EC: Peace Presentation

       A couple weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to attend a peace presentation at NEIU, Chicago. The presentation was headed by founder of Food not Bombs, Keith McHenry. McHenry gave a detailed presentation on what Food not Bombs does, where they operate and they injustices they both face and have to deal with throughout day to day life. Mr. McHenry discussed how Food not Bombs began as a small local organization to feed the homeless and dedicated to the idea that we should be addressing the poverty and hunger issue in the United States before concerning ourselves with even more weapons development. The organization quickly grew and became a target of local law enforcement and was accused countless times for breaking local laws by serving food without permits. As the organization grew, so did the attentions of law officials. As the organization went international, Food not Bombs became a target of the FBI and even the CIA as a wanted terrorist organization accused of spreading radical ideas.
       It was very clear that Food not Bombs is a peaceful organization simply and quite clearly dedicated to feeding the hungry and attacking poverty. The organization has 1000s of chapters that spring up and disappear world wide, dedicated to the cause if needed at that time. The organization itself does not have a solid structure which is a good thing in that it allows chapters to spring up almost completely independently. Food not Bombs continues its work throughout the world in assisting the hungry and poor where ever they are.

Food not Bombs Logo

Action Project Details

        So far, I have been in touch with the Illinois Hunger Coalition. I am aware that many of my fellow classmates have opted to work with the same organization, however, in response to this, I have requested to if possible, work in a different location or on a different project. I have requested to be directed to working with a shelters, preferably on the south side of the city early in during the day on weekends. Though I cannot provide anymore details on my project plans, I have established a dialogue with the Illinois Hunger Coalition and am currently working setting up a schedule in which I will be able to volunteer my services to them.

Poverty in Chicago III

The documentary referenced in my  posts last month can be found here:

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/poverty-in-chicago/

The following is some statistical data I found on Chicago. Though I could not find an updated fact sheet, I believe its safe to assume it has gotten worse since 2009:

Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:
Chicago: 21.6%
Whole state: 13.3%

Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:
Chicago: 10.1%
Whole state: 6.0%

Children below poverty level:
Chicago, Illinois: 31.2%
State: 18.6%

Poverty rate among high school graduates not in families:
Chicago: 18.0%
Illinois: 16.2%

(Varying levels of poverty by region in chicago, IL)

Poverty rate among people who did not graduate high school not in families:    
Chicago: 46.4%
Illinois: 37.3%

Reference:
http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Chicago-Illinois.html

       Though not at all suprising given today's current national economic status, the statistical data provided on Chicago's poverty levels is still nothing short of disgraceful. Another source revealed that the average, middle class cost of living in Chicago would require an income of approximately $16-$18/hr where as the state minimum wage still sits at $8.25/hr. The statistics show that even those with 4 year degrees would still find difficulties in meeting that requirement and thus poverty in Chicago is still on the rise.

Poverty in Philadelphia: A look at the Statistical Data

       The following is just some of the statistical data found through the mayor's report of Philadelphia via my group's presentation on poverty and hunger in Philadelphia:


Homeless Citizens -


On the street on any given night:
Single Adults = 506
Persons in Families = 0
Unaccompanied Youth = No figure given


In Emergency Shelters:
Single Adults = 2155
Persons in Families = 1504
Unaccompanied Youth = 22


In Transitional Shelters:
Single Adults = 393
Persons in Families = 1746
Unaccompanied Youth = 4


Total number of persons in emergency shelters over the past year = 14094
Extrapolated number of persons in emergency shelters over the past year = 18329 (this is an estimated number that is calculated by including shelters that do not participate in the counting system)


Total number of persons in transitional housing over the past year = 3144
Extrapolated number of persons in transitional housing over the past year = 3414


Total number of beds available in emergency shelters = 3744
Total number of beds available in Transitional Housing = 2593
Total number of beds available in Permanent Supportive Housing = 4590


       Through our group discussions and presentation, we found that overtime, Philadelphia had become de-industrialized which led to mass layoffs and a mass reduction in jobs. Similar to what happened in Detroit (though not as dependent on industry) Philadelphia never recovered from the deconstruction of the industrial sector which came about through neo-liberal policies that moved many working class jobs to Asia. The city does very little in response  to poverty and hunger issues because it cannot produce enough revenue due to a major lack of jobs and profitable production. Federal funded organization do not provide enough (as seen on a nation-wide scale) and the city itself is too poor to fund its own organizations. Until more jobs can be produced, Philadelphia cannot generate the revenue necessary to fund organizations to help the poor and needy.

(A homeless man as seen on the streets of Philadelphia)

(Imani Sullivan, a participant in the "Witnesses To Hunger" photo exhibit in Philadelphia, talks about her frustration over trying to care for her two children with her janitor's pay.)




