Poverty Magazine Online Version

FOUNDER, PUBLISHER AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR TASHA C. MILLER

ARTICLES FEATURE WRITER TASHA C. MILLER

PHOTOGRAPHY Stock photography courtesy of everystockphoto.com Stock photography courtesy of morguefile.com Stock photography courtesy of everystockphoto.com Tasha C. Miller

PRODUCTION Tasha C. Miller IMAGING Tasha C. Miller RESEARCH Tasha C. Miller

CONTRIBUTORS George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James Knox Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Simpson Grant, Rutherford Birchard Hayes, James Abram Garfield, Chester Alan Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren Gamaliel Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Clark Hoover, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight David Eisenhower, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Richard Milhous Nixon, Gerald Rudolph Ford, James Earl Carter Jr., Ronald Wilson Reagan, George Herbert Walker Bush, George Walker Bush

STATEMENT FROM THE EDITOR Poverty. When we hear the word poverty it alone can inflict an inner sadness, it conjures up images of adults and children living in squalid conditions. We imagine hopelessness and despair and for some of us it invokes a deep sense of helplessness. When we see a homeless person on the street we seldom consider their reality. We have as a country become immune and at times, cold toward the homeless and those living in poverty. Conspicuous consumption surrounds us daily and the things we take for granted are poor peoples’ luxuries in life. Purpose. Defined in the dictionary as: the reason for which something exists. Knowing why an adult, child or entire family lives in poverty or is homeless is of no immediate concern, what circumstances put them in their present condition doesn’t matter. A better question than how they reached this point is why do they remain there? In a country that has of May 2007 spent nearly $422 billion dollars on the war in Iraq, we have adults and children living lives comparable to those in third world countries. They are not far from where you are right now, I challenge you to travel 5 miles in any direction and not encounter a homeless person. Or better yet a person who works 40 or more hours a week and still lives below the poverty line. They are the service workers who make your life easier, who make your businesses run smoothly. The people who do the grunt work. The same ones a large number of you ignore, belittle and neglect to say “good morning” and “thank you” to. There is no acceptable reason for poverty’s existence. However, Poverty Magazine does have a purpose, but it is not to offer a solution. That responsibility lies with society and the government of this country. Our purpose is to present the problem. To cause outrage, to shock and sadden you, to make you laugh and then feel guilty for laughing, to make you angry, and spark something in you to assemble the masses and begin to work on a solution in order to end poverty. You, the reader of this magazine should be uncomfortable after viewing what you see in these pages. While some of the advertisements will conjure up a nervous, uncomfortable giggle, it is quickly replaced by an overwhelming sense of guilt for laughing at the irony. We are looking to turn that guilt into action. The homeless people in the advertisements who can not afford food and shelter clearly can not afford these products. Love or hate Poverty Magazine it will affect you deeply and inspire you to act. Don’t approve of the magazine? Why? Do you believe we have mocked the poor? We haven’t mocked them. The United States government has mocked them by ignoring them, ridiculing them and treating them with contempt. We have simply put them in a context that will alarm and anger you. The images in the advertisements should linger in the psyche long after seeing the magazine. We didn’t create poverty and homelessness just as the inner cities didn’t create guns and violence we are merely presenting the problem to you in a manner in which you will come to realize how senseless the epidemic of poverty in this country is. Poverty Magazine will force you to ask the questions; “What can I do? What can the Fortune 500 company I work for do? What can we as citizens who live above the poverty line do to help those who live below it? What can we do to force the United States government to take poverty as seriously as they do oil?” You as a reader can make a difference. ON TRADITION Print is one of the oldest forms of protest just as poverty is one of society’s oldest evils. I’ve decided to protest an age old problem in a traditional method. As basic as the necessities of food and shelter are to all people, print publication is to protest in the 21st century. Poverty Magazine taps into the imagery of contemporary culture in the tradition of a great number of today’s glossy, overpriced publications–heavy on advertisements of popular culture products and light on actual content. Even with the dominance of the internet and television, print publications in its simplest form will never go out of style.

