The Shadow of Poverty

Dialog Journalism®: Putting Into Context Generational Poverty, Stigma and Health Outcomes

By: Christine Marie Nielsen

Narrated by: Marla Briggs

Writer and journo-tech pioneer Christine Marie Nielsen didn't think she'd be returning to her native city of Milwaukee (oft called the most segregated city in the US in terms of socio-economic and racial lines), but because of family income constraints and a resulting need to help her parents, she does. While there, she looks into systemic problems and what makes the city tick, but she also finds herself being pulled back into a cycle of poverty.

"Poverty is particularly ensnaring because it's both a trigger and an outcome," writes Nielsen. "Family history, lack of access to resources, chronic stress and health problems can lock in poverty conditions for multiple generations."

Further, she adds that the long-term impacts can "have health ramifications, impact family structures and block social and economic mobility".

©2020 Christine Marie Nielsen (P)2021 Christine Marie Nielsen