I am a poverty veteran of twenty one years. This means I spent my entire childhood living in poverty in a country that I was born in and love. During this time, I didn’t feel like my country loved me back. Poverty is stressful and expensive. I felt like I was on the outside watching others go about their life. When you’re poor, you may feel you are not good enough. I wanted to feel like I belonged in society. Instead, for many years, I felt like I was under scrutiny and being judged. It is human nature to want things in life. Poor people are no different. Simple things that many others enjoy or even take for granted were out of my reach. My childhood dream was to move from a shack with no electricity or plumbing to a housing project. In a housing project, at least my family and I would have some basic necessities.
The first fourteen years of my life was spent living in absolute poverty. This means we could not afford the basic necessities of life like food, housing, clothes, and healthcare. We learned to ration our food to make it stretch. We wore hand-me down clothes or discarded clothes we found in a dumpsite. MaDear boiled the clothes in a big pot on top of the wood burning stove and ironed them to perfection. She treated us with home- made remedies. MaDear and Dad took us to church, taught us to be respectful, vote, obey just laws , question unjust laws and stand up for our rights. We had to study by the light of a coal oil lamp and were expected do our best to make good grades in school. We moved to a housing project when I was almost fifteen and graduated from absolute poverty to poverty. There are different definitions of poverty but to me, poverty is poverty. Poverty is expensive. It took some time for MaDear and Dad to open a bank account because of the hefty charges. They couldn’t move from the housing project to a house because of the associated fees. We lived close to a bus line because we couldn’t afford a car. The grocery stores in the neighborhood were too expensive so we caught the bus to purchase groceries from one of the two small grocery stores downtown. Because we were well groomed and respectful, we didn’t fit society’s picture of poor.
I was a twenty one year old college graduate when I obtained my first meaningful job. It was a long and painful journey but we didn’t quit. Today, there are too many people living in poverty. We are United States citizens and poverty should be a concern for everyone. People living in poverty shouldn’t feel like strangers living in a strange land. Poverty is not a character flaw. I have to speak my truth to help empower others. It is my hope that society understands the plight of the poor and takes action to help make a change.
Dad was a fifty nine year old WWII veteran when he obtained his first meaningful job. When I graduated from college, he was almost seventy years old. It’s easy to say that a person should pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Dad tried to pull himself up by his WWII bootstraps but the strings kept breaking. The South’s investment in racism and racist acts caused the strings to weaken and break. He was denied jobs in favor of white men. He provided for his family the best way he could. He worked many odd jobs without benefits. All he and MaDear had left was their faith and hope. Without both, life would be almost unbearable. They had faith in God, faith in the democratic process, and even faith in the goodness of people. They had hope that the heart of man would be changed. There is a saying “If the heart changes, the culture can change.”
I grew up during a dark time in history. MaDear and Dad went into the field of a long battle with the intent to win the war. According to the book, The Art of War, by Sun Tzu, there are different situations in which the army finds itself as it moves through enemy territories and how to respond to these situations. He teaches on evaluating the intentions of others. During this dark time in history, I felt like we were in enemy territory and had to evaluate the intentions of others.
According to an article written by Michael Harriot in The Root, the United States became one of the largest economies in the world because of cotton. My family and I spent many long days chopping and picking cotton at low wages to buy basic necessities. Landowners essentially got free labor without paying taxes. They became wealthier and we became poorer. To many people, we were a faceless group of people without a voice. We put in the long hard work but the United States continued to prosper without us. People who called themselves patriots celebrated the usual customs, yet continued to oppress black and poor people. The same people who helped make build this great country. Harriot wrote “The Pledge of Allegiance promises liberty and justice for all. The United States has a responsibility to live up to this promise.” Every school day, we were bused long distances to segregated underfunded schools. Even though we were hungry and poor, we placed our hands over our heart and repeated this pledge. We all hoped for “liberty and justice for all.” At the end of the long day, the bus let us off in front of our shack, hungry and tired. I also believe in challenging this country to do better. Staying silent about injustices is agreeing and contributes to the problem.
Poverty and disadvantage goes hand in hand. Discriminatory actions caused many black people to distrust some white people. I remember more than I care to remember. Many black people lived in a constant state of fear. This fear led to stress and unhealthy behaviors. Many black males lost their lives or freedom over false allegations. People tried to escape the harsh realities of life through alcohol and other drug abuse. This often led to crimes, convictions and incarcerations. As a result, many people became ineligible for public assistance, driver’s license, and meaningful employment. Many people feel hopeless, depressed and are in pain because of this unjust treatment and either speak about it, internalized it, or act it out.
