Generational Poverty and Education: Breaking the Cycle of Ignorance

Generational poverty is a problem that is not limited by race, gender, geography, or any other demographic. It is widespread and found in every state and city in the United States. Currently, over 17% of the population of the United States lives in poverty, based on a 2019 study. Of those, the vast majority are at least second-generation poverty dwellers. There seems to be no shortage of opinions on why a person lives below the poverty line, and many are willing to share them with those they know and those living in poverty. It is not unusual for one living in poverty to be looked down upon, treated as “less than,” and given no place at “the table” within their community. But just because a person is currently living in poverty, even generational poverty, does not mean they have to stay there. There are ways to break the cycle and change the trajectory of one’s life and the lives of those who come after them. The most effective method found to date is that of education. This researcher, with the assistance of a team of individuals associated with the Greater Oklahoma City Metro YMCA, worked to provide that education and began the process of breaking a cycle of generational poverty within the local community by taking the time to teach others through a 16-week program the basics of how things like generational wealth, compounding interest, cost of borrowing, and renting versus buying, just to name a few, impact one’s financial position. In so doing, the team began the process of breaking the chains of generational poverty. Additionally, as the participants learned who they are in God’s view and that they have been created uniquely and for a purpose, their self-worth and hope increased.