Outside the Dream: Child Poverty in America
Stephen Shames | United States
Photographer: Stephen Shames
Exhibit Title: Outside the Dream: Child Poverty in America
Location: United States
The 1980s saw the largest increase in child poverty since the 1960s. Outside the Dream put faces on the statistics—the 13 million poor children living in poverty — adrift in the richest nation in history. In the 1980s children constitute one half of all poor people in America. Today, as income inequality grows, poverty —especially child poverty — is again an issue.
This was published as a book:Outside the Dream: Child Poverty in America(Aperture).
America is a dream.
We are a nation created by our collective dreams.Our founding fathers dreamt of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.My grand-parents came to this country to fulfill their dream religious freedom.Martin Luther King had a dream of freedom.Others dreamt of material success, a better life.Millions continue migrating to our shores with their dreams and aspirations because America continues to be the place where dreams come true.
Yet within our borders a generation of American children exist outside the dream.They have been left behind in poverty and despair.It is as if they are not part of this great country, not part of the American dream.There are more than 12 million American children living in poverty. They constitute one half of all poor people in America. Today, the poor are children. And their numbers are growing.
www.stephenshames.com
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