We also invite the members of our readership who work for innovative anti-poverty organizations to apply for the Harry Chapin Self-Reliance Awards. The awards honor organizations that go beyond charity to help people improve their own lives and the communities in which they live. Deadline: June 16, 2008. Download the application in PDF format now.

The WHY Newsletter now presents its regular column by Executive Director and WHY Co-Founder Bill Ayres. Below, please read Bill's piece for this month, The Next Big Idea: The U.S. Does Not Have to Be a Low-Wage Economy.

The next president will face a daunting challenge in attempting to turn around our faltering economy with its budget and trade deficits, sub-prime mortgage crisis, stagnant low wage jobs picture, a healthcare crisis, dramatically escalating food and fuel prices and an angry citizenry that wants real change. What to do?   read more

Food Access: The Trouble with Food and Profits
by Tristan Quinn-Thibodeau

Supermarkets are disappearing from both urban and rural communities as grocery stores face limited profits because of rising urban rent and small rural populations. This has led to fewer, although larger supermarkets, and with rising gas prices, poor or non-existent public transportation, economic hardships, and few jobs in many communities, more and more Americans are unable to eat healthy food at home. However, this problem of food access is not new and has been a problem for low-income communities for quite some time. Rather than sudden rent increases, changing business models, or a slumping economy, people aren’t able to get food because our food system is governed by profit, which is to say, it is barely governed at all.

According to a Newsweek article from last year (“Junk Food County”) rural families are increasingly relying on convenience stores for groceries, and are purchasing the junk food found there instead of healthy foods. A particular example from the article of the difficulty of getting to a supermarket was of a woman in South Carolina who pushed a shopping cart six miles along the highway to get to the nearest grocery store because she didn’t have a car. Her story is not rare, and she is actually lucky that a supermarket is as close as it is. The national trend for retailers is to create superstores in central locations, requiring more travel to be able to get daily necessities.

Urban supermarkets face a different problem, as the competitive real estate market has driven rental prices up, making it difficult for supermarkets to be profitable. The New York Times ran an article on disappearing supermarkets in New York City, particularly in low-income neighborhoods with high rates of diet-related health problems, and said that there are only 550 “decently-sized supermarkets” remaining in New York City, a city of 8 million (“The Lost Supermarket: A Breed In Need of Replenishment”). And this is not isolated to New York City, as there are food deserts in Detroit, Philadelphia, Oakland, and other urban areas across the country. The result is the same as in rural communities: people without access to healthy food rely on cheap junk food available at corner stores or gas stations, and they develop health problems like diabetes or heart disease.

To read more of Tristan's story, click here.

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Food Versus Fuel in India: The Case of Jatropha
by Tejas Kadia and Peter Mann

The escalating struggle between food and fuel could become particularly deadly in India. With a population of 1.1 billion, India has to support about 16 percent of the world's population on only 2.4 percent of the world's total land, four percent of its total water resources, and one percent of its forest cover. While India has significantly expanded its grain production, a growing population and higher economic growth will greatly increase the demand for food, with some estimates indicating that India must increase its food production by more than 50 percent in the next two decades. Yet 260 million Indians now live below the poverty line — constituting 22 percent of the world's poor. Food and water security are therefore absolute priorities for India's survival.

At the same time, India's energy needs are growing rapidly, and national production of coal, petroleum, and natural gas will be unable to meet these needs, while bringing their own problems of pollution and dependency on fossil fuels. As part of its policy to increase energy supplies, the Indian government has "embarked on a massive program to ensure energy security through large-scale cultivation of Jatropha" for producing biodiesel. Jatropha, with its pros and cons, is an example of the conflict around energy security.

To read more of this piece, please visit WHY Speaks.

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New WHY Publication Available:
Gulf Coast Poverty Review & Analysis

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and became the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. It’s estimated to have been responsible for $81.2 billion (2005 U.S. dollars) in damage. The storm surge caused severe and catastrophic damage along the Gulf coast, devastating the cities of Mobile, Alabama; Waveland and Biloxi/Gulfport in Mississippi; and New Orleans and other towns in Louisiana. Levees separating Lake Pontchartrain and several canals from New Orleans were breached by the surge, subsequently flooding 80 percent of the city and many areas of neighboring parishes for weeks. The economic and emotional effects of the storm were far-reaching.