I read one of Dad’s books Native Son by Richard Wright. His book explained the racial divide in America by social conditions imposed on black people by white people. I read the book again in an effort to understand the actions of the main character, Bigger Thomas. Wright wrote “Black people are the necessary product of the society that formed them and told them since birth exactly who they were supposed to be.” The main character was conscious of a system of racial oppression that leaves him no opportunity to exist but through crimes. In a world attracted to wealth, crime is a reaction to the environment. The author wrote that Bigger drank alcohol to forget his hard life. His life of crime was the only thing he owned. Wright wrote “Everyone has a hunger for life that must be fulfilled.” Unfortunately, sometimes this hunger involves a life of crime. In Bigger’s case, crime was the most meaningful thing that ever happened to him.
According to research, there is correlation between poverty and crime. Effects of poverty can lead to higher levels of stress, anxiety and mental illness. A person’s psychological and physical development can be impacted. It can also lead to a higher level of chronic and complex medical conditions. I witnessed some of these effects first hand. We lived around crime in the housing projects. Many people saw their lives immobilized while seeing others reach the American dream. Their dignity and rights were destroyed. They were trapped in a racist history which they didn’t understand. Because they didn’t understand it, they didn’t know the way out. People living in poverty are in survival mode. They are trying to make it safely through the day. Terror may develop out of devastation. Many black people learned to endure oppression or use it against each other. They also learned to support each other in times of trouble.
Some people are influenced by criminal behavior. They may be broken and feel hopeless. When people are desperate, like Bigger Thomas, sometimes crime is the only way to escape. It serves as a temporary need to relieve pain and feel alive. It usually occurs when all other opportunities are denied or cut off. People may resort to victimizing each other simply due to close proximity. The social conditions that create the perceived need for crime must be addressed. This is addressed by equal and meaningful opportunities in the form of laws, housing, and well paying jobs.
The fear and mistrust of police and other law enforcement officers date back generations. Some police and law enforcement officers have a long history of abuse toward minorities and poor people. This abuse was supported by racist people and politicians. As children, we were taught how to react when stopped or approached. Many other black parents did the same. The majority of police and law enforcement officers have high moral standards and are honored to ” protect and serve.” They engage with people in the community and sponsor programs. When I was a teenager living in the projects, the police department had a community boxing club and boys and girls clubs. Police officers and others taught young people how to box and taught life skills. Beat cops patrolled on foot in the community and got to know the people they served. People in the community got to know the people behind the badges and relationships were established. Apparently these effective programs were no longer funded. and relationships dissolved. As with people in all agencies, without oversight and accountability, it’s easier to detour from policies and procedures. There is a need for a reform of policies, procedures and hiring requirements.
Poor people and other marginalized groups are denied involvement in economics, political and social activities. Segregation was developed as a means of putting social, political and economic distance between the races. Poor people are considered to be in a powerless position. In the book, Black Boy, by Richard Wright the author wrote, “Pre-individualist behavior is forced on one group of people by another. The result is that people in the oppressed group becomes invisible and faceless. The humiliated, disrupted lives of black people did not end with the emancipation. Black people were not welcome in white society and were forced to live in poverty. Black’s value as people was determined by whites.” Black Americans fought and died fighting for our country but we still do not fully experience the freedoms as white people. Everyone should be treated with the same dignity and respect.
A child’s mind can be confusing. There is a combination of other factors that makes it almost impossible to discover their own identity. Some of these children grow up with a lot of questions and no answers. If they ask questions and get no answers, the imagination usually takes over and they often come to their own conclusion. They are outsiders within the homes and outsiders in the community. While growing up, we asked MaDear and Dad many questions and they tried to provide us with the correct answers. We heard encouraging and uplifting words. Brutality as a young age releases the power to survive beyond what is considered normal bounds. Young children should be uplifted and encouraged. Unfortunately, some parents grew up in an unhealthy environment and pass these behaviors to their children.
Poor children are exposed to adverse social and physical conditions. There are lower quality schools, social and local services. Safety is a major concern due to the higher crime rate. If there are playgrounds, they are almost vacant. Vacant houses and overgrown weeds can be safety risks for males and females. Both are at risk for sexual assaults. There are never enough healthy foods. Sometimes, they move frequently and may not understand why. Most poor neighborhoods are in industrial areas and children breathe contaminated air and drink water that is not pure. Teenage girls may prostitute themselves or be prostituted by someone else. When I was living in the project, a few of the teenage girls turned to prostitution to make money. One girl snuck out of the house at night to prostitute herself so her younger siblings could eat. They struggle to understand racial discrimination and inequality. They spend more time learning survival skills. Black children may internalize other’s reaction to their skin color. If they are darker, they may feel inferior to lighter skin children. They learned to associate privileges and opportunities with lighter skin. They may experience racial trauma because they don’t have the knowledge to understand the effects of racism. These debilitating conditions affect the mind, body and soul. The cycle often repeats itself and passes down to future generations.
