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Mississippi Truth, Poverty and Democracy Tour shows urgent need for help

Rhonda Sonnenberg

A person with short orange hair speaks into a microphone in front of a banner that reads 'SPLC.'

Mississippi Truth, Poverty and Democracy Tour shows urgent need for help

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Starting Sept. 30, 2025, the Southern Poverty Law Center embarked on a five-day Truth, Poverty and Democracy Tour of Mississippi. (Credit: Dan Anderson)

I joined the Southern Poverty Law Center’s five-day Mississippi Truth, Poverty and Democracy Tour, which began on Sept. 30, to listen, observe and learn what day-to-day life is like in underserved Black communities and the challenges residents there face.

The tour was designed for community leaders, legislators and representatives from aid groups to hear about the challenges facing people who live in underserved communities.

On that first day of the tour, three mothers who were not accustomed to speaking publicly gathered up the courage to describe their hardships as they raise children and work one, two and even three jobs just to put nutritious food on the table. Sometimes they had to be gently coaxed to tell their stories, as though they preferred to be somewhere else but recognized that their stories are important and need to be heard. They all described living in survival mode 24/7 and being “maxed out on my stress level,” as one mother described it.

“My children have medical needs, so I have to provide them with good nutrition,” said one mother, referencing federal programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which face significant cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “I’m worried when these programs come to an end, how am I going to feed them or take them to a doctor? I’ll have to stay with my grandmother longer and dip into savings to go day-to-day.”

A second mother asked, “How am I going to feed my children if SNAP child care vouchers, Medicaid and housing vouchers end?” She said she had to cut her work hours because she can’t afford child care. “That’s why I had to bring my children with me today,” she said.

A third mother has a son with mental health conditions that require medication costing $2,000 a month. “I’ll have to get a third job,” she said, “but I’m afraid of not being there when my kids need me.”

For certain periods of my life, I’ve had to worry about having a roof over my head and having enough food to eat, but not for years on end, living in hopelessness and illness and having nowhere to turn for help.

I came away from the tour pessimistic and fearful for all the many thousands of Black and Brown people who are in the same situation as those mothers who spoke.

But I also came away from the tour confident that the supremely smart, committed advocates on the tour will quickly devise solutions for the state’s underserved communities.

People living in poverty aren’t political donors. They don’t grease the proverbial wheel. They don’t carry big sticks or speak with big voices. People will undoubtedly die due to the Medicaid cuts. That’s not an easy reality to accept, especially when the money that could pay for a working person’s lifesaving surgery is going to a rich individual just so they can save on their taxes.

Rhonda Sonnenberg is a senior staff writer for the SPLC.

Image at top: Ashley, a Mississippi resident, speaks during a panel on Sept. 30, the first day of the SPLC’s 2025 Truth, Poverty and Democracy Tour in Mississippi. (Credit: Dan Anderson)

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