrieu, former mayor of New Orleans, to shed light on the overlooked realities of poverty in America. They discuss how outdated stereotypes distort the understanding of poverty, revealing that about 135 million people are affected, transcending racial boundaries. Barber emphasizes the importance of unity among low-income communities, advocating for moral leadership and political engagement to create lasting change in a landscape shaped by systemic inequality.
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First Reconstruction Was Multiracial
- The first Reconstruction after the Civil War featured Black and poor white coalitions building democracy.
- It was violently ended by Jim Crow and political deals that disenfranchised Black and poor white voters.
Southern Strategy Exploited Racial Divisions
- The Southern Strategy intentionally polarized races to control politics for decades.
- It used racial divisions as a political tool to prevent Black and white coalitions from forming.
Poverty Rates Are Understated
- The official U.S. poverty measure uses outdated 1955 food-cost standards, underestimating true poverty.
- Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure shows 135 million Americans are poor or low wage, about 43% of adults.
