People-first economics
“It’s time to build our economy from the bottom up and from the middle up, not the top-down.”—President Joe Biden...
A year later: the pandemic’s impact on poverty
While jobs numbers are expected to improve as a result of government aid programs, there are still a considerable number...
We need to reduce child poverty in America
The Child Tax Credit is the second most-widely claimed individual tax break, following the deduction for charitable contributions.
A growing divide
We continue to struggle with an economic recession, increasing COVID-19 infection rates, and related disruptions to daily life.
Temporary financial safety net is set to expire on December 31
Many of the available protections and assistance provided by the CARES Act have either expired already or are set to...
There’s no doubt public safety change is needed
While communities debate defunding initiatives, people wonder what would replace police officers.
Hostility against the homeless is on the rise
Homelessness is a tragedy in and of itself. Locally, the issue has been covered in the news a lot as...
Housing discrimination ‘injures but does not bruise’
As I recently reflected on some of the topics this column covered in the past year, I was immediately reminded...
The cost is high to be poor
Those living in poverty generally pay more in state and local taxes, contribute a much higher percentage of their annual...
Make no mistake about it: Weatherization works
Among the steps performed during this process are: safety and efficiency tests on heating systems and the hot water heater;...
Can the Twin Cities dodge the downside of gentrification?
Recently, there have been waves of gentrification in cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C....
Studies expose destructive housing inequities
Here in Minnesota, the data suggest housing costs are continuing to rise unabated, which again disproportionately affect communities of color.
How digital media is putting a human face on poverty
Americans continue to view people living in poverty with either pity or scorn.
Shameful legacies, ongoing neglect
In most American cities throughout the 20th century, people of color, African Americans in particular, were relegated to separate and...
Parenting while poor is no crime
In spite of the fact that being poor is not a crime, America tends to treat people in poverty as...
We must stop criminalizing the poor
Beginning in the 1990s, the adopted a set of criminal justice strategies that punish poor people for their poverty.
Changing the rigged game that perpetuates inequality
In essence, the concept of the “iron cage” is that people are forced and confined to their social condition based...
Frequent income ‘dips’ shown to have adverse health effects
Poverty is the biggest killer on the planet, hands down.
Food insecurity on rise among college students
Students surviving in college on ramen noodles and pizza is hardly new. What is new is that universities are no...
There’s good news in our efforts to alleviate poverty
As we reflect on the passing of another year and anticipate the unfolding of the new one, I want to...
