Poverty In Alabama

“South Carolina’s poverty rate is ninth highest in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey.” It is a circumstance in which most South Carolinians’ live, and many of them not by choice. Thus, what does poverty look like? Poverty is working hard and yet still struggling to make ends meet. Poverty is working a full time, year-round minimum-wage job, but many South Carolinians are unable to feed, house, clothe, and educate their children. Poverty is too many South Carolina children going to school or bed hungry. Poverty is not knowing where their next meal is coming. Poverty is real! As Christians, we are the body of Christ, and have been called to love more than ourselves as we work together to achieve

Obesity is very prevalent in the south; more specifically in Mississippi. Mississippi has many problems, but the obesity rate is one of the worst because it is the highest rate in the United States. Often the question will arise as to why this state 's obesity rate is so high compared to the rest of the United States. In Mississippi there is always food around, there is very little time and money, there is very little to do to burn those calories, and there is a lack of nutritional education. All these factors add up to an overly obese state.

Author Richard Grant describes these situations as “a problem from hell” when visiting some of the most rural and poor places in Mississippi. Education is a major obstacle that many students encounter when struggling to escape from Mississippi’s never-ending problems. As a result, the Delta has a consistently high rate of high school dropouts or failures. In addition to deficient school systems, “ The South is home to the most children living below 50% of the poverty line” which supports the idea that children living in unstable environments are enveloped with poverty (Hughes). The Delta has developed into an underprivileged community where “24% of Southern students attended school in districts in which extreme child poverty rates dipped below 5%” (Hughes). Over half the public schools in the south are poor and are overwhelmed by the consequences of poverty. While the program itself can deem quite expensive, the long-term effects make it worth the investment. Education in Mississippi is suffering due to the lack of government support and community

According to the PBS Frontline video “Poor Kids” 2012, more than 46 million Americans are living beneath the poverty line. The United States alone has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the industrialized world. It is stated that 1 out of 5 children are living in poverty. The video documented the lives of three families who are faced with extreme hardships and are battling to survive a life of being poor. All three families have more than one child and could barely afford to pay their bills and purchase food for their household.

The article informs that in 1953 the federal government reported an official poverty rate, this was the first time this was done. Gallaway’s article essentially describes the war on poverty. Gallaway argues that the war on poverty, unintentionally, creates slow economic growth, greater income inequality, and high poverty rates. The author broadly examines poverty and economic growth and as a result, it is concluded that those who are below the poverty line are no longer impacted by any economic growth. In 2010, 15.75 million of America’s 70 million children were classified as living in poverty. Countries have attempted to end poverty for many years now but it seems that the numbers continue to increase. Some people blame the government while others blame the individual for their own situation. The article also addresses public attitudes towards welfare recipients which tends to be negative. Many think that the welfare system is only hurting the American economy. Therefore, many African American women are oppressed for receiving food stamps, but when compared to a disabled person the treatment is

The article is thought provoking. It alerts the reader to new less commonly known facts on poverty such as the fact that it takes more money to only combat causes of poverty instead of actually strategically preventing it from happening in the first place.

Poverty has been around for numerous years. Poverty can be a generational problem if people let it. James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” and David Joy’s “Digging in the trash” both show that families in poverty do not have it easy, the children will live in poverty unless something is done, and people either find a way of escape or stand up against it.

A major issue in America today is poverty. However not much is being done to help those in need. Many who struggle in poverty are those who struggle getting the basic necessities we need in the everyday life such as food, clothes, water, and shelter. Different factors that can contribute to poverty are lack of education, unemployment, poor economy, race/origin, non-effective policies, and illness/disease; therefore more help should be made towards helping those in need.

