A View from the Bottom: Poor People and Their Allies Respond to Welfare Reform

Abstract

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) is construed as simply affecting or attacking "welfare moms." The authors see welfare recipients as only the first and most visible targets of this and related welfare reform measures. The ultimate objective, the authors argue, is a downsized standard of living for the majority of Americans, justified by a restricted vision of human rights. Like the 1857 Dred Scott decision and the abolition of slavery, the PRWORA is a clarion call about the necessity of building a powerful movement to abolish poverty once and for all. Such a movement must be grounded in the unity, leadership, and widespread organization of the poor and guided by an unrestricted vision of economic human rights for all. This article describes the authors' approach to building this new movement.