References:
http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/documents/hungerhomelessnessreport_121208.pdf
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/12/child_hunger.html

Rank Part II

        In chapter 4, Part II, Rank discusses the basic fundamentals that need to be rediscovered in American society that need to be addressed in order to combat poverty. rank talks about how poverty is ultimately unwise, unjust and unfair. It is often viewed as outside of the boudaries of the American experience and as a result does not fall under the jurisdiction of American concern.  He goes on to describe a nation in which the stratification between the elite upper class and the lower poor class is greater than any other nation in the world. Furthermore, the richest nation on Earth with a greater poverty rate than every other developed nation. Rank then describes the values in which this country was built. The foundations that built this nation, democracy, freedom, equality and the values passed down by our forefathers through the Anglo American church are all horribly defied by the open acceptance of ignoring and even outcasting Americans who suffer at or below the poverty line. Rank calls upon the American people and essentially challenges them to live up to the ideals on which this nation was founded. He puts a strong emphasis on democracy and how it is the obligation of the American people to restore it to its fullest in order to keep alive the true spirit of this nation. Aside from the importance of justice and American ideology, Rank also discusses how political moves that reinforce poverty are for short term benefits as opposed to long term benefits that can be built overtime (such as strengthening the economy).
       Though Rank makes a strong point in idealism and the values on which this nation was built, I strongly disagree with this being a feasable way to restore justice and decrease the severe magnitude of poverty throughout the nation. A world where good intentions simply is not realistic, and to appeal to the wealthy elite who believe their actions are just in that profit is the root of capitalism would require a lot more benefits than good moral behavior and restoring the spirit of the nation. I believe the real approach to reducing poverty levels would (unfortunately) have to address tangible issues considering (and I do believe this is a safe assumption) many millionaire CEOs simply do not care about the starving, homeless Americans in the streets of the nation. A careful analysis and statistical data regarding the exponentially growing divide between the upper and lower classes and its potential effects on the nation as a whole may force American Elitests into reconsidering their actions regarding profit at all costs. It is difficult for a group of extreme insubordination to reason with an extremely powerful group even if the dominant group is a minority. The wealthy control assets such as education, the media, social assets and obviously, financial assets that prevent them from even being reasoned with to ensure the elimination of any serious opposition. The intention to oppress the lower class to maintain and even further profit margins is blatently obvious. This is yet another reason that good moral behavior just is not enough to combat poverty. The elitests also need to know that aside from potentially destroying the economy which will result in their own destruction, they may be creating a potential enemy. By continuing to destroy survivability rates for more and more Americans in terms of financial stability, the tolerance of such action is quickly decreasing. Though still suppressed, many more social movements against the elite are occuring which may eventually evolve into powerful tools to overcome the oppression. Rank's third point regarding long term benefits in political decisions in regard to poverty are the best way to combat the issue. Politicians and businesses (unfortunately) need to realize that it may be to their advantage to abolish poverty to create a more effective working force capable of furthering their own interests. Though I strongly disagree with the interests of big businesses in the United States, it may, at the time being, be the best short term answer UNTIL greater levels of economic equality and justice can be pursued.

Poverty In the United States

Blog Reviews

       Today, I got an opportunity to look at a couple of blogs designed by my fellow classmates. The first blog that I looked at was Kristen's blog. The page itself was colorful and provided much more information from the reading material regarding poverty in the U.S. in various entries. This is one major aspect that I quickly realized my own blog may be missing. Though I show strong opinions of myself that I attempt to reinforce through the assignments, more data in the forms of statistics and other articles would help support my opinions. I enjoyed reading through Kristen's blog and encourage others to check out her site and watch the posted videos.
       The second blog I got to take a look at was titled Help End Hunger by Angelina. I thought this was an absolutely fantastic blog with lots of creative detail, graphics, pictures, videos and detailed entries. In many of the entries Angelina both provided a more than substantial amount of information about the discussion topics as well as strong, supported personal opinions. Angelina's blog has inspired me to put forth more effort into raising the quality and amount of information and graphics in my own blog as well.

Both blogs I reviewed can be found here:
Kristen's blog: http://hh48.wordpress.com/
Angelina's blog: http://helpendhunger.wordpress.com/

Rank Ch. 3: Poverty as a Structural Failing

       In chapter 3 of Robert Rank's One Nation Underprivileged, Rank addresses three aspects to show poverty as the result of structural failings in the United States. Under economic, political and social levels, Rank shows us the consistent and systemic failures in the American system that result in mass poverty on a nation-wide scale. One of Rank's contentions on this issue is how the social ideologies and psychological standpoints of American society reinforce poverty and prevent any major changes to the system. Rank argues that in the American system, those who are born into a a particular wealth class tend to stay in that class throughout the duration on their lives and even pass it on to future generations. For example, middle class parents tend to have children who will remain in the middle class and so on and so forth. Though there are very few exceptions to these instances, this remains true for the majority of all Americans. Rank further explains that America does not provide a level playing ground and compares it to a large game of Monopoly where all the players start off with different quantities of money. This goes on to reinforce Rank's idea that citizens living in anything but the upper classes cannot afford upward mobility.
       I completely agree with Rank's argument in regard to poverty as a partial result of social institutions in the U.S. A large part of upward mobility in terms of personal finance requires a large amount of personal finance to begin with. For example, one could argue that in order to acquire a high paying job, one must have a high level of education which requires a large amount of money. Those struggling to put food on their tables due to low paying jobs are far less likely to afford a high quality education than those who had already inherited large sums of money from prior wealthy generations in the same bloodline. In the previous chapter Rank also showed a variety of tables showing that socio-economic status was also based on race, gender, sex, age, etc. which brings about a variety of sub-issues in the same category. In the U.S. the system is designed to keep particular groups wealthy (as shown by the charts, typically older, white, males) and particular groups not nearly as wealthy (particularly minorities). Rank ultimately shows us that the system is flawed and in my own opinion, the economic and social institutions of this nation would need to see some drastic changes in order to help reduce poverty levels.