On today's podcast, we are pleased to present a recent press conference on child poverty by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and a conversation with Kate

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.

Black. Queer. Muslim. Disabled. A political refugee from Liberia. In foster care at age 8 in Minnesota. Founder and Executive Director of Atlas of Blackness.

Lucina Kayee certainly had the deck stacked against her, but she has taken this life experience and dedicated it to helping protect vulnerable youth and reform foster care--and the communities where foster children come from.

Our guest today takes us through her experience in the foster care system, the history of foster care, and her proposed solutions and goals. Her aim is to protect youth currently in the system and offer resources to those children's home communities.

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.

Social Security is a key anti-poverty policy in the U.S. that lifts millions of children out of poverty -- yet most of us think of it only as a retirement program. Also, did you know that poverty is a killer? Dr. Brady tells us how he found that poverty kills 10 times more people than homicide.

Our guests:

- Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings | Founder, President, CEO of Global Policy Solutions

- Dr. David Brady | Professor at the University of California Riverside & Director of the Blum Initiative on Global & Regional Policy

Dr. Rockeymoore Cummings explains how Social Security is key to lifting children out of poverty by explaining the ways in which children benefit directly and indirectly from the program. She also offers thoughts on how to ensure the program is fully funded without making any cuts to current programming.

Dr. David Brady tells us about his research into how much death is caused by poverty in the United States. It's a staggering amount that has huge human and economic impacts--and he thinks lawmakers who vote to increase poverty should face the fact that their votes lead directly to loss of life.

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.

Everyone can do their part to eradicate childhood poverty. Dads need to champion policies related to supporting families, and anyone can contribute their time, treasure, or talent to help local nonprofits serving the unhoused.

Our guests:

Rep. Goldman discusses his work founding the first Dads Caucus and highlights why policies like the Child Tax Credit are both compassionate solutions and financially sound decisions for our country.

Deborah tells listeners how Stevie Wonder, Bobbi Brown, and Madison Park came together to get her inspired to kick off three decades of work helping unhoused mothers and children in New York City.

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.

Lifting children out of poverty requires whole child, whole community, holistic policies.

Our guests:

Kercena discusses child poverty in New York state and the multiple policy initiatives that will significantly reduce child poverty. If successful, other states could follow these examples.

Alissa talks about her work in changing the perception of poverty by using mainstream media outlets to amplify the voices of those experiencing poverty.

Dr. Rita Hamad shares her research around the social determinants of health and how increased income can change mental and physical health outcomes for children.

"And so it's really important that for us to understand how are policies working and who are they working for so that we can design them intelligently going forward?"

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.

The families with the most financial need are excluded from policies that provide support.

Our guests:

Rosa and Brian discuss how the system is set up today in a way that doesn't allow support to reach those who need it most. Rosa thinks that public needs to rally around policies that support Americans in need, especially since the expanded Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Act had clear and immediate results that matched its vision.

Brian talks through some logistics of how the Houston Food Bank feeds 1 million people per year, but he also shares his thoughts on how to truly address the issue of food insecurity in the United States.

 “Food insecurity isn't about food. Food insecurity is about income.”

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.

Our guests:

This episode's guests highlight the findings of a study that found the trauma of poverty and racism negatively impact the brains of 9 and 10-year-old boys. Dr. Harnett discusses his study and his recommendations for a path forward to undo this damage. 

Clara Moore shares her personal and professional insights on poverty, including what she calls the ghost of poverty. She discusses how children who grow up impoverished often remain only one paycheck away from abject poverty as adults. Programs like the Child Tax Credit have been shown to be effective in lifting children out of poverty. 

Our hosts:

This podcast is based on Jeff's book, "Invisible Americans: The Tragic Cost of Child Poverty." We have two guests on this episode who speak eloquently about poverty in America, changes to welfare reform, how the COVID-19 pandemic showed us policies can help the poorest people in our country, and what's next for the Child Tax Credit.

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.

A discussion into the issues of poverty and housing affordability in the United States.

Our guests: 

This episode's guests highlight the need for policy changes and public awareness to address these issues. Dr. Mason and Erin Boggs remind us that there is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that all families have access to affordable housing in order to break the cycle of poverty.

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

Our hosts:

This podcast is based on Jeff's book, "Invisible Americans: The Tragic Cost of Child Poverty." We have two guests on this episode who speak eloquently about poverty in America, changes to welfare reform, how the COVID-19 pandemic showed us policies can help the poorest people in our country, and what's next for the Child Tax Credit.

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 address the travesty of child poverty." - Carol Jenkins

In our first episode, we introduce our hosts:

This podcast is based on Jeff's book, "Invisible Americans: The Tragic Cost of Child Poverty." We have two guests on this episode who speak eloquently about poverty in America, changes to welfare reform, how the COVID-19 pandemic showed us policies can help the poorest people in our country, and what's next for the Child Tax Credit.

Learn how welfare reform led to a pervasive and invisible malady among the most poverty-stricken in the nation: living in a capitalist society with no cash income. The Child Tax Credit could help every parent, just as it did throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But with the 118th Congress already in session, what does the future of the Child Tax Credit look like? Ashley also gives ways that you can help reinstate this program at the federal and state level.

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.