“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is a protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.”   – Nelson Mandela

Over the past months the Poverty Task Force has been gathering information from articles, documentaries and one-one interviews with leaders in Kalamazoo to help us understand who is impacted by poverty and who benefits from impoverishing people.

• Kym Hollar, Navigator Coordinator of Goodwill explained the structural barriers people in poverty face when they are trying to improve their lives.
• Kevin Ford, Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo Coordinator advocated for organizing leadership in core neighborhoods to focus on prosperity instead of poverty.
• Tim Ready, Director of WMU Lewis Walker Institute, explained how he uses data to make a case for policy change.
• Luke Kujacznski, Urban Alliance, Momentum, shared that Department of Corrections does not provide pre-release data that will allow local agencies to provide support and resources to returning citizens.
• Alicia Renee Farris, One Fair Wage Campaign encouraged us to support statewide efforts to raise the minimum wage.
• Pamela Kingery, Director of Communities in Schools, described how CIS partners with local providers to deliver support services to schools in Kalamazoo to address the impact of poverty on children.

– Dr. Regena Nelson and Nicholas Baxter, Poverty Task Force co-chairs