OCCUPY! An Unfinished Uprising

Revisit some of the highlights of this season that gave us so much insight into poverty in America, added to our discourse, and helped us revise our thinking.

The end of welfare Welfare ceased being guaranteed after reform in 1996. Although the safety net for the working class was strengthened through tax credits, the safety net for those who are jobless disappeared. In its current state, the welfare system is overwhelming and underfunded. States are given block grants that they can spend at their discretion. For example, Louisiana spends its money on a...

Poverty is widespread Hardship in America is common. In all of rich democracies, we have the highest rates of poverty among the elderly and also among children. In fact, the majority of Americans will be poor for a significant period of time over the course of their lives: 62% percent will have their income at the bottom 20 percent for a year or more in their adult life, and 42% percent have incom...

Invest in early learning Because the foundation for all of life's successes -- whether academic, social, or emotional -- is laid in the first five years of life, it is critically important to invest in early learning. This is especially true for children from low income homes, who often do not have access to high quality early learning programs. As early as kindergarten, underprivileged children c...

Picking an insurance plan is nearly impossible Although it is no surprise that picking an insurance plan is complicated, it turns out it is nearly impossible. A study by George Loewenstein at Carnegie Mellon reveals that a majority of Americans will choose a suboptimal plan. With access to a full analysis of all the costs and regulations, 80% of us can make a sound decision. Insurance companies dr...

The housing crisis started with a policy decision The leading cause was cutbacks to federal funding for housing for poor people starting with the Reagan administration. In 1978, the federal government was funding about over 300,000 new units of affordable housing each year. In 1983, that number had decreased to under 3,000 each year. Currently, only one in four poor people who qualify for federal...

Max Kenner is the founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative, a college that is spread across six interconnected prisons in New York State. We discuss the enduring value of the liberal arts, the immense power of an education on reducing recidivism, and the critical importance of deep investments in human beings. Education must be high quality The students at BPI have a drive to l...

Stephen Bright served as the director of the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, and is currently a lecturer at Yale Law School, as well as professor of practice at Georgia State College of Law. We discuss the death penalty in the United States and its relationship to poverty, race, and disadvantage. Poverty and Competent Representation The Supreme Court only decided in 1932 that a person...

Ross Morales Rocketto is co-founder of Run For Something, an organization that supports diverse, young progressives running for state and local office. We discuss which candidates win, why building a bench of local and state politicians is important, and how an increase of candidates leads to better voter turnout. The Importance of State and Local Office Eighty percent of the laws that are passed...

"Telling these types of stories, showing people that it's not just white dudes who are lawyers, who have a lot of money, that can do this type of work is one of the most effective ways for us to try to show folks they can do it too." Ross Morales Rocketto, co-founder and chief program officer of Run For Something, kicks off the new season with a conversation about diverse, young candidates for sta...

Human Potential Education should be a path for children to develop into self-directed, self-supporting, skill-equipped young adults. This may or may not include a college education, but will require high levels of critical thinking skills. Creativity and innovation will be an integral part of any job in the future. Standardized Tests and College Readiness The norm today is to teach what is easy to...

Local Politics The impact of individual and group efforts can be decisive in local political races, such as in the elections for a judge, a district leader, or in the State Assembly. Having one-on-one conversations about what is happening in our own community is powerful because we discuss the policy choices that directly affect our lives. Get Involved! Citizens are the players in politics. They h...

Voting People broadly agree that voter turnout should be higher and that voting should be easier, for example by making Election Day a holiday. Although everyone over age 30 is convinced that voting is a fundamental way to create change, only half of young people agree. Surprisingly, a quarter of Americans are unsure about the most fundamental requirement to be eligible for voting: you have to be...

The Powers of Voting Voting is our civic duty and our opportunity to participate in our democracy. We can hold our leaders accountable and also express what we believe this country can and should be. Voting means a lot to people in traditionally disenfranchised communities because it serves as an important expression of who we are as citizens. If it weren't powerful, nobody would try to suppress o...

Political Power The proactive strategy of Latino Victory to build power through elections is a recipe for success. They focus on grooming and training candidates who represent their community's values, empowering Latino voters, and developing a pipeline of Latino donors. The proof is in the pudding: great Latino candidates are exploding Latino turnout. Demographics Latinos represent 18% of the U.S...

Phil Polakoff is a physician with a distinguished career in public health and clinical medicine, the CEO of A Healthier We , and a consulting professor at Stanford University of Medicine. We discuss how an emphasis on prevention coupled with innovations in healthcare access and delivery can help us share greater health and equity for all Americans. Demand Better Healthcare Policies We need a more...

Census data supports communities Government and businesses rely on census data to provide the necessary services that make healthy and vibrant communities possible. The data reveals how many grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals, or schools are needed, and even influence public transportation routes and budgets. An accurate and fair count will ensure that adequate resources are allocated. Undercou...

The power of love and relational organizing When people realize that their vote matters personally to others, they are more likely to show up and exercise this right. Ineligible voters, such as teenagers or formerly incarcerated people, can make an impact on elections by drawing attention to how election results concern them and move their network of eligible voters to show up at the polls. Amendm...

Brian Miller is the Executive Director of Nonprofit VOTE, an organization that partners with other nonprofits to integrate voter engagement into their ongoing activities. We discuss the importance of promoting voter registration to achieve full representation in excluded communities, and the benefits of a non-partisan, in person approach to do so. Nonvoting feedback loop The main reason people don...

A sneak peek of the first episode of Season 4: Brian Miller makes a case for registering and voting. National Voter Registration Day is on September 25, 2018.

Pam Elam and Namita Luthra serve on the Board of Directors of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Fund. Their Monumental Women campaign will bring the first statue commemorating real women to New York City's Central Park in 2020. We discuss the importance of honoring women and their contributions to society in public spaces. Rethink history to shape the future Women and people of color...

Michael Faye is the president and co-founder of GiveDirectly, an organization that sends cash directly to people living in extreme poverty. We discuss why we should use cash as a new benchmark for international aid, unpack false assumptions about decision-making, and examine the benefits of universal basic income. Prioritizing individual needs is effective Humans largely make creative and wise dec...

Maria Yuan is the founder of Issue Voter, an organization whose mission is to make civic engagement accessible, efficient, and impactful. We talk about the importance of being informed on the bills before Congress, communicating your priorities and opinions to your representative, and understanding whether your rep is truly representing you. Our voice matters One of the benefits of living in a dem...

Rachel Leyland and Kendra Abel are public school teachers in Oklahoma City who participated in the walkout in April of 2018. We discuss how the walkout shed light on the problems caused by chronic underfunding of public education, the power of standing together to demand change, and the importance of supporting pro-education candidates for office. Support for Public Education Bolsters Democracy Ch...

Scott Warren is the CEO and co-founder of Generation Citizen, an organization that works to ensure students in the United States receive an effective civics education. We talk about the unique power of political action to bring about change and the need to teach our youngest generations how to be active participants in our democracy. Political action is still king All of the important issues that...