The recent @uscensusbureau report on poverty shows a dramatic decline in 2021. This decline is in part due to the organizing of the #poorpeoplescampaign (&others) for policies that center the poor. Problems that remain are in part because those policies have so far been temporary Image of the Poor People's and Low Wage Workers Mass Assembl
Make sure to look at the #supplementalpovertymeasure numbers. The #SPM is a much better measure than the #OPM because it accounts for govt programs, common expenses and differences in costs of living. This is the measure we focus on.
Although better, the SPM threshold is still too low: for a 2-adult, 2-child household, the SPM threshold was about $31k. $31k is just 1/3 of what this family would need to live in Chicago. It's 1/2 of what they would need to live in Holmes County, MS.
--> bit.ly/EPIcal
This is why the #PoorPeoplesCampaign redefines “poverty” to be at least twice the SPM threshold. A two-adult, two-child household with an income of $60k would be described as “poor or low-income,” I.e., just 1 emergency above the #poverty line.
In 2018, there were 140 million (40% of the country) who were poor or low-income in the US. In 2021, this number dropped to 111 million (34% of the country. That’s a big change, however, it may be temporary, b/c many of the programs that contributed to this decline have expired.
Just two programs in 2021- the economic stimulus checks and refundable tax credits - accounted for nearly 18.5 million fewer people in poverty, but neither of them are ongoing.
Source: census.gov/content/dam/Ce…
This is the real story in these numbers: Poverty is a policy choice. The good news is, we know what to do. We even know how to improve these policies to make them more inclusive and effective.
The 111 million people who are facing poverty or economic ruin everyday, and the millions more who may fall back into poverty, aren’t celebrating these numbers. They need to see policies and legislation that prioritize their lives and needs.
This is why we need to @unitethepoor and change what’s politically possible. When we lift from the bottom, everybody rises.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Poor People's Campaign

Poor People's Campaign Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @UniteThePoor

Sep 13
WATCH: Mississippi Moral Monday Nationwide Speak Out twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
Poisoning of water is immoral!
Poisoning someone’s water is sin! Poisoning of water is immor...
Read 16 tweets
May 17
HAPPENING NOW: Poor and low-income people from all over the western US are coming together in LA to speak out as we head towards the Mass Assembly in D.C. on June 18.

#PoorPeoplesCampaign
While we're marching, here are some important facts: if California were its own country, it would represent the fifth-largest economy in the world, and yet more than half of California’s residents are poor and low-income.

#PoorPeoplesCampaign
In L.A. County alone, a single individual would need to make three times the poverty threshold to meet basic expenses like housing, child care, health care, and transportation.

#PoorPeoplesCampaign
Read 26 tweets
Sep 23, 2020
“This is a damnable decision. Police used a battering ram and broke the door off its hinges as they entered Breonna Taylor’s apartment, shooting her at least five times. Anything less than indictments for the full extent of the officers’ actions cannot stand.” @RevDrBarber
“Yes, they endangered the neighbors. But Breonna Taylor got a casket, and not a single officer is charged in her death or will be tried in state criminal court for it. She cannot be erased from this story.” @RevDrBarber
“Just because the attorney general is Black does not mean he gets a pass on criticism. He, too, is an enabler of racism for not allowing these officers to be tried in Breonna Taylor’s death.” @RevDrBarber
Read 8 tweets
Sep 23, 2020
"Breonna Taylor was shot at least five times in her home and now just one officer faces charges of first-degree wanton endangerment of other people, not Ms. Taylor.” @liztheo
“This is what systemic racism looks like in Kentucky - that a Black woman’s life can be taken without consequence, but also that the people in charge do not believe that the rule of law must be equally applied to all.” @liztheo
“Equal protection under the law is not negotiable & from the attorney general to Sen. McConnell on down, elected officials are violating this fundamental constitutional value. The people demand protection by & accountability of their public servants. We demand justice.” @liztheo
Read 6 tweets
Sep 18, 2020
NEWS ALERT: #PoorPeoplesCampaign Caravans to protest at McConnell’s KY offices & DC home on #MoralMonday, 9/21 at 3:30pm ET! actionnetwork.org/forms/moral-mo…

Join us: @krystlecallais, @LoganGayMMJ, @ChristyB_News, @MonicaHarkinstv, @sararaehoward, @AlexKingNEWS, @DebiHighland
NEWS ALERT: #PoorPeoplesCampaign Caravans to protest at McConnell’s KY offices & DC home on #MoralMonday, 9/21 at 3:30pm ET!

Join us:@wave3news, @TawanaAndrew, @MairaWave, @JohnBoelWAVE3News, @ShannonWAVENews, @Tdurdenwave3, @DawneGeeWAVE3, @BGoodeWAVE3
actionnetwork.org/forms/moral-mo…
NEWS ALERT: #PoorPeoplesCampaign Caravans to protest at McConnell’s KY offices & DC home on #MoralMonday, 9/21 at 3:30pm ET! actionnetwork.org/forms/moral-mo…

Join us: @KevinHarned, @MHartnettWAVE3, @KendrickHaskins, @RyanHokeWAVE3, @LaurenWAVE3TV, @BrianWAVE3TV, @ConnieLeonard
Read 7 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(