Poverty Tour

The SCLC Poverty tour has a simple mission. To spotlight the issues surrounding the poor and disenfranchised. National President/CEO Dr. Charles Steele Jr. will travel to six major metropolitan areas and four rural regions. During his stops, he will meet with politicians, business leaders and the faith community to highlight the concerns of the poor.

“There has been discussion about the middle class in America, but we seem to be afraid to talk about people who are actually poor. It’s not a dirty word and they exist. Many of us are poor and just trying to pass as middle class!” Dr. Steele was recently quoted.

In each city, there will be a roundtable discussion led by Dr. Steele. Participants will also be asked to speak about what they have to help poor people specifically. These discussions should help bring into focus what typically are the underlying factors of poverty. Lack of wages, job opportunities, education/apprentice training and systemic disenfranchisement.

The tour requires a core team of five people. Dr. Steele who leads the delegation, and a point person for faith leaders, business leaders and politicians. The team also has an event coordinator to facilitate the securing space, coordination of discussions, schedules etc….

For the 2018-2019 year the SCLC Martin Luther King Jr. Poor People’s Campaign will host at least five of these events. The cities confirmed thus far is Washington, DC, New Orleans, Atlanta and there will be two additional cities announced at the beginning of the 2019 year.