February Newsletter

"I am tired of the consensus that as a poor person it's perfectly acceptable for me to be fingerprinted, photographed, and drug-tested to prove that I am worthy of food. Hunger is not a crime."-Maryann Broxton

“There has to be a shift in mentality. We have to stop focusing so much on the material things and remember what it means to be a human being and remember what’s important.”- Jose Nuñez

"People cannot be empowered unless their basic sense self-worth is protected from the violence of shame."- Jean Stallings

All of these thoughts were shared this month at the United Nations in New York. In an organization more often home of diplomats, people who know what the struggle against poverty means joined our International and New York teams to share their experiences and knowledge. The video below captures the views shared by members of our Merging Knowledge project in Boston.

 

Shame is one of the most persistent and destructive characteristics of poverty. It strips people of the strength to go on and turns what is really a simple economic situation into a destructive spiral.Shame isn’t something that can be overcome with a benefit check or a social program. It takes patience and humanity. Bringing people in poverty to places like the UN so that their voices can be heard is a step on the path to empowering people to building policies that respect their rights, and to creating a more equal future."We need to reach out to people, bring them information, and provide anything that can help them overcome shame," Jean Stallings said when she spoke at the UN. "That is the right way to empower people."All our best,

Ben FehsenfeldNational Director

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