Every Child Has the Right to a Free School Meal
Co-published with Jacobin. When schools offer universal free meals, hungry kids eat. They also have better academic performance, behavior, attendance, and psychosocial functioning.
From Meager Pay to Malnutrition, School Cafeterias Are in Crisis
Co-published with Jacobin. School meal programs across the US are in disarray due to major staffing shortages and exploitative business practices, and kids are shouldering the burden.
The Goal Shouldn’t Be Ending Poverty. The Goal Should Be Human Flourishing.
Co-published with Jacobin. The true goal of public policy shouldn’t be nudging people over the poverty line but enabling people to lead good lives, writes Elliot Haspel.
Nomen Est Omen
Co-published with Believer Magazine. In low-income communities, a nickname becomes a means to combat hardship — and an avenue for reinvention.
Eliminating Child Poverty With a Government Check
Co-published with The New York Times. In clear, spare prose, Jeff Madrick lays out a proposal for something akin to a basic income guarantee for parents of children under 18.
Cleaning Day
Co-published with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In Glasgow, Scotland, anti-poverty programs coordinate services and give voice — and hope — to kids in disadvantaged areas.
Kee’Miyah & The Boxoplentys
Co-published with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In southwestern Pennsylvania, an 8-year-old child copes with poverty in her community with the power of storytelling.
A Shelter on Horseshoe Island
Co-published with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. As family financial woes mount and his mother's cancer encroaches, Anthony Brown's mind drifts to a place where he can still be a kid: Horseshoe Island.
Jared’s Narrowed World
Co-published with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Violence in Hawkins Village drove Jared Todd, 16, to a largely indoor existence in which his anxious energy bursts forth in art and gaming.