In Spring 2007, WHY conducted site visits with grassroots organizations and one government program to discuss the condition of the region, the spirit of the communities, and the challenges of rebuilding. The Gulf Coast Poverty Review & Analysis came out of those visits. It documents the economic and social conditions of the region. The goal of the Gulf Coast Poverty Review & Analysis is to spread the word about the state of the Gulf Coast and inspire action as well as highlight some of the wonderful grassroots organizations that are helping in rebuilding these communities. The Review seeks to be a source for high-visibility discussion of Gulf Coast poverty issues and to remind people across the U.S. that these organizations still need assistance and support.

To download the Review in a PDF format, visit, please click here.

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White Earth: Raising Good Food
by Ellie Hurley

It seems a common practice to look back at our historical injustices, note the advances of today, and pat ourselves on the back for how far we've come. Yes we may all vote, yes we may all go to the same schools, shop at the same stores, drink from the same fountains. But CAN we all do these things? All one must do to find that answer is look at who, in America, lives in poverty. The answer is clear ... no, we all can't. Racism is still alive and well in this country, and there is no place this is more evident than on reservations. Native Americans are still subjected to level of discrimination that runs so deep it's in their blood ... literally. Thanks to our strategic dismantling of their culture, which includes their native eating habits, Native Americans are 2.2 times more likely to have diabetes than non-hispanic whites (American Diabetes Association).

Winona LaDuke, an Anishinaabekwe (Ojibwe) member of Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg, returned to her father's native home, the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota, after graduating from Harvard in 1984. She soon became an activist fighting to return thousands of acres of land to the Anishinaabekwe. With money from her 1989 Reebok Human Rights Award LaDuke began White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP), a 2007 Harry Chapin Self Reliance Award Winner (HCSRA) . WHY has long been a supporter of grassroots organizations focusing on teaching self reliance in Native American Communities. Laduke's respected record as an environmental activist and the comprehensive programs offered by WELRP made their inclusion in our 2007 winners an easy decision. The mission of WELRP is to facilitate recovery of the original land base of the White Earth Indian Reservation, while preserving and restoring traditional practices of sound land stewardship, language fluency, community development, and strengthening spiritual and cultural heritage.

To read the rest of this article, please click here.

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The Food Bill Battle: The Victories and Losses
by Ellie Hurley

The food crisis we are now living amidst only serves to further emphasize the importance and extreme impact of the farm bill recently passed in congress and the senate. First passed in 1949, the farm bill contains provisions regarding commodity subsidies, food assistance, conservation, agricultural trade, credit, rural development, research and other farm, food, and rural policies. This one bill decides the fate of our food stamp program, our family farmers, our environmental practices, and much more.

For those of us with a vested interest in honestly reducing poverty, increasing local food consumption, and ending world hunger (among other things), the passing of the 2008 Farm Bill was bitter sweet. The battle to pass the farm bill was long and hard fought, culminating in Bush's veto of the bill which was swiftly overturned. In an era where the current administration has pushed free trade, offered tax breaks to factory farmers, lowered environmental standards, and increased the number of people living in poverty passing a progressive and comprehensive farm bill was a priority for many. While there are wins within the current farm bill, it also leaves much to be desired. One look at this bill, what was improved and what wasn't, gives the reader a clear view of our fractured political system along with the misconceptions about the connections between poverty, food, and the economy.

In his statement when vetoing the bill Bush said, "Today's farm economy is very strong and that is something to celebrate. It is also an appropriate time to better target subsidies and put forth real reform. Farm income is expected to exceed the 10-year average by 50 percent this year, yet Congress' bill asks American taxpayers to subsidize the incomes of married farmers who earn $1.5 million per year. I believe doing so at a time of record farm income is irresponsible and jeopardizes America's support for necessary farm programs." Not only is this statement a gross misrepresentation of the true facts regarding our nations family farms but it also aims to focus the nations attention on the farming aspect of the farm bill and not the multiple other environmental and social aspects of the legislation.

To read the rest of Ellie's article, please visit The WHY Reporter.

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Hunger Facts That You Should Know

• An average family of four currently tosses out $590 per year, just in meat, fruits, vegetables and grain products.
• In the Asian, African and Latin American countries, well over 500 million people are living in what the World Bank has called "absolute poverty."
• Every year, 15 million children die of hunger.
• For the price of one missile, a school full of hungry children could eat lunch every day for 5 years.