#TalkPoverty: A Social Media Movement for SOTU and Beyond

Half in Ten and partners

January 31, 2013

1 in 5 children in the United States live in poverty—that ought to be too big to ignore. So it's time to change the discussion. It’s time to #TalkPoverty. We joined forces with Half in Ten and other partners to raise their digital voices during the election, and we're not stopping now. As the President's State of the Union approaches, we're pushing him and his administration's to address this issue now.

We need to continue to push the Obama administration, lawmakers, and the media to address the issues of child and family poverty in their budget talks, proposed legislation, and platforms.

The #talkpoverty hashtag has been growing in use and visibility, and we want to keep it that way. Keep tweeting your Senators, Representatives, and policymakers at all levels to ask them to #talkpoverty.

You can join the movement right from your computer or with your smartphone--all you have to do is copy, paste, type, click.

Here's how you do it:

Share the 2013 Children's/Youth Inaugural Address video page, produced in partnership with the Children's Leadership Council, which features unscripted young Americans telling the President that issues like hunger and poverty are important to them. Tweet it now >>

These kids know how to #talkpoverty & it's time for POTUS to join them. @WhiteHouse please address poverty http://bit.ly/kidsinaug

Tweet the President, your Congressperson, or any local policymaker with a targeted tweet. Tweet it >>

The US has a huge poverty problem, & the conversation must begin! Time for POTUS to #talkpoverty http://ow.ly/hiHJj

Or, write your own. To make an impact your tweet should include the Twitter handle of a policymaker, Senator, Representative, etc (if targeted), #TalkPoverty and your own statistic, picture or link to tell your own story.
Get more shareable posts and sign up for updates on the TalkPoverty page at http://halfinten.org/talkpoverty and check out TalkPoverty on Facebook.

Plus: City Limits has noticed the lack of addressing real poverty in the mainstream media, and held their second panel on the issue. Check it out: