Note: this episode deals with discussions of suicide and depression. Please listen with care. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or visit 988lifeline.org to get help and guidance.

This week, Jeff and Carol talk with Jonnel Doris, CEO of START Treatment & Recovery Centers, about the state of teen mental health: The American Academy of Pediatrics declared a state of emergency for these young people, and Jonnel discusses how his organization helps – and how you can, too. Then Soraya Chemaly, author of The Resilience Myth, asks us to abandon the idea of individual resilience and sheds light on romanticized moments from the past, showing us resilience relies on community. Mark Bittman wraps up the show by telling us his “radical notion” (not really) that high-quality food should be accessible to all people, and he shares his plan for restaurants centered on that idea.

For more detailed show notes and a full transcript, see the Podcast page on the Invisible Americans website.

The Invisible Americans Podcast is a non-profit communications organization. Its mission is to end child poverty. The podcast is hosted by Co-Presidents Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins.

Music for this and all episodes is provided by Bridget St. John. Audio editing by Sylvester P. Lukasiewicz. Show notes and transcript by Amy Yoder.

Jeff and Carol kick off Season 3 with an eye-opening look at the hidden crises facing kids and families today.

Rachel Sabella from No Kid Hungry breaks down how food insecurity is getting worse in New York, where 85% of families say they can’t keep up with grocery prices. She shares why programs like SNAP and the Child Tax Credit are so important—and how we need bipartisan action to make real progress.

Then, journalist Alice Driver talks with guest host Dr. Nikhil Goyal about the meatpacking industry, exposing the heartbreaking conditions workers face, including the shocking rise in child labor as protections are rolled back.

Finally, Megan Curran is back to talk about how the expanded Child Tax Credit briefly slashed child poverty—and why it’s crucial we bring it back to support struggling families.

Tune in to hear what’s happening and how we can all make a difference for kids.

--

For more detailed show notes and a full transcript, see the Podcast page on the Invisible Americans website.

The Invisible Americans Podcast is a non-profit communications organization. Its mission is to end child poverty. The podcast is hosted by Co-Presidents Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins.

Music for this and all episodes is provided by Bridget St. John. Audio editing by Sylvester P. Lukasiewicz. Show notes and transcript by Amy Yoder.

In honor of the Fourth of July, we are proud to present this panel, originally recorded at the "Disrupting Poverty" conference hosted by EMPath in March 2024.

Dr. Kathryn Edin, Dr. H. Luke Shaefer and Timothy Jon Nelson discuss the persistence of poverty in America, particularly in Appalachia, and the historical and ongoing mechanisms that perpetuate inequality.

For more detailed show notes and a full transcript, see the Podcast page on the Invisible Americans website.

The Invisible Americans Podcast is a non-profit communications organization. Its mission is to end child poverty. The podcast is hosted by Co-Presidents Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins.

Music for this and all episodes is provided by Bridget St. John. Audio editing by Sylvester P. Lukasiewicz. Show notes and transcript by Amy Yoder.

We're proud to present this Pride-centric panel presented by CASA-NYC on how we can all work to support LGBTQIA+ foster youth.

The panel is hosted by Steven Baker, VP of development at Candle Media. Friend and guest of the podcast David Ambroz shares his story of homelessness and being a queer youth in foster care. Chef Brieanna Hayes, former CASA fellow, also speaks on her experience and her work now. Steven Gordon, director of LGBTQ+ Equity Strategies at NYC's Administration of Children's Services, talks how we can continue to create affirming and inclusive spaces.

For more detailed show notes and a full transcript, see the Podcast page on the Invisible Americans website.

The Invisible Americans Podcast is a non-profit communications organization. Its mission is to end child poverty. The podcast is hosted by Co-Presidents Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins.

Music for this and all episodes is provided by Bridget St. John. Audio editing by Sylvester P. Lukasiewicz. Show notes and transcript by Amy Yoder.

In this special episode of The Invisible Americans Podcast, we partnered with Kim Janey, president and CEO of Economic Mobility Pathways. Enjoy this special presentation of this conversation between Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Dr. Ibram X Kendi at their March "Disrupting Poverty" conference.

