Links:
Part 1
The Poor People’s Campaign called on Congress to pass an “economic bill of rights” for all Americans, black and white. Read the newspaper editorials and letters to the editor concerning the Poor People’s March.
The Assignment:
In your groups of three or four, review the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution, and think of what items it might want to include in an economic bill of rights, and make your own proposed list. Consider areas such as jobs or income, housing, education, and health care. When you are finished, compare your list with that of the demands prepared by the Poor People’s Campaign.
Part 2
In 1966 Congress made major changes in federal welfare rules designed to encourage welfare recipients to work. Since then, a number of states have designed programs for welfare recipients who have problems that prevent them from getting good-paying jobs—such as a disability or a lack of education—to help them overcome these problems. Critics complain that states should focus more on getting welfare recipients into jobs, regardless of what these jobs pay or whether they have opportunities for advancement, and in 2006 Congress tightened federal welfare rules in order to push states in that direction.
The Assignment: From Welfare to Work.
Write a paragraph giving your view on the following question: Do you think welfare recipients should receive help to go to college or vocational school, or should they be required to find whatever kind of job the currently qualify for?
Then in your group, find out what Nebraska’s welfare policies are. What rules must welfare recipients follow? What programs are available to help them overcome problems that can prevent them from working?