60 Minutes: The Other America

If you missed this segment last night, please watch. It is rare to see such in-depth coverage of child poverty: Scott Pelley really puts a human face on this problem and challenges us to look around and ask how many of our neighbors and acquaintances are in, or verging on, similar circumstances, and what we can do. (I was especially touched by the story at the end: I generally offer cash on hand no questions asked to individuals I see on the street with signs, but never have I taken their number and pulled strings to actually land them a job.) It’s a thoughtful and hard-hitting commentary: my children couldn’t take their eyes or minds off it.

Thank you to 60 Minutes for reminding us to use this recession as an opportunity to reach out to those around us, and to all the young people who spoke with CBS about the challenges of their every day lives. Your incredible grace and resilience in the face of such social and economic adversity is a sheer inspiration.