Many poor families, including mine, benefitted from the Great Society. These domestic programs were launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and 1965. The main goal was to eliminate racial injustice and poverty. Many new federal programs that addressed medical care, rural poverty, education, transportation, and urban problems were launched during this time. It is said that the Great Society resembled the New Deal domestic agenda launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s. The difference is the Great Society had different programs and focused more on people than the economy. For the first time, programs like Medicaid and Medicare were implemented to help poor Americans.
The most controversial and ambitious part of the Great Society was the initiative to end poverty. The centerpiece of the War on Poverty was the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. This act was responsible for creating an Office of Economic Opportunity to oversee a variety of antipoverty programs in the community.
Federal funds were provided to poor areas and regions. These funds were used for special education, books, transportation and rebuilding. The Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 created jobs in one of the impoverished regions of the country. The Economic Opportunity Act provided ways for young people from poor homes could receive job training and higher education.
In the early 1960s, Dick Gregory, comedian and social activist was credited with saying these words, “I know the South very well. I spent twenty years there one night.” Those of us who lived in the South felt the same way. One night can seem like twenty long years. Individual and systemic racism destroyed many black families and poor people.
My family’s journey out of poverty took a long time. It was a long road. I am the youngest of five children, and we lived in abject poverty until I was nearly fifteen years old. We lived in Memphis and the surrounding areas. My father was in search of job opportunities that always escaped him. Our last shack was located in a military town approximately 20 miles north of Memphis. For seven years, we lived in a place called, “The Bottom.” We were the poorest family and lived in the last shack on the long gravel road.
One day as I walked with my father on the long road from “The Bottom,” we discussed our career ambitions. I was nearing my teen years, but I still enjoyed walking and talking with Dad. He was a man of faith, insightful, and a very wise man who was displaced in the South. He enjoyed writing editorials for The Commercial Appeal, the local newspaper. One day, his editorial was selected for publication. He wrote about how the white led labor unions and racist politicians in Memphis barred non-professional black people from obtaining meaningful employment. All men wanted to provide for their families and black men were no exception. He wrote that he was excluded from meaningful work after being honorably discharged from the Army, and he was still being excluded. It was 1965 and he was discharged twenty two years earlier. Because of programs launched by President Johnson called the Great Society, for the first time, we had food stamps and Medicaid, but my father didn’t have employment.
As we walked, I shared with my father that one day, I wanted to live in one of those beautiful brick apartments, I saw from the bus, while riding to Memphis. He smiled at me and with a twinkle in his light brown eyes; he told me that was a possibility. One of the white civilian employers in Human Resources at the Navy Base read his editorial and wrote him a letter. During those times, when a letter to the editor was published, your name and address was also published. The man asked my father to come in for an interview. He went, and since he had not been gainfully employed since he was discharged from the military, he had to attend school. Dad went in for the interview and was selected to attend an eight week training program under the Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962 to become a custodian. This federal program was created by President John F. Kennedy and approved by Congress. The training site was in Memphis, and he was given a training allowance, additional pay for dependents, and a transportation allowance. Dad completed training and was hired as a custodian in the Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) Club. Because of programs launched by President Johnson called the Great Society, for the first time, my veteran father had a full time job with benefits. He was fifty nine years old when he obtained his first job with a steady paycheck and benefits.
My father’s job as a custodian at the Naval Base was our stepping stone to moving on up. One day, he took me up on my offer to go with him to look for houses in Memphis. We rode the city bus from Millington to Memphis and walked in various neighborhoods looking for houses. By this time, I knew the beautiful brick apartment homes were actually located in housing projects. This did not matter to me because they were not shacks. They were brick, had electricity and in- door plumbing. Because of programs launched by President Johnson called the Great Society, for the first time, we lived in stable housing.
Social programs were stepping stones to our life out of poverty.
Francie Mae. September 29, 2023
Reference
Wikipedia. The Great Society. Website. Accessed September 29, 2023.