Ky. network will examine 'Price of Poverty' tonight

Noting that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life ended when he was trying to mount a "Poor People's Campaign," Renee Shaw of Kentucky Educational Television decries the lack of attention paid to poverty, especially in the nation's fifth poorest state: "Many people tell me how perplexed they are by the muted conversation about poverty by today’s national leaders and policymakers. Mention of poverty during the last election cycle was non-existent, other than ill-conceived characterizations of those below the line. No anti-poverty agendas were brought forth or even intimations made that they’re forthcoming. Poverty is treated as an intractable problem that we feel sorry exists, and we quickly concede to political impotence."

Shaw and KET's Bill Goodman are co-producers of an hour-long special that debuts on the network tonight: "The Price of Poverty in Kentucky," with special attention to the eastern counties that are persistently poor. "Poverty is a multi-dimensional problem. But, it is not without solutions," Shaw writes on her Prompter blog. "Community leaders, anti-poverty advocates, educators, and economists share their insights and lend recommendations on how — in the words of Dr. Martin L. King — “to make the invisible visible." And those insights should apply to states other than Kentucky. To watch the program online, click here.