Poverty may mean different things to different people. The condition remains unaddressed and not discussed in a way to problem solve by the public or politicians. There is little or no consideration for the challenges economically distressed areas face such as skill gaps, wage gaps, illiteracy, mounting debt, housing costs, and financial literacy to name a few. People are trapped in a cycle of poverty then get blamed for setting the trap. Many class based demeaning assumptions are made about people living in poverty. There is an element of racism and classism in how people view people receiving government assistance. By upholding these beliefs, people are deprived of what they need to get a lift out of poverty. We all have personal habits; the general public should stop scrutinizing people’s lifestyle choices. There is no need to peer into someone’s cart to see their purchases and complain. All humans have needs and wants.
The media is dominated by entertainment, sports and celebrities. There is little to no media coverage of poverty in the United States. There is little mention of the physical or psychological barriers created or worsened by childhood poverty. The United States interacts with a financial system that penalizes and profits off a person being poor. By upholding racist and classist beliefs, some lawmakers and their supporters are able to continue to deprive people of color and other poor people of essential needs.
According to research, implicit or aversive racism is real. According to an article by Nathalia Gjersoe, “How can we fix unconscious racism?” she wrote “Race is an easy mental category to fit people into because skin colour is a salient visual feature. We need to know it’s there to guard against it influencing our behavior. We need to shape society to minimize its effects.” If we don’t take the opportunity to interact with people of different races, the stereotypes formed may be biased and inaccurate. It hurts to experience racism. We shouldn’t have to affirm that our lives matter.
As I journeyed through life as a child in poverty, I also felt like we were people without faces and people without voices. We were separated by unjust laws, policies and racist and classist people. Without the faith and guidance of my parents, mentors, pastors, teachers and other trusted adults, it is possible my siblings and I would still be in the clutches of poverty. Because of the lessons we learned around the pot belly stove, our knowledge of history helped us to understand people and the society we lived in. With this knowledge, we learned to be proud of who we were. We were motivated by our faith in God, and a desire for justice and self-sufficiency. As an adult, I spend a lot of time researching why poverty exists in the United States. My research led to more questions than answers.
Constitutional law was a required subject while studying for my Master’s Degree in Health Law. The classes were taught online by practicing attorneys. The instructors challenged us to write about and defend or oppose topics that may be controversial. As a black woman, veteran of the military and of veteran of poverty, my interest was always in fighting for equality. The Preamble to the Constitution sets the nations goal to “promote the general welfare.” To me, this means the United States has a responsibility to care for those in need. Everyone should have an equal chance at economic success. Issues like poverty, racism, inequality, class conflicts and other injustices should be addressed not only by politicians but by the citizens of our great country. Once we have that chance, we have a personal responsibility to make better decisions to improve our economic outcome and mindset. This is empowering. There should no longer be a need for adult people who are physically and mentally able to work, to depend upon government assistance programs. These programs are designed to be hand up for those in need. I chose not to rely on these programs and chose empowerment. Empowerment increases a person’s autonomy, self-determination, and makes one stronger and more confident. It allowed my face to be seen and my voice to be heard!
As a poverty veteran, I believe we all have a future story that can be powerful and joyful. My future story started with my parents and mentors planting positive seeds. I did not have a poverty mentality. When I became an adult, my future story was up to me. Like the motley crew in the Bible, I chose to serve God. They made mistakes and so did I. Serving God didn’t mean I was exempt from the struggles in life, it meant I was empowered to overcome the struggles.
In the Bible in the book of Amos, his message is a cry for justice. Amos was unrelenting in his challenge regarding concern for those who suffer in poverty. God is not pleased when we separate ourselves from the plight of the poor and disregard the suffering of others. He is a God of justice. There are consequences for injustice. We can align our hearts with His and by working together and changing our mentality; we can help change the culture regarding poverty. We all have a future story!
“I will not allow my oppressors to dictate to me the way in which I protest my oppression.”-Dr. Martin Luther King
References
Michael Harriott. “Patriotrism for Black People.” The Root. September 27, 2017. Web. Accessed February 28, 2020.
Nathalia Gjersoe. “How Can We Fix Unconscious Racism?” The Guardian. July 8, 2015. Web. Accessed February 28, 2020.
Richard Wright, Black Boy. 1945.
Richard Wright, Native Son. 1940.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War. English version translated and published by Lionel Giles. 1910.