The pain of poverty is what got many people out of poverty. I grew up in the South during The civil rights movement. This decades long movement helped secure equal rights for black people under the law in the United States. Prior to this movement, more people were living in poverty.
After the end of slavery, hatred and discrimination toward black people continued. This blatant racism was more prevalent in the South. By the middle of the 20th century, many black Americans faced devastating prejudice and violence. Systemic racism and individual racism prevented many black families from obtaining employment opportunities. This lack of employment opportunities directly affected my family. The civil rights movement secured new recognition in federal laws and federal protection for all Americans.
Dad was a veteran of WWII but he was not able to gain meaningful employment until 1965. After living in shacks without electricity or plumbing until I was almost 15 years old, we were able to move to public housing. Dad had consistently worked for three years. My parents wanted the best for my siblings and me. We were surrounded by mentors who encouraged us and parents who believed in us. They were determined we would graduate from high school and go to trade school or college. We were taught to never let the sacrifices of the civil rights leaders and activists be in vain. We couldn’t prevent people from being prejudiced but we knew there were laws in place to protect us. We had a personal responsibility to do and be our best.
My older siblings paved the way for me. My brothers were in the military, and then went to college or trade school. My sister went to a two year business school, graduated, then got married. After starting her family, she returned to school to earn her Bachelor’s degree. Sadly, she passed away at a young age before she graduated.
In high school, I studied hard and received a partial scholarship to college. I chose to work during the summer and fall and begin the winter semester. I was always intrigued by human behavior. My favorite courses were related to psychology. There was a child care center on campus, and we were required to take child development classes. I learned children living in poverty were at greater risk of being exposed to violence. Many children did not have positive influences in their lives, and as adults, may repeat the cycle. Their road out of poverty may be longer but not impossible.
Many people believe poverty is the result of poor choices and behaviors. They may believe there is an easy fix if people finish school, work hard, get married and then have children. We have to look back at America’s history of racism and inequality. Segregation laws prevented this for us. Dad was an intelligent man who worked hard, but was not able to obtain gainful employment until he was almost sixty years old. He went to many job sites and was rejected in favor of white men. He was a married veteran with children, yet we lived in absolute poverty. There was no government assistance except commodities until I was around twelve years old. There were no food stamps or Medicaid. We lived in shacks without electricity or plumbing. We didn’t make poor choices; America failed us based on our race.
As I posted previously, our parents were married before they had children. They were both Christians, nurturing and law abiding citizens. They taught us to be the same. They reared three black boys who never went to jail. They reared two black girls who were not unmarried mothers. There were white neighborhood schools but we rode the school bus to underfunded segregated schools. In spite of this, the principals and teachers were nurturing and committed to providing us with a quality education. We studied by a coal oil lamp at home but made good grades. As a fifteen year old, my oldest brother’s life was threatened because he was smart. My next oldest brother almost died before he could get to the charity hospital for emergency surgery. We were all hungry and cold. My feet were frost bitten while sleeping in a cold shack. I fainted at school due to hunger. Our behavior did not contribute to this. Without equal laws and opportunities, generational wealth was lost.
Today, poverty may be a combination of the economy, society and personal responsibility. We have to take ownership of our personal responsibility. There is too much emphasis on political parties and politicians. People labeled as conservatives or liberals fight and berate each other based on individual ideologies.
There are many reasons why people live in poverty. The pathway out for my family started with equal rights, equal opportunities, and great parents to guide us along the way. Even while living in poverty, our spiritual parents taught us to take ownership and change our mindset. They believed that how we lived was temporary. Life doesn’t stop because of one’s circumstances. Living in poverty was painful, but we had to learn to fly high to achieve victory.
Francie Mae, May 28, 2023