It’s Blog Action Day

By On October 15, 2008 · 2 Comments

Blog Action Day 2008 It took me a while to decide what to write today. Poverty is one of those things that comfortable people try not to think about. I was in San Francisco last month, and I caught myself averting my eyes when a homeless person stretched his hand out to me. And everyone else walking down the street did the same thing. In Dallas, I, along with the rest of the drivers at a stoplight, clutch my steering wheel and stare ahead when the person panhandling on the corner approaches my window.

I don’t do enough to help other people, particularly people living in poverty.

In my home state, Texas, the poverty rate is 16.3%, higher than the national rate of 13% (source). The majority of impoverished families in Texas are headed by a worker. Depressingly (though perhaps not startlingly), women are much more likely to be impoverished than men. In people with less than a high school education, the poverty rate for women is 31.3% as opposed to 21.6% for men (source).

So what can we do to help impoverished women both here in the United States and worldwide?

  • Donate to Care.Org’s Empower Women Around the World, a charity that empowers women to create lasting solutions to poverty by improving education, preventing the spread of HIV, increasing access to clean water and sanitation, expanding economic opportunity and protecting natural resources.
  • Get involved with Women Thrive Worldwide, an organization that shapes U.S. policies that can help women lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
  • Donate to or volunteer to work at a local women’s shelter. Do a Google search to find shelters in your area. If you’re in Dallas, you can help out at Genesis Women’s Shelter.
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About The Author

TDF Pamela

The Discriminating Fangirl, who is more likely to answer to Pamela if you shout it at her, is the proud owner of an MA in English, focusing on children's/young adult literature and popular culture. She's now not using that degree to work as a project manager for a mobile app company. She reads voraciously, loves geeky movies and tv shows, reads comic books as long as she's not pissed off at Marvel, and when she's procrastinating, she enjoys playing video games. She can be contacted at t.d.fangirl @ gmail.com and followed on Twitter @tdfangirl.

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  • http://deweymonster.com dewey

    I always, always stop and respond to homeless people asking for help. If I don’t have any cash, maybe I’ll go into a nearby shop and get a sandwich for them. I always wonder what it is that makes people avert their eyes. Since you were so honest here about your reaction, I hope I can ask: is it fear? I’ve never been unsafe responding to panhandling.

  • http://blog.phoenixfyre.net The Discriminating Fangirl

    Hi, dewey. I’m not sure exactly why I do it. Part of it probably is fear, but I think part of it is conditioning. Dallas, in my experience, isn’t terribly compassionate toward homeless people. I grew up hearing that many of them will take the money you give them and buy booze or drugs, so on and so forth. I know that my reaction is wrong, and I’m going to make more of an effort to change the way I react. It disturbs me that I react the way I do, and I’m determined to change it.

    Thanks for asking such a thoughtful question. I think that we all need to look at the way we respond to the poverty around us and ask, “Am I doing everything I can?”

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