War on Poverty’s 50th Anniversary
January marks the 50th Anniversary of the War on Poverty, legislation initiated by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The War on Poverty was launched to combat the almost sixteen percent poverty rate (Table 13) for families. The legislation led to programs in education and health care with such programs as Head Start, Medicare and Medicaid. You can read more about the history and legacy of the War on Poverty in:
President Johnson’s War on Poverty: rhetoric and history
The Birth of Head Start: preschool education policies in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations
Legacies of the War on Poverty
With the poverty rate for families now at 11.8 percent, the highest it has been since 1994, Confronting Suburban Poverty in America takes a new look at metropolitan poverty with recommendations on the best ways to combat poverty amidst the changing geographical landscape.