The Poor People’s Campaign was established in 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King asked that America change its values to address the people who live in poverty in our nation. Today over 140 Million people live in poverty in our country. Unfortunately, some of the reasons are due to the system of capitalism in our nation. Nina Stephen the Statewide Coordinating Chair for the Poor People’s Campaign joins us today.
I asked Stephen if she could tell us about the Poor People’s Campaign and its mission in our state. She spoke about the organization being non-partisan and non-profit. She goes on to explain the movement of people who picked up the mantle from the civil rights leaders from the sixties to engage with and promote the voices of the 2.4 million poor and low-income workers in our state. One challenge is that even though they are registered to vote if poor and low-income voters came together their power could sway an election outcome in our country.
During the pandemic, I asked about the designation of low-wage workers becoming “essential” workers. Our state has a minimum wage of $5.15 an hour lower than the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and both are below the poverty level. Stephen speaks about findings from MIT that show a living wage would be $25.58 per hour. She goes on to remind us that these policies are set by local elected officials.
Stephen speaks about partnerships with churches and other entities to do the good work of lifting up people who may be too busy surviving to advocate for themselves. She spoke about their initiative the Third Reconstruction Policy and Moral Agenda for our nation’s future.
The Poor People’s Campaign is looking for volunteers across the state. Stephen explains that they are always looking to grow the movement. She says that this is not a sprint, but a marathon. She mentions that they are looking for folks in DeKalb and Southwest Atlanta to spread the word about their work and to get out the vote.
For more information on the Poor People’s Campaign