Feeding America Essay

Nelson Mandela once said, "Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom” (Make Poverty History, 2005). Gwinnett county is third in the country when it comes to a high poverty rate, with 14% of the population living below poverty (Family Promise of Gwinnet County, 2013). As an educator it is important to familiarize with the county of which one is to teach in, and poverty is an issue in Gwinnett county. One must understand the affects of poverty on

Most people are living in poverty due to the inability to find a job. Why are jobs so hard to come by? One reason may be that large corporations are outsourcing jobs to developing countries since workers there are willing to be paid less than the average American worker. Many chain stores have gone bankrupt and closed stores in underperforming cities. The jobs that are left are ones that pay minimum wage and for a family of five, that wage is simply not enough. Individuals may then make too much to be on public assistance, yet their fast food job pays enough to just cover their rent.

A college degree is a valuable asset that could ultimately lead to a productive life in society due to the received education, but people without a college degree do turn out more than adequate in regards to societal success. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the forecasted 30 fastest growing jobs between 2010 and 2020, five do not require a high school diploma, nine require a high school diploma, four require an associate 's degree, six require a bachelor 's degree, and six require graduate degrees to get the jobs (College). In an article called “College Education” by ProCon.org,

College, a place where students seems to have freedom and learn what they have a passion in, is actually more like a maze. Students are enthusiastic, yet still have to be focus because college is not all fun and games. True, making out of the maze is super rewarding, but the pressure and getting annoying may get to them. They would have to go through paths that may not have an open trail which in deep struggles cause them to forfeit the maze of college. Again, with education, comes knowledge, experience, and confidence where no people can steal. Data has shown that people who has a college degree earns much more that people who only has a high school diploma (Berman). This is data, it shows how much people need a college degree to be able to live comfortably. With more

Recent high school students are debating whether to or not attend college, should consider the benefits of attaining a college degree. For many low or middle income students, this a route to gain opportunities to improve their economic circumstances. An article, “Pathways to Prosperity,” states in 2008, workers with bachelor's degree make about 65 percent higher than high school graduates and workers with associate's degree make about 73 percent more than high school dropouts.. This is evidence obtaining a college degree can be an opportunity to have earnings higher and significantly increase one's income.

In this day and age, an increasing amount of employers are requiring a higher level of education in order to hire people. Having a degree allows adults to have multiple choices of when, where, and how they work. Because of this, college graduates have new and improved employment opportunities. In a recent study of young americans, 58% of college graduates and people with some college or associate's degree expressed being "very satisfied" with their jobs, compared to only 50% of high school graduates and a drastic 40% of people without a high school diploma. For many people, working at a job you are fond of is crucial for living a quality life. Having a degree aids in increasing the amount of choices when selecting a career path you will enjoy. Because of this, college graduates have lower poverty rates than ever before. The 2008 poverty rate for bachelor's degree holders was 4%,

Concentrated disadvantage is described as an indicator that is depicting the poverty in a specific area or region. I chose the city of Atlanta because I have lived near Atlanta all my life. I would occasionally travel to the city to watch the Atlanta Hawks play. On the way home from the games I would notice the numbers of people on the side of the streets that were sleeping or asking for money. I never understood the whole concept of why such things were happening in this part of town. I did not know why I never saw people like that when I was around my house, and I only saw them when I was in Atlanta. When I first enrolled in this class, I was excited that I was going to be able to learn how and why all of these patterns exist. Through the main source of my paper “Social Explorer,” I was able to attain the knowledge to understand the patterns of the inner city and why there was so much poverty.

Concentrated disadvantage is characterized as an indicator depicting the poverty in a specific area or region. I chose the city of Atlanta because I have lived near Atlanta my whole life. I occasionally traveled to Atlanta to watch the Hawks play basketball. On the way home from the games, I would notice the numbers of people that stood on the side of the streets sleeping or asking for money. I never understood the whole concept of why such things happened in this part of town. At no time did I see people in the street begging near my house. Why did I only see them in Atlanta? When I first enrolled in this class, I was excited to learn what causes these patterns and why these patterns exist. Through the main source of my paper “Social

