Last Monday the photographic and multimedia exhibit “Fighting for the Forgotten” opened at the East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, featuring the work of 16 well-known photojournalists sharing their images of what it means to be poor in America. The exhibit is being sponsored jointly by AmericanPoverty.org, the East 91st Christian Church and the Indianapolis Star. It began touring the United States last fall in multiple exhibits sponsored by Catholic Charities USA. The organizers hope that by pushing the hidden adversity of Americans into greater view, the fight against poverty will become a national priority once again. (Photograph by Brenda Ann Kenneally)

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The number of food stamp recipients has climbed by about 10 million over the past two years, resulting in a program that now feeds 1 in 8 Americans and nearly 1 in 4 children. Here is a New York Times interactive map depicting county-by-county food stamp statistics.

AmericanPoverty.org will offer two student grants of $3000 each – one for still photography and one for video or multimedia. The competition will be open to undergraduate or graduate students age 26 or younger and to any photographer, videographer or multimedia producer under age 23 who is not a full-time professional. Candidates for the still photography grant will be asked to submit proposals for projects which will document the need for poverty alleviation. Candidates in the video/multimedia category will be asked to submit proposals for stories of hope and success: individuals, organizations or communities that are transcending poverty and can inspire others. Details and application procedures will be posted here on or before November 1, 2009.
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Over 400 people attended the opening reception for AmericanPoverty.org at Catholic Charities USA’s Annual Gathering in Portland, OR on September 24.  We are proud to collaborate with Catholic Charities USA as together we seek to reduce poverty in America by 50 percent by the year 2020. This collaboration will produce at least nine major photographic and multimedia exhibits through the United States portraying the face of American poverty as Catholic Charities celebrates 100 years of commitment to social justice and poverty alleviation. Dates and specific locations for future exhibits will be posted here as they become available.

Amerticanpoverty.org is proud to announce that contributing photographer and founding member Brenda Ann Kenneally has been awarded the coveted Getty Grant for Editorial Photography for 2009.

A photojournalist of extraordinary talent and compassion, Ms. Kenneally is one of only three professional photographers worldwide to be so honored this year. Her project, “Upstate Girls: What Became of Collar City,” studies the issues of class and poverty in Troy, New York, a once-prosperous city whose traditions and culture have been disrupted by numerous economic and social issues. “My project has followed seven women for five years as their escape routes from poverty have led to further entrapments,” said Kenneally. “In compiling a generational history of the emotional spiral of those resigned to the lower class in the United States, I will use my grant to continue this work over the next year, as the need for nuanced and sustained journalism will be crucial to reflect the social fallout from the economic crisis.”

The grant is sponsored by Getty Images and includes a $20,000 honorarium as well as collaborative support in continuing Ms. Kenneally’s work on Upstate Girls.” All of us at Americanpoverty.org congratulate Ms. Kenneally and look forward to publishing ongoing installments of this important documentary work. Ms. Kenneally’s photo essay Children of the Gulf can be viewed in the photo essay section of this website.

© Brenda Ann Kenneally 2009