April 2007 Poverty Truth Commission, New York City

The Poverty Initiative convened the second Poverty Truth Commission at Union Theological Seminary on April 13, 2007. This day-long, public event included workshops, documentary screenings, art exhibits, worship services, and music.

Individuals from around the country testified on violations of their economic human rights that are and have been a direct result of living in poverty in the United States.  Testifiers were members of organizations in Baltimore, Detroit, Ithaca, Philadelphia, New Orleans, New York City, West Virginia, and more. Commissioners from many backgrounds, including the academic, political, and religious realms, acted as witnesses to these stories of injustice.

Poverty Truth Commissions are inspired by the Truth and Reconciliation work done in places such as South Africa and Peru, and based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 23, 24, 25, and 26 in particular).

Background on Truth and Reconciliation Commissions
2007 Agenda
2007 Workshops

2007 Testifiers

Testifiers are people living in poverty and leaders of organizations of poor people. They are the true experts on poverty today, and their role is to shed light on the struggle of millions of people both here in the U.S. and beyond, through their presence, leadership, experience and story.

  • Ashley Jones, New Orleans, LA, Students At The Center
  • Bita Khani Aminabadi, New York, NY, Columbia University School of Social Work
  • Candy Adams Philippi, WV, World Vision: Appalachia
  • Earnest Lindsay Baltimore, MD, United Workers Association (UWA)
  • Jesse Leah Vear Portland, ME, POWER (Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights)
  • Larry Gibson Charleston, WV, Stop Mountaintop Removal
  • Marion Kramer and Maureen Taylor, Detroit, MI, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization
  • Neisha Butler, Ithaca, NY, Tompkins Workers Rights Center
  • Ron Blount, Philadelphia, PA, Taxi Workers Alliance (TWA)
  • Rose Menustik, Baltimore, MD, United Workers Association
  • Simon Leal, New York, NY, Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC-NY)
  • Sondra Jackson, Wheeling, WV, Direct Action Welfare Group (DAWG)

2007 Commissioners

Commissioners, by their presence, lend credence to the stories of the true experts who will testify. At a Truth Commission, the role of a commissioner is to witness the testimonies of those people sharing experiences of the impact that poverty has in their lives and then to determine with others what his/her response will be.

Agenda: April 12-14, 2007

Thursday, April 12

  • Service of Communion focused on the Truth Commission led by the Poverty Initiative with Chris Johnson as organist.
  • The Union course Reading the Bible with the Poor was open to the public. Guest Speaker: Larry Gibson, of the Appalachian organization Stop Mountaintop Removal, who is working to save local mountains from coal mining companies in the area where he and his family have lived for centuries. 

Friday, April 13

  • Workshops offered on holding Truth Commissions in local communities, on poor people working to organize the poor with a panel of representative from groups participating in the Commission, and sessions on the upcoming 40th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr. beginning the Poor People's Campaign in 1967.
  • Worship in James Chapel, led by the Poverty Initiative.
  • Community Dinner
  • Poverty Truth Commission

Saturday, April 14

  • Testifiers, Commissioners, members of the Beloved Communities Initiative, students, and other community members visited New York City-based organizations

Workshops

Truth Commissions 101: Learn about international struggles for justice that have held Truth Commissions to bring poverty and human rights abuses to the world stage. Explore how and why religious leaders and other people of conscience are setting up Truth Commissions in the US and globally. Learn how Truth Commissions draw attention to the stories of those whose lives are in jeopardy because of poverty and the life-threatening conditions it produces including: lack of health care, housing, adequate food, education and living wage jobs. Watch excerpts from the award-winning documentary “State of Fear” and learn from guest speakers with experience in Truth Commissions held in North Carolina, Peru and South Africa.

Art as a Tool for Ending Poverty: Explore the role of arts and culture as an essential language of communication -- inside and outside a movement. Examine visual art, film and song as triggers for education and conversation about poverty and truth in a religious context. This workshop is discussion-based, facilitated by Willie Baptist (Scholar in Residence, Poverty Initiative), Tallu Schuyler (Union Theological Seminary student, Poverty Initiative), Pat Grugan (School of Art and Culture, University of the Poor) and Ron Casanova (Artists for a Better America).

Poor People Organizing the Poor (The Plight and the Flight) The Role of Faith and Faith-Based Institutions:
Two panel discussions feature poor people who are organizers in their communities and leaders in the fight for economic justice for poor people.  Panelists introduce their organizations and discuss the role of faith and religion in their work.  Drawing on the first-hand experience of the participants, we explore current alliances between  organizers and religious communities and envision new and creative ways religion can play a vital role in the effort to build a movement to end poverty led by the poor.
Part 1: Geoclan, Stop Mountaintop Removal, ROC-NY, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization and Tompkins Workers Rights
Part 2: POWER, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Taxi Workers Alliance and Picture the Homeless
Links to Poverty Initiative Partners

 

Martin Luther King Jr.: The Legacy and The Lessons:

Part 1: Martin Luther King: The Last Three Years and the Poor People's Campaign
n the last three years of King's life he made dramatic stands on issues of poverty, racism and militarism, including the formation of The Poor People's Campaign.  Through storytelling, film, and King's own words we learn about these important years and discuss their significance for addressing these issues in our time.

Part 2: Martin Luther King: The Role of Religion and Social Change
Throughout history, religion has played a powerful part in movements for social change as well as in upholding systems of oppression.  This workshop focuses on the role of northern and southern churches in the Civil Rights Movement. Particular attention will be paid to King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Poor People's Campaign.

For more information on workshops or replication, Contact Us.

Poverty Initiative

at Union Theological Seminary
3041 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
poverty@povertyinitiative.org
(212) 280-1439