The Invisible Americans

Welcome to a special edition of "The Invisible Americans" podcast, where we dive deep into the critical issue of child poverty and explore transformative solutions. In this episode, we have the honor of hosting a keynote speaker and a panel of distinguished guests, each offering unique perspectives on the complex landscape of poverty in America.

Our keynote speaker is David Ambroz, a renowned author, advocate, and executive at Amazon.

Joining us on the panel are three remarkable individuals:

• Dr. C. Nicole Mason, President and CEO emeritus of the Institute of Women's Policy Research, author of "Born Bright," and recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the 50 greatest leaders in the world.

• Alex Miller, a writer featured in The New York Times and Washington Post, currently working on a memoir about his childhood in poverty, and an HRP fellow with a focus on personal experiences and challenges.

• Alissa Quart, author of influential works such as "Bootstrapped" and "Squeezed," co-creator of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and editor of the book "Going for Broke."

Throughout the panel, our guests touch on various aspects of child poverty, sharing personal experiences and proposing solutions.

The panel collectively emphasizes the importance of reshaping narratives, providing comprehensive mental health care, and employing diverse strategies for economic redistribution.

Hosts Jeff and Carol talk with the three authors of The Injustice of Place, published in 2023 by HarperCollins. Dr. Kathryn Edin, H. Luke Shaefer, and Timothy J. Nelson discuss their research and how they plan to light the way forward.

"The unfolding revelation in The Injustice of Place is not about what sets these places apart, but about what they have in common—a history of raw, intensive resource extraction and human exploitation. This history and its reverberations demand a reckoning and a commitment to wage a new War on Poverty, with the unrelenting focus on our nation’s places of deepest need. "

Senior policy analyst Dr. Nikhil Goyla tells Carol and Jeff about his experience writing a book profiling three young boys growing up in poverty in Philadelphia. Then he offers what he sees as a path to poverty eradication.

Then high school senior Shrusti Amula shares how she saw a gap in her community and filled it by starting a nonprofit at only 13 years old. She focuses on reducing food waste and food recovery programs for her community.

Our hosts talk to two people who are working to end hunger and poverty in the United States.

First, Jenique Jones talks about her work with WhyHunger, an organization with a multifaceted approach to their mission of ending hunger.

Then David Ambroz shares his personal story of childhood homelessness, foster care, and his journey out of those circumstances. He's an author, an executive at Amazon, and a well-respected expert on child welfare.

Our hosts chat with two authors and their individual work on homelessness. First up, novelist Jennifer Egan talks about her work with the unhoused in New York and her time spent as a journalist covering this issue.

Then, Ethan Goodey talks about his life as a teen experiencing homelessness, how he overcame the odds, and his children's book Finley Finds Home.

“Poverty for children in America is not some accident. It’s a policy choice.” -Sen. Cory Booker

The so-called CTC 6 held a press conference today to discuss the staggering increase in levels of child poverty, due in large part to the withdrawal of the Expanded Child Tax Credit.

The CTC 6:

In today’s episode, Jeff and Carol talk with Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women and Families, about LGBTQI+ families living in poverty.

Then they talk to Abby Leibman, president of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger about food insecurity, particularly in the military.

In this episode, our hosts first talk with Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado. He hopes to reinstate the Expanded Child Tax Credit through his American Families Act.

Then our hosts talk to Holly Fogle, who is doing the simple work of providing cash to those who need it most -- $1,000 a month for the first 1,000 days of a baby's life. Her foundation, The Bridge Project, wants to prevent poverty rather than undo its effects.

We are pleased to bring you this special edition of The Invisible Americans podcast. On July 13, 2023, the Senate Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight met to discuss the Child Tax Credit and its impact over the last quarter century.

Around the 44-minute mark, listen to an exchange between known critic Sen. Ron Johnson and Sen. Bennet that lasts around 15 minutes and explores various complexities around alleviating poverty.

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) chaired this hearing. Stay tuned for an upcoming episode with Sen. Bennet!

In this episode, we talk to Kathy Haycox about how Habitat for Humanity works in New York City: "We're a simple mission with a very complex methodology for delivery it."

The scope of what Habitat for Humanity does may surprise some listeners, and we discuss how this broad portfolio lifts families and children out of poverty.

Then we talk to Celinda Lake, polling expert, about the popularity of the Expanded Child Tax Credit and how it went away despite its huge levels of bipartisan support.

In looking at those things, we discuss how we can work to reinstate this policy which lifted millions of children out of poverty.

One in four children in this country is the child of an immigrant.

Over 100,000 children in New York State have at least one incarcerated parent.

In this episode, we discuss these two vulnerable populations with experts Wendy Cervantes of the Center for Law and Policy and Dr. Alethea Taylor of Hour Children.

With her work in immigration, Wendy talks about how policies around immigrant parents exclude children who are American citizens, where these laws came from, and what is in the works to rectify the situation.

