'Ozarks At Large' Takes on Poverty Debate

Photo Submitted

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Ozarks At Large, KUAF’s daily news magazine focusing on the people, places and events of the Ozark Mountains and Arkansas River Valley, is running a series on poverty this week in an effort to get to the root of Arkansas's poverty problem and identify ways to reduce or eliminate it. 

“Poverty has become something almost mythical, something that happens to other people, something that we would see on TV,” said Iti Agnihotri-Mudholkar, a producer and contributor at KUAF and creator of the series. “But when we examine data and statistics or even look in our own backyard, poverty is all around us and has always been around us, especially in Arkansas.”

Since the 1960s, Arkansas has ranked among the poorest states in the country. The latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau show that in 2010 and 2011, the poverty rate in the state rose to 17 percent, fifth highest in the country.

“Northwest Arkansas is considered a growing, wealthy part of Arkansas, yet there are a surprising number people who live below the poverty line,” said Rick Stockdell, associate professor of broadcast journalism and KUAF station manager. “It’s an important issue and we need to shine a light on it.”

“The goal of the series is to hear from people who work with the poor as well as those who are poor in our communities,” said Agnihotri-Mudholkar. “I wanted others and myself to understand poverty so that we are informed enough to ask the right questions of people who represent us on the state and national level. I wanted to initiate one of many conversations regarding poverty in Arkansas.”

The series began on Monday. It covers various topics including who is most likely to be poor, misconceptions about who is poor and why, the causes and effects of poverty and what it’s like to live below the poverty line. Those interviewed throughout the series include Leah Hamilton, visiting assistant professor in the University of Arkansas School of Social Work; Rich Huddleston, executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; Michael Katz, poverty historian with the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia; Alice O’Connor, poverty historian with the University California-Santa Barbara; and Brenda Zedlitz, director of the Early Head Start and Head Start programs at the Economic Opportunity Agency of Washington County.

The series will conclude on Friday with a special edition of Ozarks at Large featuring a 50-minute panel discussion. The panel will address the reasons Arkansas has been chronically poor and potential ways to overcome it. Panelists include John Brown III, former state senator; Uvalde Lindsey, state representative for District 88; Susana O’Daniel, outreach coordinator for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; and Marcia Shobe, professor and associate director for the School of Social Work at the University of Arkansas.

Ozarks At Large airs daily at noon and 7 p.m. on KUAF 91.3 FM. It is also available online at http://kuaf.com/waystolisten. Previously aired episodes may be heard at http://www.kuaf.org/ozarksatlarge/episodes. KUAF is a listener supported service of the Walter J. Lemke Department of Journalism in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and School of Arts and Sciences.