This American Life

Barbara
"This American Life" did an entire broadcast of audio from a single mother living in the projects. If you were to judge a book by its cover, you would probably assume this mother was on welfare, a drug addict, had many children by different fathers, and probably spoke in only in only Ebonics. This was far from the case though. Barbara Clinkcale is a data entry worker, speaks very good grammar, drives her 17 year old children to school every morning, and does not have any drug or alcohol problems. She does live in one of the worst neighborhoods on the south side of Chicago though. She made it a point in her audio to let the public know her apartment was spacious and a good size for the money she paid, hence why she still lived in the projects.  Barbara is a very loving and caring single black mother, who only wants the best for her children. Her number one goal is getting her children to graduate from high school, especially her son. Barbara has a special connection with her son. He is the one and only man min her entire life that has merely loved her for her, because she is his mother. It is very touching the way she speaks of him.
Barbara's story is far too familiar for many mothers in poverty. They are not provided a living wage, and until recently the fathers were not required by law to pay for their children. At least now the court system requires men to help these mothers feed their children. Barbara is just like Josephine from Sri Lanka in the reading "A maid by any other name". Although she is still with her children, she is out working hard to support them because no one else is there to help. She is doing it all on her own. And although Josephine has moved further away from her children, distance doesn't always make the difference. If a mother is not around, morals and ethics begin to sway. This is why Barbara is so adamant about taking her son to school every day. She wants to make sure he gets his education, whether he wants to get it or not. All she wants is for her children to get a good education so they can get out of the projects. i dont think thats too much to ask.
U.S. fast-food workers protest, demand a 'living wage' | Reuters
This article was quite intriguing about how far people have to take things in order for anyone to pay attention. A living wage should be in the constitution.  Maybe the gap between the richest of rich and poorest of poor would stop growing.