Dear friends,
I promised good news, and I will not let you down. First, however, I need to recommend that you read “Why Poverty Persists in America.” The piece is adapted from a forthcoming book by sociologist Matthew Desmond and explores the role of economic exploitation and limited options that make it so expensive to be poor.
I had forgotten that it was James Baldwin who pointed out that it is “extremely expensive. . .to be poor.” Desmond is right that even Baldwin might be shocked by the levels of exploitation poor Americans now face.
Desmond also presents the problem of giving states block grants of federal dollars intended to relieve poverty.
As a result, states have come up with rather creative ways to spend TANF dollars. Arizona has used welfare money to pay for abstinence-only sex education. Pennsylvania diverted TANF funds to anti-abortion crisis-pregnancy centers. Maine used the money to support a Christian summer camp. Nationwide, for every dollar budgeted for TANF in 2020, poor families directly received just 22 cents.
Which is not to say that all anti-poverty programs are a waste. Lyndon Johnson’s anti-poverty cut poverty in half in the early 1960s. It helped that unionism had created upward pressure on wages. You should read Desmond’s analysis. There is a way forward, and it will not be easy.
Lena and I have often talked about SNAP benefits as our favorite anti-poverty program. With the emergency allotments of the pandemic era, the program has gone a long way to reducing food insecurity.
But this month marks the end of the increased allotments.
Sign this petition to Congress to restore funding for enhanced SNAP benefits! This quick action is from Moms Rising.
Lena, who is the food access coordinator at the Intervale Center in Burlington, was interviewed about the importance of no-questions-asked food assistance, which is the kind that their program provides.
I still enjoy watching Lena eat, which must be some sort of primal parental thing, and it makes me really proud that they are feeding hundreds of families each week.
Watch the interview.
On Wednesday, I rallied with workers who face the terrible choices offered to so many workers today. Deborah O’Bryant, the home care worker at the mic, described her decision to delay her retirement until a beloved client passed away. The work and the person she cared for meant a great deal to her, but the poverty wages are untenable.
Call on Governor Hochul to make good on her promise to lift up women and all care workers. This action is updated!
I met a number of extraordinary people in Albany, including Charles Hudson, below, who looks after his mom, Agnes McCray. I was moved by his speech, his shirt, and the tender way that he adjusted Agnes’s mask and leaned in to check on her.
At a time when we need great storytelling, I’m excited to share an interview with Chris Carboni, who talks about the process of creating a series of six films — with his team and in collaboration with the Equal Justice Initiative — to trace the throughline from slavery to mass incarceration.
I have a wonderful memory of Chris, at age 11 or 12, entertaining 3-year-old Lena with a puppet show he devised for them during a family visit.
Watch The TransAtlantic Slave Trade, one of the series of six films for The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.
To be sure, the welcome for these newcomers has not been consistently welcoming. AND there are some bright spots.
To accommodate the influx of new students, the school has built out its arts program to include lunchtime music from Latin America and the Caribbean, offered extensive counseling services and healing circles, and hired an "English as a New Language" instructor.
In the words of one 10-year-old local, Anabel Tavarez,
“It has been a great experience meeting them because I feel that it makes me so happy to see that there’s other students entering this wonderful school and getting to experience the things that we do.”
I just got drafted to teach English to some new arrivals in Brooklyn. I’m excited and inspired to do this challenging work, which is a little bit outside my experience.
Defending human rights is not always politically convenient, but it is always necessary. Do the good work!
Make a public comment to let the Biden Administration know that asylum is a human right and that you oppose a ban on asylum-seekers. Your comment must include original language, so this is not a quick action.
Take a quick action from Amnesty International to oppose family detention and a new asylum ban.
The Freedom to Vote Act authorizes Congress to override restrictive measures in federal elections. Restrictive measures include the bullshit about not giving water or food to people on line at polling places. The bill also guarantees 15 days of early voting in every state for a federal election and sets up automatic voter registration when a licensed driver turns 18.
The original Voting Rights Act contained provisions for pre-clearance of changes to voting procedures. The Department of Justice reviewed proposed changes before they could be implemented in order to prevent discriminatory provisions in jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination.
In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that the formula for DOJ’s oversight power was outdated. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will provide a necessary update.
If you have any doubt about the commitment of your Senators and representative to voting rights,
Call your legislators and tell them that you will not vote for them if they do not support protections of voting rights in those two bills.
Nebraska has legislation under consideration to eliminate the two-year waiting period so that, upon release, voting rights would be automatically restored. In Minnesota, similar legislation is awaiting the governor’s signature. New Mexico and a few other states are debating similar bills.
And finally, if Trump is indeed going to be indicted, it is good news for the cause of justice. The Big Liar, Mr. I-am-your-retribution, really is a danger to the public. We are crossing our fingers that the good work going on in the Manhattan DA’s office delivers some justice.
with love,
L