During the economic downturn of the 1980s, America was sharply divided between the wealthy and the poor. Families struggling to make ends meet, factory workers, and those forced to live in subpar welfare hotels all felt the devastating effects of poverty. In the face of adversity, ordinary Americans banded together to demand change and fight for their rights, ultimately discovering the transformative power of community organizing to bring about justice.
Down and Out in America
During the 1980s economic recession, a community of Minnesota farm workers, laid-off city laborers, and newly homeless individuals in Los Angeles and New York grappled with severe financial hardship.
