Poverty Has Returned to the Public Agenda

Years ago at a book reading I attended, Globe Columnist Ellen Goodman left her audience with these words: “May you come of age,” she said, “in interesting times.” This morning I came across a column by Jack Kemp and George Mitchell on the resurgence of poverty in American discourse which made me think that we may be approaching just such times. Jack Kemp is a former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and a former member of Congress. George Mitchell is a former Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate. They both are members of the Advisory Council of Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. Their article (definitely worth reading the original) pointed out:

"Last year, stories in the media about poverty and politics increased 145 percent over the previous election cycle."

They also suggested that concern over income disparity and poverty levels has grown from basic human compassion to a question about the long-term impact of poverty on the strength of our nation

Why does talk about poverty matter? Because for us to drive change, together as a nation, we have to believe that the time for change has come. Indeed, there is some indication that it has...

• A dozen states have taken significant steps to focus more attention
  on poverty, with ten states acting since 2006 and at least four more
  states considering proposals to create poverty commissions.
• All three remaining presidential candidates have made fighting poverty a a priority issue.
• Connecticut, Delaware and Vermont have established dates for cutting child poverty by 50 percent.

To me there seems to be something different in current discussions on poverty. A boldness and level of conviction has begun to shape the conversation in ways that I haven't seen before. Within the United Way network itself, United Way of America President Brian Gallagher just set forth a 10-year goal to cut in half the number of American families who are financially struggling. The goal is one in three that Gallagher set forth to advance the common good in dramatic new ways. For more you can read the Washington Post Story or go to United Way of America's site.

When asked about the new goals by the Post, Gallagher replied,

"The country is at a crossroads right now...I've never felt a time
in my career where there's this combination of enough pain, feeling of
a lack of progress, feeling like we've stalled, combined with a next
generation of leadership demanding change."

What do you think? Have Kemp, Mitchell and Gallagher gotten it right? Are we in the midst of interesting, even compelling times in the fight against poverty? Is this more of the same or is there reason to believe that a rare and critical momentum has been building?