America's War on Poverty (1995)
In the midst of unprecedented national prosperity in the 1960s, poverty was "rediscovered" by American policy makers, media and the public. This series examines how the poor fared during these years and the resultant evolution of foundation and public sector programs addressing the challenges of poverty.
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America's War on Poverty
1995Seasons & Episode
During the early 1960s, hundreds of Kentucky coal miners displaced by automation strike out at their former employers, bombing mines to shut down production. Millions of others displaced by machines across Appalachia and the rural South head north to begin a new life in Chicago. This episode reports on these stories of desperation and hope and explores the origins of America's war on poverty.
Increasingly, the media and the public equate poverty with inner-city blacks. This program looks at the anger and despair of the poor and the powerless and examines attempts made in Newark, New Jersey, to reclaim the inner city through public/private partnerships.
This episode tells the stories of Legal Services and VISTA, two programs that combined individual action with the idea of volunteerism. Lawyers team up with migrant farm workers in California to fight for better working conditions and benefits, and VISTA volunteers and coal miners unite against strip mining companies in the Appalachians.
The Nixon Administration and the National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO), in a surprising partnership, bring the nation to the brink of overhauling the federal Social Security system and replacing welfare with a guaranteed income for all citizens.
In the midst of unprecedented national prosperity in the 1960s, poverty was "rediscovered" by American policy makers, media and the public. This series examines how the poor fared during these years and the resultant evolution of foundation and public sector programs addressing the challenges of poverty.
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