Poverty Magazine has the potential to be a strong piece of protest literature. Individually each article and advertisement is powerful, but collectively as a magazine with every page taken in context, it relays a shocking and aggressive message to the reader. As Professor John Stauffer states, “protest literature achieves its power and effectiveness in one of two ways: empathy; and shock value.” I believe Poverty Magazine has a great deal of both. Poverty Magazine in the formal tradition of protest literature builds upon the newspapers of The Black Panther Party and William Lloyd Garrison’s anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator. Garrison states in the first issue, "I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. . . . I am in earnest -- I will not equivocate -- I will not excuse -- I will not retreat a single inch – and I will be heard." The images Garrison used in The Liberator shocked and angered a great deal of Southerners during its time. Garrison understood the power of imagery and the power of shock value. Emory Douglas, the Minister of Culture and graphic artist of the Black Panther Party’s newspapers understood the affects of his confrontational images and the importance of shocking and angering the reader. Historically, Poverty Magazine connects to the poor people’s movement led by the Black Panther Party. The party created more than 35 community programs for African Americans and poor people that were often called “Survival Programs.” Poverty Magazine builds upon several aspects of the party’s Ten Point Plan: 1. WE WANT FREEDOM. WE WANT POWER TO DETERMINE THE DESTINY OF OUR BLACK AND OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES. 2. WE WANT FULL EMPLOYMENT FOR OUR PEOPLE. 3. WE WANT AN END TO THE ROBBERY BY THE CAPITALISTS OF OUR BLACK AND OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES. 4. WE WANT DECENT HOUSING, FIT FOR THE SHELTER OF HUMAN BEINGS. 5. WE WANT DECENT EDUCATION FOR OUR PEOPLE THAT EXPOSES THE TRUE NATURE OF THIS DECADENT AMERICAN SOCIETY. WE WANT EDUCATION THAT TEACHES US OUR TRUE HISTORY AND OUR ROLE IN THE PRESENT-DAY SOCIETY. 6. WE WANT COMPLETELY FREE HEALTH CARE FOR All BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE. 7. WE WANT AN IMMEDIATE END TO POLICE BRUTALITY AND MURDER OF BLACK PEOPLE, OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR, All OPPRESSED PEOPLE INSIDE THE UNITED STATES. 8. WE WANT AN IMMEDIATE END TO ALL WARS OF AGGRESSION. 9. WE WANT FREEDOM FOR ALL BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE NOW HELD IN U. S. FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, CITY AND MILITARY PRISONS AND JAILS. WE WANT TRIALS BY A JURY OF PEERS FOR All PERSONS CHARGED WITH SO-CALLED CRIMES UNDER THE LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY. 10. WE WANT LAND, BREAD, HOUSING, EDUCATION, CLOTHING, JUSTICE, PEACE AND PEOPLE'S COMMUNITY CONTROL OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY. Specifically, our focus is on the calls for full employment, decent housing, and free health care. If everyone in this country were granted these vital points there would be no need for Poverty Magazine and what homeless people and those living in poverty unfortunately view as privileges out of their reach would be given as an inalienable right. I invite you to celebrate our anniversary with me. Poverty was here long before Poverty Magazine, but together we can bring it to an end. We are Poverty…Everywhere you want to be.

special report:

U.S. HOMELESS POPULATION AT 36 The United States homeless population has reached a 20 year high at 36. New York City retains it’s number one spot with a whopping 8 homeless people scarring the image of the otherwise urban utopia. Washington, D.C., Oakland and Detroit all tied for a close second at 6. New to the list with a possible economically devestating debut is Los Angeles with 4 homeless people. Also new to this years list is Orlando where a jaw dropping 2 adults and 1 child were spotted around Walt Disney World. First thought to be a new cast of characters, the Walt Disney Corporation later confirmed that this “family of chararcters” was not employed by the amusement park and that all employees are strictly forbidden from asking for money, food, healthcare or housing. New Orleans, Minneapolis, and Atlanta round out the top 9 each with 1 residentially challenged citizen. Absent from this years list is Houston who shipped their lone homeless person back the New Orleans in a wooden crate via UPS. At press time repeated calls to the White House regarding this powderkeg of an epidemic affecting a nation of nearly 300,000,000 were not returned. = confirmed spotting of 1 homeless person

Anti-Poverty Rally Interrupts Homeless Man’s Mid-Morning Nap Boston, Ma – Chuck Barrett’s mid-morning nap was interrupted with chants of “house the homeless, house the homeless.” A diverse group of homeless advocates unknowingly held a massive rally to protest against homelessness right in the middle of Barrett’s 10AM nap. Nearly 100 people jammed Boston’s Downtown Crossing area in support of housing the homeless. Touting the napping homeless man as a symbol of “America’s Forgotten” the group began chanting “no housing, no peace, no housing, no peace.” Finally fed up and unable to ignore the increasing noise level Johnson stood up. Standing at barely 5 feet tall but possessing a commanding presence a hush fell over the crowd. They balanced on pins and needles as they awaited words of wisdom from Johnson, what would this symbol of everything that is wrong with this world have to say? Barrett steadied himself on his feet his eyes glossed over the crowd as he appeared to memorize each face. In the midst of the eerie silence there was a lone hand clap and then another and another until the crowd that had swelled to nearly 200 people clapped in eager anticipation. Barrett raised his hand and the crowd fell silent. Barrett cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Please, I beg of you, people listen and hear me.” He paused. “Shut the fuck up! I’m trying to take a nap here!” The crowd roared with applause singing Chuck, Chuck, Chuck! At last report Chuck never did finish his nap that afternoon. Chuck Barret, Mid-afternoon nap, the day after

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Bush Appoints Condoleeza Rice in Charge of Poor People

Washington,D.C.— President Bush appointed Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice “in charge of them people” referring to the country’s poor and homeless. “We need someone to watch over them, make sure those rascals get something to eat every once in a while,” said the President. When asked for comment on her newly announced responsibilities Rice said, “What? In charge of who?” We immediately realized that Poverty Magazine had an exclusive on our hands as we were the first to inform Ms. Rice of her new post. After quickly regaining her composure she vowed that she would “bend over backward for President Bush and would form a Poor People exploratory committee,” Rice continued “the committee will find out where the poor people are located and pay them a visit.” We can only assume that news of Rice’s appointment as their leader would draw some type of response from poor people but at press time despite numerous rumored sightings we were unable to locate any of them.

Hector Ramirez (right) was mistaken by Poverty Magazine as a poor person. Later, Hector informed us that he is a Professor at Berkeley on summer vacation.

Even the homeless need a best friend.