This week in OtherWords, we’ve got two more strong pieces on the structural causes of poverty to complement our issue from last week.
First, Amy Adams riffs on Jason Aldean’s controversial country song, “Try That in a Small Town.” It’s not more fear or vigilantism that small towns need, Amy says — it’s public investment. She shares what life is like for her and her three kids in a poor Kentucky country and shows how simple investments in ordinary people would make it better.
Second, Jim Hightower calls out gentrification in a surprising place — America’s mobile home parks, where big investor groups are buying low-income Americans’ homes right out from under them.
We’re taking a light week to celebrate this year’s Letelier Moffitt Human Rights Awards here at the Institute for Policy Studies. We’ll be back with more soon.
New This Week…
Try This in a Small Town | Amy Adams
We don’t need more fear, anger, or violence. We need public investment that helps hard working people get by.
Corporate Thievery in America’s Mobile Home Parks | Jim Hightower
Wall Street investors are buying low-income Americans’ homes out from under them, cutting amenities, and raising rents.
Cartoon: Heir to the Hair? | Khalil Bendib
Rep. Matt Gaetz’s congressional coup and America’s bad hair day
In Case You Missed It…
The Price of Amazon’s “Prime” Business Model Is Our Bodies | Denise Kohr
The billion-dollar company profits off pushing workers like me to our physical limits — only to ignore us when we’re hurt on the job.
A Wake Up Call on Poverty | Shailly Gupta Barnes
Hardship is far more widespread than official numbers reflect. But we’ve also seen firsthand how to address it.
Time for a General Strike on Dollar General | Sam Pizzigati
Dollar General profits from paying poverty wages and selling unsafe food to poor people. It feeds off the very inequality it’s accelerating.
Suing for a Livable Planet | Farrah Hassen
Can Big Oil be held accountable for damaging the climate? Can politicians who enable them? People are going to court to find out.
