It was 50 years ago that President Lyndon B. Johnson used his State of the Union address to declare an “all-out war on human poverty and unemployment.” The problems Johnson raised — high poverty rates, long-term unemployment, lack of medical care and housing, racial discrimination and limited access to education and training — are just as urgent today. Yet, despite growing awareness of inequality, a policy consensus remains elusive.
Lyndon Johnson started the War on Poverty 50 years ago. Conservatives claim its a failure because poverty still exists, but the evidence is clear: without the social safety net, things in America would be much worse.
By Joe Colas
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (HCNN) — During an historic and frank dialogue at the border town of Ouanaminthe, Dominican Republic authorities pledged to enact measures to safeguard the basic rights of Haitians and their descendants living in the country.
“How did a revolutionary movement get transformed into a bourgeois electoral party along lines of the British Labor Party or the Democratic Party in the US?”
by ALICE O’CONNOR
Fifty years after Lyndon B. Johnson made it the centerpiece of his first State of the Union address on January 8, 1964, the War on Poverty remains one of the most embattled—and least understood—of Great Society initiatives.
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. NAFTA made the United States, Canada, and Mexico the largest free trade area in the world, linking 450 million people producing $17 trillion worth of goods and services.
By Ajamu Baraka
It was a fitting historical coincidence that during the same week President Obama was in South Africa to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela…
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by executive editor Glen Ford
“With the death of Mandela, the spell has been broken in South Africa.”
A Black Agenda Radio Commentary by BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon
“Ask yourself, what would it look like if policymakers wanted to end the prohibition of marijuana, but not necessarily the the war on drugs…”
With calls from victims of crime in The Bahamas, the “majority” of those received by his firm, a Florida-based maritime lawyer has claimed that Nassau may be “one gunshot away” from seeing cruise lines drop it from their cruising itineraries.
By Martha J. Bailey
For many, today’s 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson’s declaration of War on Poverty is little to celebrate.
Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson stood before Congress and declared war on poverty. His plans included broadening the food stamp program, extending minimum wage coverage, increasing education funding, and providing “hospital insurance” for older Americans. Johnson spoke of millions of Americans who lived on “the outskirts of hope,” and challenged the country to “replace their despair with opportunity.”
Here are some quick links to NAARC’s website to help you get involved and stay informed:
• Donate
• What is NAARC?
• What is NAARC’s 10 Point Plan?
• Forums & Conferences
• NAARC News
• Reparations Advocate Sign Up
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW21) is committed to enhancing the capacity of Black communities in the U.S. and globally to achieve cultural, social, economic and political equality and an enhanced quality of life for all marginalized people. – Learn more here
© 2025 Institute of the Black World 21st Century.
