Poverty Unpacked podcast
April 26, 2025
Ending poverty requires mass movements. Charitable actions by individuals can make an important difference but are ultimately a drop in the bucket. Real change only happens when people come together and stand up against the injustice of poverty. Indeed, there is a long history of organising with notable successes for current day activists to learn from and feel encouraged by.
In this episode, we speak with Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis and Noam Sandweiss-Back on their recently published book ‘You Only Get What You’re Organized to Take: Lessons From the Movement to End Poverty’.
Liz is Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary and Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and teaches at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Noam is an organizer longstanding experience supporting movements for social and economic justice having served as Director of Partnerships for the Poor People’s Campaign and currently working with the Kairos Center on a special project to counter the power of Christian nationalism.
Located in the US and through a combination of historical and political analysis and reflection of personal experiences, Liz and Noam’s book draws together lessons learned from mass movements and anti-poverty struggles from across the country.
In this episode, we discuss the power of people coming together in their struggle and how necessary this is at a time when the majority of the US population is a few steps away from experiencing poverty and widespread cuts to public services are likely to make this worse. It gives rise to an urgency of democratic awakening for everyone – those experiencing poverty and their allies – to come together and push back.