The Changing Face of American Poverty — A Roundtable
March 28th, 2008 by Dan Lavoie
Today’s episode of Tavis Smiley’s public radio show marks the culmination of a groundbreaking six-part investigation into poverty in America. The series, Below the Line: The Changing Face of American Poverty, will conclude today with a roundtable discussion on how to tackle the nation’s poverty crisis, featuring Smiley, PolicyLink CEO Angela Glover Blackwell, renowned rural poverty expert Cynthia “Mil” Duncan, and Alan Jenkins, executive director of The Opportunity Agenda.
The landmark series has showcased the real lives of Americans living at or below the poverty line. From the Ethiopian immigrant working in a rendering plant in rural Minnesota to the woman in East Baltimore trying to steady her life in a new mixed-income housing development, the series has taken a hard look at what it means to be poor in America in 2008.
Guided by the public policy insights of Angela Glover Blackwell, the series has also looked toward the future, offering positive policy proposals to address issues of low pay, inadequate health care, post-prison re-entry, and other vital issues facing America’s working class.
You can catch the full one-hour roundtable on the Tavis Smiley Show website or by checking your local public radio listings here. Earlier episodes are available at the Public Radio International podcast page.