Encourage the Presidential Candidates to #TalkPoverty at the Debates

Our friends at Half in Ten are taking the lead on a Twitter campaign to get the moderators of the upcoming presidential candidate debates to ask a question about poverty (specifically child poverty). As recently released Census figures show, over one in five American children live in poverty, a rate that has changed very little over recent years. This Twitter campaign is an effort to elevate the seriousness of child poverty to the forefront and get the media and ultimately President Obama and candidate Romney talking specifically about what they would do to address this widespread problem. Half in Ten has a page set up with all the details about when the debates are, how to structure your tweets, and who to target.

I’m particularly interested to see how the candidates frame the issue of economic recovery and job growth during the debates. In particular, it will be very telling to see the extent to which the candidates articulate any specific vision for successfully including lower-wage, underemployed, unemployed, and historically marginalized workers in job creation and economic growth. Even prior to the economic downturn, some demographic groups have seen disproportionately high rates of poverty, unemployment, and hardship. A recovering economy offers an opportunity to rethink business as usual and create a more inclusive economy. My hope is that by participating in a Twitter campaign such as this one we can use the plethora of data, the lived experiences and insights of low-income people, and the power of social media to do just that.

Follow the Asset Building Program on Twitter (@AssetsNAF) for more updates, check out Half in Ten’s page, and use the hashtag #TalkPoverty to engage with this issue directly.