Dr. Alethea Taylor discusses her work with incarcerated women and their children. This highly successful organization sustains relationships while the parent is incarcerated, provides support upon release, and focuses on family reunification.

On today's podcast, we are pleased to present a recent press conference on child poverty by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and a conversation with Kate Breslin, head of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.

In her press conference, Gov. Kathy Hochul announces investments in childcare aimed at reducing child poverty in New York State. Then Kate Breslin speaks with the hosts about the Schuyler Center's work to eradicate child poverty and the Child Poverty Reduction Act, which aims to cut childhood poverty in half across all segments of the state in the next 10 years.

Black. Queer. Muslim. Disabled. A political refugee from Liberia. In foster care at age 8 in Minnesota. Founder and Executive Director of Atlas of Blackness.

Lucina Kayee certainly had the deck stacked against her, but she has taken this life experience and dedicated it to helping protect vulnerable youth and reform foster care--and the communities where foster children come from.

Our guest today takes us through her experience in the foster care system, the history of foster care, and her proposed solutions and goals. Her aim is to protect youth currently in the system and offer resources to those children's home communities.

Social Security is a key anti-poverty policy in the U.S. that lifts millions of children out of poverty -- yet most of us think of it only as a retirement program. Also, did you know that poverty is a killer? Dr. Brady tells us how he found that poverty kills 10 times more people than homicide.

Our guests:

- Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings | Founder, President, CEO of Global Policy Solutions

- Dr. David Brady | Professor at the University of California Riverside & Director of the Blum Initiative on Global & Regional Policy

Dr. Rockeymoore Cummings explains how Social Security is key to lifting children out of poverty by explaining the ways in which children benefit directly and indirectly from the program. She also offers thoughts on how to ensure the program is fully funded without making any cuts to current programming.

Dr. David Brady tells us about his research into how much death is caused by poverty in the United States. It's a staggering amount that has huge human and economic impacts--and he thinks lawmakers who vote to increase poverty should face the fact that their votes lead directly to loss of life.

Everyone can do their part to eradicate childhood poverty. Dads need to champion policies related to supporting families, and anyone can contribute their time, treasure, or talent to help local nonprofits serving the unhoused.

Our guests:

Lifting children out of poverty requires whole child, whole community, holistic policies.

Our guests:

The families with the most financial need are excluded from policies that provide support.

Our guests:

• Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut lawmaker who has almost two decades of experience fighting for an expanded Child Tax Credit
• Brian Greene, President & CEO of the Houston Food Bank

Rosa and Brian discuss how the system is set up today in a way that doesn't allow support to reach those who need it most. Rosa thinks that public needs to rally around policies that support Americans in need, especially since the expanded Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Act had clear and immediate results that matched its vision.

Brian talks through some logistics of how the Houston Food Bank feeds 1 million people per year, but he also shares his thoughts on how to truly address the issue of food insecurity in the United States.

 “Food insecurity isn't about food. Food insecurity is about income.”

Gain valuable insights into the issues of poverty and its impact on children in the United States.

Our guests:

• Dr. Nathaniel Harnett, Director of the NATE Lab at McLean Hospital, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
• Clara Moore, poverty expert working with the national organization RESULTS 

This episode's guests highlight the findings of a study that found the trauma of poverty and racism negatively impact the brains of 9 and 10-year-old boys. Dr. Harnett discusses his study and his recommendations for a path forward to undo this damage. 

Clara Moore shares her personal and professional insights on poverty, including what she calls the ghost of poverty. She discusses how children who grow up impoverished often remain only one paycheck away from abject poverty as adults. Programs like the Child Tax Credit have been shown to be effective in lifting children out of poverty. 

Our hosts:

• Jeffrey Madrick, author, news correspondent, American economics expert
• Carol Jenkins, journalist, activist, author, past President of the ERA Coalition

This podcast is based on Jeff's book, "Invisible Americans: The Tragic Cost of Child Poverty." We have two guests on this episode who speak eloquently about poverty in America, changes to welfare reform, how the COVID-19 pandemic showed us policies can help the poorest people in our country, and what's next for the Child Tax Credit.

A discussion into the issues of poverty and housing affordability in the United States.

Our guests: 

• Dr. C. Nicole Mason, President/CEO Emeritus of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR)
• Erin Boggs, Executive Director of Connecticut's Open Communities Alliance

This episode's guests highlight the need for policy changes and public awareness to address these issues. Dr. Mason and Erin Boggs remind us that there is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that all families have access to affordable housing in order to break the cycle of poverty.

"We address the travesty of child poverty." - Carol Jenkins

In our first episode, we introduce our hosts:

• Jeffrey Madrick, author, news correspondent, American economics expert
• Carol Jenkins, journalist, activist, author, past President of the ERA Coalition