#Stoppoverty summit tackles economic issues
8th February 2016 · 0 Comments
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
On January 16, just days before Martin Luther King Day, the Sixth Baptist Church hosted the #Stoppoverty Summit.
Torin Sanders, Sixth Baptist Church’s senior pastor, said his community wanted to honor Dr. King’s legacy of challenging the United States’ socioeconomic structures. Located on Felicity Street in the Lower Garden District, the church’s congregation consists of many members of the former St. Thomas Housing Project. Poverty is and always has been an important issue for that population.
At the time of his assassination, Dr. King was working on the Poor People’s Campaign, an effort to gain economic justice for disadvantaged Americans. Sanders sought to stimulate discussion and listen to ideas about stopping poverty.
“Our poverty rate is higher than it was back then (in King’s era)…Income inequality is greater than it was back then,” Sanders said. “If we as a nation focus on reducing poverty, we can do it.”
The event started with remarks by Sanders and a rendition of “We Shall Overcome.” Selected church youth delivered readings and their thoughts on poverty. Raven Ancar said it’s the duty of those who call themselves Christians to care about the poor.
“If we are truly a Christian nation, we must solve this problem,” Ancar said.
After a few more remarks from Sanders, a panel discussion began featuring the Rev. Jay Augustine, community organizer Jacques Morial, and Thelma French, president/CEO of Total Community Action New Orleans. After a Q&A session and a break, Councilman Jared Brossett (District D) and Mary Ambrose, senior vice president of the United Way, anchored a second discussion.
Rev. Augustine said Louisiana has reasons for great optimism regarding poverty, partially due to the election of John Bel Edwards as governor. Augustine pointed to the new governor’s acceptance of the Medicaid expansion, making more than 300,000 Louisianans eligible for the program.
He also emphasized how much African Americans need access to capital to start businesses and buy homes. He praised organizations like Liberty Bank for providing this opportunity. Ownership of businesses and homes can give minorities a greater sense of autonomy and control in their lives.
“There’s nothing wrong with renting, but there’s something special about owning your own home,” Augustine said.
The panels spoke about flaws in the city’s current economic structure. They discussed low wages and rapidly increasing rents, which price more working class and poor people out of Orleans Parish.
“Wealth is built on the backs of working poor people who struggle every day,” said Morial. “We need a laser-focused effort on affordable housing in New Orleans otherwise we’ll be priced out for good.”
Morial talked about how the city’s housing prices have increased at rate three times the national average. As a result, it’s likelier that workers will live farther away from their jobs than before, leading to longer commute times.
“It (long commutes) robs people of time,” Morial said. If a person spends an hour round-trip commuting every day, “That’s five hours a week you could’ve spent with your kids or helping an elderly family member.”
Regarding progress, Councilman Brossett pointed to the minimum wage ordinance he sponsored that set $10.55 as the minimum wage for certain companies that do business with the City of New Orleans.
The first panel said it is important for people to challenge policy-makers, but equally important for citizens to challenge themselves.
“We must challenge every piece of policy,” French said. “What does it do for the least of us? Does it sound good on paper but when it rolls out, is nothing being accomplished? We must pay attention.”
“We have to call ourselves into account,” Morial said. “Ask ourselves repeatedly – ‘What have I done? What more can I do?’”
French criticized unemployment statistics, which focus on the number of citizens receiving unemployment benefits. Those numbers don’t include people working 2-3 part-time jobs to make a meager living. She added that if New Orleans doesn’t provide more middle-class jobs, then the city will resemble San Francisco with only very poor and very wealthy people.
The need for government leaders to create meaningful policies to aid the working poor was a common theme throughout the discussions.
“If we don’t institutionalize change, it won’t last,” said panel moderator Barbara Major.
This article originally published in the February 8, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
