Often conditions of poverty are confused with conditions of neglect, which may mean their children are going hungry and are malnourished, living in an unhealthy or unsafe mold and rat infested building. Unemployment and poverty weigh down on both the mind and the body. The chronic stress they experience coupled with systemic racism and sexism and the inequitable access to quality housing, jobs and health care heightens the crisis for low-income parents struggling with mental illness and drug abuse. Gaining insight into those struggles also provides insight into the wellbeing of their children—our students.
Transcripts of Videos Referenced in Chapter 5
Video Guide