Fifty years after the launch on the war on poverty there are more than 46 million people live below the Federal poverty line. Tens of millions more are working hard but barely subsisting, struggling to get a foothold for themselves and their families, and it is getting worse with rising economic inequality and the growing divide between rich and poor. These conditions have created a new sense of urgency for change and a need to have new conversations about poverty.

The Aspen Forum for Community Solutions organized this discussion with Alan Jenkins, Executive Director, The Opportunity Agenda and Jeff Parcher, Director of Communications, the Center for Community Change about their research on how the public views poverty and opportunity in America. This research provides insights and valuable tools to strengthen how we tackle the issue of poverty in this United States.