Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Session 10.10 History and Poverty
Presentation #1 Title
Seeking Vision: Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of LBJ’s War on Poverty
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
On May 7, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed a large crowd that filled the College Green on Ohio University’s Athens campus to publicly declare the War on Poverty, stating: “Our challenge, not tomorrow but today, is to accomplish objectives which have eluded mankind since the beginning of time. We must bring equal justice to all our citizens. We must abolish human poverty”. Fifty years later, institutions and communities in Appalachian Southeast Ohio continue to bear witness to the type of poverty and injustice Johnson implored us to end. Our presentation will offer a retrospective to help us understand the roots of poverty and the hardships experienced by the thousands of immigrants who put their hope in the coal mines of this region. We will especially focus on the Little Cities of Black Diamonds, a unique microregion that encompasses Athens and its surrounding regions. Although it exemplifies the structural, persistent nature of poverty, it also offers the possibilities of change evident through organization and unity. After a brief review of the impact of the War on Poverty, we will present how community stakeholders continue to meet Johnson’s challenge through grassroots community development, sustainability outreach projects, and providing opportunity for first-generation college students – exemplars of collaboration between institutions and communities. These endeavors have proven key to long-term change towards an improved quality of life for the microregion’s citizens and environmental health. Thus, although challenges remain, we can re-envision the possibilities for our region.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Frans H. Doppen is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Teacher Education in the Patton College of Education at Ohio University in Athens. Dr. Doppen has a strong research interest in the Appalachian region of Southeast Ohio which has resulted in book manuscript on R.L. Davis, an early African American labor organizer from the interracial mining community of Rendville.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Jennifer Hinkle is a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at Ohio University and an elementary school teacher in Athens City School District. She has a background in journalism and is interested in Appalachian issues, media literacy, and civic literacy.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Tiffany Laipply is the Assistant Director of the Washington State Community College Upward Bound program. She is a doctoral student in Curriculum and instruction with a specialization in Appalachian studies and rural education. Her research interests focus on first generation and low-income Appalachian high school students.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Loraine McCosker is an instructor, academic advisor and outreach coordinator in the Environmental Studies program at Ohio University. She currently coordinates the Common Experience Project on Sustainability, a multi-year effort to educate faculty, students and community members to the concepts of sustainability and ecological literacy.
Additional presenter:
John Winnenberg is the founder and lead staff associate of Sunday Creek Associates, a non- profit community development organization founded in 1990 and currently operating in the Little Cities of Black Diamonds microregion. As a community organizer and leader he has reached out to Ohio University, to include among many other activities organizing a conference to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Lyndon B. Johnson’s visit to the Athens campus to announce his War on Poverty.
Seeking Vision: Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of LBJ’s War on Poverty
Harris Hall 139
On May 7, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed a large crowd that filled the College Green on Ohio University’s Athens campus to publicly declare the War on Poverty, stating: “Our challenge, not tomorrow but today, is to accomplish objectives which have eluded mankind since the beginning of time. We must bring equal justice to all our citizens. We must abolish human poverty”. Fifty years later, institutions and communities in Appalachian Southeast Ohio continue to bear witness to the type of poverty and injustice Johnson implored us to end. Our presentation will offer a retrospective to help us understand the roots of poverty and the hardships experienced by the thousands of immigrants who put their hope in the coal mines of this region. We will especially focus on the Little Cities of Black Diamonds, a unique microregion that encompasses Athens and its surrounding regions. Although it exemplifies the structural, persistent nature of poverty, it also offers the possibilities of change evident through organization and unity. After a brief review of the impact of the War on Poverty, we will present how community stakeholders continue to meet Johnson’s challenge through grassroots community development, sustainability outreach projects, and providing opportunity for first-generation college students – exemplars of collaboration between institutions and communities. These endeavors have proven key to long-term change towards an improved quality of life for the microregion’s citizens and environmental health. Thus, although challenges remain, we can re-envision the possibilities for our region.
