“Why is there so much poverty in America?” Pulitzer Prize–winning author Matt Desmond was asked yesterday at an Urban Institute event. “Because many of us benefit from it,” he responded.
Although many people view poverty as an intractable, ever-present problem, Desmond encouraged attendees to reframe this thinking. He pointed to policies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic as success stories, noting that the expanded child tax credit, for example, cut child poverty by 46 percent.
On an individual level, Desmond recommended shopping and investing through an anti-poverty lens, taking a hard look at tax breaks, and reconsidering how we share and distribute opportunities to make them more accessible.
Watch the recorded discussion, where Desmond and Urban leaders Mary Cunningham and Myra Jones-Taylor speak about the role of evidence and storytelling in creating tangible change.