Poverty is a complex societal issue, which includes social, economic and political elements. It is a lack of necessary means to fulfil basic human needs including food, shelter, clothing etc. The U.S. Census Bureau defines poverty as living in a household with a total cash income below 50 percent of its poverty threshold. Official poverty rates in the US as estimated by the Bureau is 12.7 percent for 2016. Official measures concluded that 43.1 million Americans lived in poverty that year, nearly 1 in every 6 people. The measure is based on information provided from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement. The survey is sent to U.S. households, so the poverty estimates do not include those who are homeless. (Semega,

Atlanta is the capital and largest city in Georgia, with a population of 472,522, and one of the fastest growing major cities in the United States.1 Originally, known as a railroad settlement, it was founded in 1837 as the end of the Western & Atlantic railroad line (the name changed from Marthasville to Terminus, to finally Atlanta, the feminine of Atlantic).16 In 1861, became one of the 11 states seceding from the Union over the issue of slavery.17 It was also the home front during the Civil War and a major producer of war materials, and the regional transportation and distribution center.17 Post-war, due to railroads, Atlanta continued to economically grow and diversify, along with its population.17 A large number of African-Americans were

Expensive college tuitions take away opportunities for many young qualified people: If they are unable to go to college, they have a lower earning potential. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, in 2015, the average salary for a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree was around 45,000. According to College Atlas, half of college dropouts have incomes lower than 35,000. To support this, I found additional information from another source, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which presented a chart showing the median weekly earnings of people with different degrees, or no degrees. All college degrees had median weekly earnings around 1,000, and if you do the math, you’ll find that that’s around 50,000 a year. People

No matter what your income is all children have the opportunity to attend school. Not only do they get to, but they are legally required too until a certain age. All of this schooling helps prepare the child for living in the world, working, and maybe even receiving a post secondary education. Now many would say that you don’t need a college or even high school graduation to be successful, which is true, but many statistics suggest the rarity of that. Source D is a document from the Congressional Budget Office that provides a list of percentages, that connect characteristics of a person and whether or not they have a low-wage job (described as being less than $11.50 per hour). One group of characteristics is based on the level of completed education. It shows how 58% of people without a highschool diploma are working in a “low-wage” job, while 70% of graduates are receiving a non low-wage salary. By just completing high school a person will have a much better chance at a good job than that of a non-graduate. Secondary education is also important in a person's road to a good income. The chart also displays how 93% of those with a Bachelor's degree will move onto having a good paying job. Source F also provides information that suggest the importance of a post Secondary Education. Author David Brooks goes on to say that, “ Over the past several decades, the economic benefits of education has steadily risen… the average college graduate makes 75% more (than those who didn’t)”. In the article he also goes on to discuss the relationship between college graduates and their family lives. According to the Brooks, graduates will have a better marriage, health, relationships to others, etc… It also includes how children of graduates are more likely to follow in the same footsteps and earn a degree. Education is a very important part to a person’s life. The level successfully completed could ultimately determine

To begin with, education is the key to our society. Students who drop out of highschool have a greater chance of not getting hired for a job. In source four the author claimed, “Those without a high school diploma have lower earnings, higher unemployment, lower job satisfaction…” (Moran 14). Students should not drop out of school because having a good job will help support the students later in life. The high school graduates make around $27,380. Also, in source one the authors states, “ I know how important it is to get my education.” (Ella 12). This paragraph explains that education is important and you are going to need to be educated to in order to get around in life.

Paul Taylor of the Pew Research Center, on NPR’s All Things Considered, stated that “in a modern, knowledge-based economy, the only thing more expensive than going to college is not going to college.” This applies to our economy today. A recent Pew Research study showed that millennials with a high school diploma make only 62% of what college graduates make. In addition, the study revealed that 86% of college graduates say they have a “career-track” job, compared to 57% of high school graduates. Such numbers indicate the importance that receiving a college education can have. However, the economic necessity of education in our country seems to further distance education from a “liberating” structure.

Over the past twenty years there has been an enormous rise in America with more people than ever going to college and earning a degree, with this being done it leads to a much more knowledgable country but, what happens to all those who don't go to college and stop their education with a diploma? Around 65 percent of Americans go to college with numbers know surpassing how many americans attend a church regularly. I believe this is a good statistic with around 45 of the 65 percent graduating from college. This leads to more competition in the workplace and also higher annual salaries amongst the population. I’m however not saying that you must attend college to earn a higher salary but, on average people with a bachelor's degree earns nearly a million dollars more over the span of forty years (Wong 2016).