The book The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives enhanced my understanding by reading on Abramsky explore poverty in the United States over a fifty year period. His detailed perspective on how poverty, social attitudes, and public policy have changed over the years. It was also helpful that Abramsky studied all over the United States and didn’t only research a few states. He looked at inner cities to rural areas, as well as, families suffering from intergenerational poverty. All in all, this is a good read if you are concerned about the current state of our

Poverty is a worldwide issue. With emphasis on poverty in third world countries like Africa, Haiti, etc. Citizens of Brevard County tend to overlook how poverty is happening in our own back yards. My social issue is about poverty in Brevard County and I aim to bring awareness to this terrible situation. Poverty as defined by Wikipedia “is general scarcity, dearth, or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money.” According to “Brevard County Income and Careers,” 12.51% of Brevard County’s population is living in poverty. Seminole County, a neighbor to Brevard has 10.78% of their population living in poverty. As you can see the percent of population in poverty in Brevard

A heightened vulnerability is a major commonalty between the families in &2.00 a Day. In Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates writes about how an African American man cannot have control of his body. Black men are vulnerable in this country; at any moment a black life can be taken. In $2.00 a Day, Edin and Shaefer takes that same vulnerability mentioned by Coates over a hundred times and expands on it. Although black Americans do have disadvantages in this country, vulnerability is regardless of race and gender. There is no one more vulnerable than the poor. They are at the mercy of the people who decides to help them. For example, Rae, a single mother is fired from her job at Wal-Mart when she does not have gas money to get to work. Gas money that her family took and spent. She and her small daughter are living with their adopted aunt and uncle. They also are living with three other people in the house. Rae has nowhere to go, and cannot rely on the father of her child. When Rae lived with him, he cheated, beat her and took her money. Her aunt and uncle insists on managing her SNAP and the welfare checks of the other residents. Rae has no choice but to abide by their rules and hand over her only source of "money".

“There are 721,875 Alabamians live in poverty, including 244,661 children 919,670 Alabama households are food insecure

The children of our nation are the future; however, America’s children are suffering. Child poverty, hunger and nutrition, and welfare are growing issues that need to be solved. The statistics provided in The State of America’s Children 2017 Report are eye-opening. Sadly, poverty is threatening America’s children. According to the State of America’s Children in the United States and Alabama 2017 Factsheets, 18 percent of the U.S.’s children were poor in 2016, and 25 percent of Alabama’s children were poor in 2016. These statistics are overwhelming due to the fact that child poverty affects all areas of their lives. Children exposed to poverty at such a young age are at a disadvantage in several areas; these children are at risk of low academic achievement, resulting in lasting negative effects. Our economy is not able to thrive if child poverty continues. Children living in poverty are also at risk of dropping out of school, being unemployed, and entering the juvenile justice system. Our government is responsible for ensuring that child poverty ceases to be an issue in the United States. Fortunately, our legislation has priorities in the effort to end child poverty through the extension of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), improvements to the Child’s Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and also through raising the minimum wage to $10.10. This can be done by investing more in programs that work like the EITC, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance

Despite the great wealth the United States possesses, it has for long struggled with poverty which is said to be inherited from one generation to another. The culture of poverty hinders those affected from economic betterment however much assistance they obtain from social programs put in place. The term Culture of poverty is believed to have been coined by Oscar Lewis, who suggested that children who grow up in poverty-stricken families are highly likely to adopt the norms and practices that encourage poverty. Thus, these children, he believed, would replicate the adapted values in their lives which would in turn generate a cycle of intergenerational poverty in the long run (Bell et al, 2013). Thus the culture of poverty is a topic which creates heated debates in both the public and political arenas.

The world today is full of problems. It’s difficult work for people all over the world to solve these concerns. Why? Because each of these problems are related to one another. One of the problems playing a great role in this confusing web is poverty. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of poverty is “the state of being extremely poor”. Now many people might think, “So what? Why should I care?”. Well one thing is for sure; we, people, should care. Everything going on in the world has cause and effects. Not only to a couple of individuals or community, but to everyone. And looking at poverty, it should be eliminated, or at least decreased because of the effects it has towards our society, health,