Workshop plans to address poverty

from The Daily Advertiser

Poverty affects everyone, but too few have stepped up to the plate in Louisiana to do anything about it.

That's according to Don Cravins Sr., Opelousas mayor and former District 24 state senator. Cravins is one of several speakers scheduled to address the Poverty: Are You Aware? workshop, presented Saturday by the Lafayette Roman Catholic Diocese Justice & Peace Office.

The workshop will be held in Fuselier Auditorium inside Immaculata Center, the diocese's central office complex on Carmel Drive. Admission is free and open to the public.

Panel discussions throughout the day will focus on the key areas of education, hunger, housing and community health care. Cravins, scheduled to speak later in the day, will focus on "The Challenge for Each of Us."

"It's a collective problem. Poverty is not a problem that only exists in poor neighborhoods," Cravins said. "We never declared war on poverty in Louisiana. We missed that whole war."

Cravins will focus his attention on what the state as a whole has not done to date and what it still is not doing to address such a "huge issue."

"We are not talking about it and tend to ignore it as long as we're OK," he said. "There are campaigns all over the state right now. We've heard little real discussion about poverty and possible solutions. It's as though we would like to ignore it, that if we ignore it enough it will go away."

Awareness is the first challenge on the road to a possible solution. With awareness comes knowledge and discussion, said Cravins, who grew up in a poor neighborhood.

"One of the key players in creating awareness and developing a solution ought to be the church," he said. "The church has an audience that has the resources - mentally, physically and financially - to deal with the problem."

Education is a key component toward a solution, he added. Nearly 20 percent of Louisiana's population lives below the federal poverty level. Many of those residents do not have a high school diploma or GED.

"Educate the people. Feed their minds. Train them out of poverty," Cravins said. "It has to be a comprehensive plan all of us put together. The government, obviously, is not going to do it on its own."

Cravins spent 15 years in the state Senate, so he readily admits government is only one component. Churches, community groups, nonprofit agencies and individuals must be involved to turn the statistical tide that keeps the state in the worst rankings in poverty, education and crime.

"It's not going to be easy, especially in a high school state with a dropout rate hovering near 50 percent," he said. "If kids can't read they will not be able to perform."

Una Hargrave with the Lafayette Diocese Justice & Peace Office said she hopes the workshop will "challenge people to see what they can do about these issues. We need more advocates for the poor."