Empowering Lives Through
Anti-Poverty Advocacy

From Poverty Struggle to Anti-Poverty Advocacy: My Journey and Mission

AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

While I lived in poverty with no stove for eight months, I relied on the free meals my oldest son received at his school. They supplemented what little I could prepare at home for my kids. Food stamps only paid for items that were to be cooked. In the shabby apartment, all I had to prepare food with was a counter-top toaster oven and an old Sunbeam electric fry pan—until a burglar stole them one night as we slept upstairs. Just when I’d thought things couldn’t have gotten any worse!

Transition To Subsidized Housing: A Turning Point

The move into Section 8 housing helped restore some of my dignity. The moment I walked through the new-to-me, larger apartment, my head began to overflow with decorating ideas. There was central air conditioning and heat in the apartment and its kitchen had appliances. An onsite laundry facility made washing clothes a breeze.

But best of all, the nicer place had put an end to me having to fork over my entire $152-a-month welfare check for that miserable $170-a-month apartment. It was a welcome relief to use that check to buy the boys’ clothes, shoes, toys, haircuts, new mattresses, and other necessities. Doing so reassured me that I could properly provide for them. Our finances, although still meager, had at least stabilized.

Educational Pursuits: From Enrollment to Success

After having our dire need for decent housing resolved, and at no cost, I began the enrollment process for college. To be eligible for free subsidized child care each semester, all I had to do was show proof of full-time registration at the college. Knowing my toddler was being adequately taken care of enabled me to easily focus on my studies.

Financial aid grants like BEOG, SEOG and Pell paid for tuition and textbooks. One semester, I received a “Best of 4.0” scholarship. Together, all of these forms of assistance made possible my success at school and eventual return to independence. I had not only run the race, but also broke the tape at the finish line of destitution.

MY MISSION TODAY

A Commitment to Advocacy: Bridging Personal Experience and Community Impact

I love the work I do—advocating for the preservation and strengthening of our nation’s anti-poverty programs. As someone who once benefited from them, it’s now my mission to help ensure those programs remain available to others.

My advocacy work encompasses sharing first-person poverty stories on stage, meeting with Congressional members and their staff, and writing opinion editorials, letters to the editor, and other materials related to poverty, social justice, and education.

At various conferences and events, both in-person and virtual, I deliver keynote speeches, motivational talks, Q&A sessions, and “Storytelling in Advocacy” workshops. My experience also includes serving as a discussion panelist, contributing to research, and performing dramatic readings from my memoir detailing my own experiences with poverty.

I have recently developed an influential, multi-faceted presentation specifically for poverty simulation events, designed to generate understanding and empathy for those living in poverty.

Based on Lived Experience

My welfare passage, although a grueling journey, laid the foundation for my commitment to advocating for our nation’s safety net programs. I know firsthand the transformative difference they make in people’s lives. My devotion to this work is also what led me to write, A Day at the Fare: One Women’s Passage, a memoir portraying my poverty experience.

Planning a Poverty Simulation Program?

As a skilled speaker and distinguished alumna of The Moth, I adapt material from A Day at the Fare and expertly craft it into dynamic storytelling performances. These presentations, which can include dramatic readings, Q&A sessions, and motivational talks, serve as powerful additions to poverty simulation programs. Each modality amplifies impact and fosters a gut-level understanding of the realities of poverty.

Email me today to learn how I can supercharge your poverty simulation program. It will leave a lasting impression on your audience.