Groups Launch "Half in Ten" Anti-Poverty Campaign

from Political Affairs

On May 13, four of the nation's most prominent social justice organizations announced a new multi-year campaign to cut poverty in America in half in 10 years. The campaign, Half in Ten, will be chaired by former presidential nominee Sen. John Edwards, D. N.C.

"The challenge before us is to make it so that hard work is enough to get ahead again. That is not just a question of helping our brothers and sisters who are living in poverty – it is a question of restoring the fundamental fairness that this country was founded upon," said Sen. Edwards, in a statement.

"Half in Ten" is a partnership of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN), and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR).

Sen. Edwards and the leaders of the four organizations kicked off the campaign with an event at Thankful Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA, with local ACORN members along with leaders of other social justice organizations.

In 2006, 36.5 million people, or 12.3 percent of Americans, lived in poverty according to the Census Bureau. Minorities are disproportionately represented among the nation's poor, with Blacks and Hispanics comprising nearly 45 percent of those who live below the poverty line. Whites comprise less than 10 percent.

"Poverty sounds big and complex and insurmountable, yet by making some simple legislative changes—raising the minimum wage, expanding the earned income tax credit, and other fixes – economists tell us we can immediately lift thousands of people out of poverty, giving them a better chance at improving their lot," said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of LCCR, at the event.

The campaign will highlight issues facing the nation's poor, working class, and middle class and mobilize those groups to advocate for policies that will address poverty, including:

* Raising state and federal minimum wages;
* Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit;
* Increasing the number of low-income families receiving child care assistance; and
* Increasing eligibility for unemployment insurance.

"The campaign has picked a set of policy solutions that are targeted, achievable, and effective. With advocates across the country supporting us, we will cut poverty in half," said Deborah Weinstein, executive director of CHN.