Broadcaster and author Tavis Smiley is on a crusade to fight poverty.
The statistics are startling: In 2010, 46.2 million Americans were living in poverty. That's an increase of 27% since 2006, and more than half are women.
This weekend, Smiley is hosting a discussion titled "Made Visible: Women, Children & Poverty in America" at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The show will be televised on "Tavis Smiley" on PBS starting March 28th and on C-SPAN in April.
It's aimed at discussing financial, social and economic disparities that women face. The discussion is also expected to make recommendations for what can be done to get women and children out of poverty.
"The worst thing you can do for poor people is to render them invisible," Smiley says on "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien." "There's a bi-partisan consensus that poverty doesn't matter...that the poor don't count."
"Something has to be done on that," Smiley adds.
See clips from Soledad's interview with Smiley below.
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And poverty in the U.S. is defined as what? Unless one specifically what qualifies as "poverty" AND describes the circumstances and choices that preceded someone reaching that point, the discussion is meaningless.
According to the Department of Energy and other agencies show that the average poor family, as defined by Census officials lives in a home that is in good repair, not crowded, and equipped with air conditioning, clothes washer and dryer, and cable or satellite TV service; prepares meals in a kitchen with a refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave as well as oven and stove; enjoys two color TVs, a DVD player, VCR and — if children are there — an Xbox, PlayStation, or other video game system; and had enough money in the past year to meet essential needs, including adequate food and medical care.
In other words, don't picture bread lines and starving, emaciated children since such things no longer exist in America.