As we celebrate Juneteenth and the end of slavery in the United States, we have to simultaneously honor and uplift the issues that we see in our society today, which are direct descendants of the racial inequities that make up the foundation of this country.

For more detailed show notes and a full transcript, see the Podcast page on the Invisible Americans website.

The Invisible Americans Podcast is a non-profit communications organization. Its mission is to end child poverty. The podcast is hosted by Co-Presidents Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins.

Music for this and all episodes is provided by Bridget St. John. Audio editing by Sylvester P. Lukasiewicz. Show notes and transcript by Amy Yoder.

In this episode, hosts Jeff and Carol talk to Kim Janey, former mayor of Boston and now president and CEO of EMPath. This Boston-based organization transforms people’s lives by helping them move out of poverty and to provide other institutions with the tools to systematically do the same.

Then we present a session between Lee Pelton and Darrick Hamilton from EMPath's "Disrupting Poverty" conference, which took place in March 2024.

For more detailed show notes and a full transcript, see the Podcast page on the Invisible Americans website.

The Invisible Americans Podcast is a non-profit communications organization. Its mission is to end child poverty. The podcast is hosted by Co-Presidents Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins.

Music for this and all episodes is provided by Bridget St. John. Audio editing by Sylvester P. Lukasiewicz. Show notes and transcript by Amy Yoder.

In this recording of our third live panel, presented with The Bridge Project at Roosevelt House, we discuss a simple, effective way of alleviating childhood poverty: direct cash payments.

Listen in to an illuminating discussion between:

For more detailed show notes and a full transcript, see the Podcast page on the Invisible Americans website.

The Invisible Americans Podcast is a non-profit communications organization. Its mission is to end child poverty. The podcast is hosted by Co-Presidents Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins.

Music for this and all episodes is provided by Bridget St. John. Audio editing by Sylvester P. Lukasiewicz. Show notes and transcript by Amy Yoder.

In this episode of The Invisible Americans podcast, hosts Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins speak to Emi Nietfeld, who details her journey out of childhood poverty and warns against using success stories to deny help to others.

Then they speak with Eboni Brown and Kaleen Daughtery, members of the parental advisory board of the ABC Coalition, which aims to provide an Automatic Benefit for Children.

For more detailed show notes and a full transcript, see the Podcast page on the Invisible Americans website.

The Invisible Americans Podcast is a non-profit communications organization. Its mission is to end child poverty. The podcast is hosted by Co-Presidents Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins.

Music for this and all episodes is provided by Bridget St. John. Audio editing by Sylvester P. Lukasiewicz. Show notes and transcript by Amy Yoder.

In this episode of The Invisible Americans podcast, hosts Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins ask Alex Coccia for updates on the expanded child tax credit and talk to the CEO of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Elizabeth McCarthy.

For more detailed show notes and a full transcript, see the Podcast page on the Invisible Americans website.

The Invisible Americans Podcast is a non-profit communications organization. Its mission is to end child poverty. The podcast is hosted by Co-Presidents Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins.

Music for this and all episodes is provided by Bridget St. John. Audio editing by Sylvester P. Lukasiewicz. Show notes and transcript by Amy Yoder.

In today's episode, hosts Jeff and Carol talk with two people on the ground in Flint, Michigan.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Dr. Luke Shaefer.

Listen to Dr. Shaefer discuss his work on Episode 22.

Together, Dr. Hanna-Attisha and Dr. Shaefer are directing Rx Kids, a program that gives cash to expectant people and provides guaranteed income for the first year of their lives.

Hear how the program got started and what is next for those living in Flint.

For more detailed show notes and a full transcript, see the Podcast page on the Invisible Americans website.

The Invisible Americans Podcast is a non-profit communications organization. Its mission is to end child poverty. The podcast is hosted by Co-Presidents Jeff Madrick and Carol Jenkins.

Music for this and all episodes is provided by Bridget St. John. Audio editing by Sylvester P. Lukasiewicz. Show notes and transcript by Amy Yoder.