Poverty Abolitionists
Poverty
Abolitionists
Poverty is a moral outrage. It infects communities, blocking pathways to upward mobility for individuals and families and diminishing everything it touches.
Poverty will be abolished in America only when a mass movement demands it so.
–Matthew Desmond, “Poverty, By America”
Poverty is a moral outrage.
It infects communities, blocking pathways to upward mobility for individuals and families and diminishing everything it touches.
Because poverty impacts everyone in our community, everyone can become part of the solution. By becoming a Poverty Abolitionist, you make a commitment to use your power, skills, connections and choices to make meaningful change in our community.
How to become a POVERTY ABOLITIONIST:
Individuals
Change Your Mindset
Learn about the history of poverty in Rochester and the United States
- Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond
- Your Children Are Very Greatly in Danger by Justin Murphy
- Strike the Hammer by Laura Warren Hill
Change Your Community
- Sign on to RMAPI’s Policy Agenda and advocacy alerts
- Tell elected officials in your city, town or village to adopt New York State’s Pro-Housing Community certification to encourage inclusive zoning
Join the Movement
- Sign on to become a Poverty Abolitionist
- Talk about poverty differently
- Commit to supporting businesses that pay a living wage
Organizations
Pay employees a living wage
- Sign on to RMAPI’s Policy Agenda
- Intentionally design, revamp, and implement policies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Collaborate with workforce preparation organizations to meet business needs and maximize benefits for both the program participants and employers.
- Recognize barriers and common challenges to employment, such as the stress of unpredictable scheduling, and develop policies that provide consistency but allow for flexibility.
Policymakers
- Support RMAPI’s 2024 Policy Agenda
- Pursue New York State’s Pro-Housing Community certification for your municipality to encourage inclusive zoning
“Once you make that commitment, you start looking at your consumer choices differently, your investment decisions differently. We might take our talents and our skills and our training and apply those in the service of poverty abolitionism. We need artists, we need lawyers, we need fair business practices, we need doctors that are willing to serve poor rural communities.”
– Matthew Desmond
Join the movement. Become a Poverty Abolitionist.
