Land of Unequal Opportunity 

Poverty in white America

Why is poverty in white America misrepresented and what do whites need to do in order for empowerment?

Poverty in white America is never really pictured – many people assume that

because the poverty rate for whites  is lower than other minority populations, such as blacks and Hispanics, that minorities make up the majority of poverty in America.

When you  look at the poverty rate for each racial group, it would seem that way.  However, when you look at the whole population of people living in poverty, almost half of all people living at or below the poverty level are in fact white. 

You would think that because almost half of the population of people in poverty  in the United States are white, that more people would know about this group.  So why is white Americans in poverty not well known of? There are many factors that contribute to this misrepresentation, such as the location of many non for profit organizations, the media’s contr ibution over  the years, the history of American  culture, and the stigma attached to white Americans living in poverty. 

In my research paper, I plan to divulge the reasons why poverty in white America is misrepresented and why there is a lack of outreach programs and organizations for this group. With my re search, I also intend to  develop possible solutions to this problem by comparing and contrasting how minority groups in poverty are empowering  themselves, specifically through community outreach  programs.  

Ever since I was young I’ve harbored a passion to  help those in need.  That passion drove me to be involved in many outreach programs  and non for profit  organizations within Chicago and across the United States, and what I noticed over time is that I always seemed to serve the same populations –  poor blacks and Hispanics.

Throughout the years, this obviously burned an image in my head of what American poverty looks like, and this image is not unique to just me.

My consistent involvement with community based organizations in Chicago and around the country, as well as taking classes and workshops  for my community  service studies minor, sparked the curiosity to answer this difficult question. A difficult question because unfortunately, racial inequality has become an agent for socioeconomic stratification, and the lines that people refuse to accept are always the hardest to define.