The sociologists combined this information with data from earlier interviews of both study subjects and their parents, along with profiles of the neighborhoods where their subjects grew up, school report cards, and family backgrounds. They collected a mountain of data: each subject's work history, how far he or she had advanced in school, their past drug use, number and ages of children and other family members, and relationship status. The vast majority born poor are almost certain to stay that way.Īlexander and his colleagues recorded every story. Some hoped to earn their GEDs after they got out.Įducation and hard work lift people from the inner city out of poverty only in exceptional cases. One subject had enrolled in his prison's master gardener program. That's really something to grow up with.'" The tales weren't all bleak. "You hear something like that, you say, 'Wow. One subject told the researcher that he had seen his brother hang himself outside his window. The stories the interviewees told could be heart-wrenching, even to a veteran sociologist like Alexander. "It's amazing what people will talk to you about, especially in the interviews we did in lockups," Alexander says. They spoke freely about the most personal aspects of their lives: unfulfilled dreams, time spent using and dealing drugs, relationships and sex. They were polite and respectful and relaxed in conversation. The researchers discovered that these young people, even if they were in jail for some "pretty nasty things" like attempted murder, usually made great interview subjects. Support for Growing Up Poor in America is provided by WNET’s Chasing the Dream initiative on poverty and opportunity in America, with funding by The JPB Foundation.Image caption: Sociologist Karl Alexander Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation, the Park Foundation, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the John D. Love FRONTLINE? Find us on the PBS Video App where there are more than 300įRONTLINE documentaries available for you to watch any time: įunding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The film is supported by the WNET “Chasing the Dream” initiative. As the pandemic continues, the presidential election approaches and America reckons with racism, FRONTLINE offers a powerful look at child poverty in the time of COVID-19 - told from the perspective of the children themselves. Then came the coronavirus.ĭirector Jezza Neumann, who made 2012’s “Poor Kids,” once again delves into how poverty impacts children. In early 2020, it was estimated that almost 12 million children in America were living in poverty - a burden disproportionately borne by Black and Latino kids. This journalism is made possible by viewers like you. ![]() ![]() The documentary, “Growing Up Poor in America”, follows three children and their families in the battleground state of Ohio as the COVID-19 pandemic amplifies their struggle to stay afloat.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |