You might not know it, but today is
Blog Action Day, an event where bloggers from across the globe come together and talk about a singular topic. This year, that topic is poverty, and the steps we can take to end it.
There's a lot already written about the subject; for example, David R. Jones, the president of the
Community Service Society of New York, was recently answered questions for the New York Times on
how to fight poverty in New York . The Community Service Society of New York
engages in advocacy, research and direct service to champion better job opportunities to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty among low-income New Yorkers.
On a national level, part of Barack Obamas plan for the United States is to fight poverty. In a Speech in Des Moines, IA on November 10, 2007, he said:
“I'm in this race for the same reason that I fought for jobs for the jobless and hope for the hopeless on the streets of Chicago; for the same reason I fought for justice and equality as a civil rights lawyer; for the same reason that I fought for Illinois families for over a decade… That's why I'm running, Democrats — to keep the American Dream alive for those who still hunger for opportunity, who still thirst for equality.
You can read the rest of his plan
here.
Finally, Catholic Charities USA launched a Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America, the goal of which is to cut poverty in half by the year 2020. Their website is
here. So please, take a min of your time today, and see what you can do to end poverty in New York and America and the World once and for all.
~
John Farrelly is the New Media Director for the College Democrats of New York
