Poverty In America Essay

Poverty is defined as having the lack of money to supply basic necessities to sustain life. Poverty is more than just not having enough money. Poverty is not being able to go to the dentist for yearly checkups, going to the doctor when someone is sick, not having gas money, or just being hungry. Many people think poverty is an issue that many people create for themselves because they are lazy and do not want to work, which is so far from the truth. Some people are in poverty because of the color of their skin, their socioeconomic status, or both. Poverty is a complex and societal issue that has been around for the last decade. Poverty is an important issue the world faces today. America is the wealthiest and most bountiful nations in the world.

Poverty affects individual’s access to quality education. Low income communities are not able to afford high quality education as high income communities can. In 2011, Mississippi had the highest proportion of students in public schools from low-income families at 71 percent. Children from lower income families are more likely to have lower test scores and are at a higher risk for dropping out of high school than children from wealthier incomes. Obama’s written statement “In the richest nation on earth, far too few have a fair shot to escape it and Americans of all races and backgrounds experience wages and incomes that aren’t rising making it harder to share in the opportunities a growing economy provides” (Jackson, 2014) is true because to many Americans are working low-wage jobs where the minimum wage is not providing enough income so that families can take care of basic needs. Poverty keeps families in debt and unable to afford and maintain households. The poverty rate will continue to increase if there is nothing done about it. So who lives in poverty and what are the solutions to try and solve it? Poverty is all those who make less than $24,000 for a family of