Rates and poverty are connected

Martin Luther King jnr waves to the crowd gathered at the Lincoln Memorial for his August 28, 1963 " have a dream"; speech. PHOTO/AP

Martin Luther Ling Jnr was shot and killed less than three weeks before my birth in April 1968.

Within two months, Bobby Kennedy had also died from an assassin's bullet.

But to say I was born into an age of turmoil is nothing compared to that of my best childhood friend. He was born in Detroit to mixed-race parents seven months after the riots of 1967 that resulted in 43 dead, and 2000 buildings destroyed. His mother was two months pregnant at the time and he was given up for adoption, spending most of his childhood living next to my family in a Detroit suburb.

Today he is a successful, married professional with two adopted mixed-race children.

Throughout the 1970s and '80s, we watched from a safe distance as jobs, people, and wealth exited the Motor City, leaving behind debt and poverty.

Last year 50 years after King's "I have a dream" speech, Detroit faced the nightmare of bankruptcy. Research shows that very few people who grow up in poverty ever escape it. Those who go on to achieve great success are rare, and often adopt one of two diametrically opposed viewpoints: one of empathy for those still in poverty or one of callous disregard for them.

Of the latter, research shows many so-called "self-made" people are not generous with their riches toward those in need, and often adopt right-wing capitalist ideologies.

One notable exception to this was Lyndon B. Johnson, who took over as president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Fifty years ago this month he declared war on poverty in America.

Johnson, who spent much of his childhood living in poverty, said in his speech that the causes of poverty may lie "in a lack of education and training, in a lack of medical care and housing, in a lack of decent communities in which to live". He went on to say that too many people were "living on the outskirts of hope".

"Some because of their poverty, and some because of their colour, and all too many because of both. Our task is to help replace their despair with opportunity. This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America."

Although my best friend still experienced racism in our suburban community, the colour of his skin has not in itself held him back from achieving many successes in his life.

I am sure New Zealand is full of similar stories but, unfortunately, we also hear too many tales of poverty in this nation and in this city. There is ample evidence the Wanganui District Council rates structure exacerbates poverty in our community, and that it is one of the few things our councillors can address to improve the quality of life for many residents.

While not declaring war on an unjust and unsustainable rates structure, I would not hesitate to call it a skirmish. I am eager to hear from those who wish to join me, especially councillors who made statements about rates during their recent campaigns.

Nelson Lebo is as proud of his Detroit area heritage as he is of his daughter's Castlecliff heritage. He can be reached: 344 5013; 022 635 0868; theecoschool@gmail.com