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What is economic justice?
In today's global economy, many people are experiencing hunger, hardship, and the impact of a growing inequality of wealth, power, and access to basic resources. Around the world, 1.2 billion people live in "extreme" poverty. Here at home, 45 million Americans lack health insurance, and 1 in 3 can't afford decent housing. Meanwhile, more than 60% of U.S. corporations paid no federal taxes for 1996 through 2000. The total net worth of America 's 400 wealthiest individuals reached $955 billion, while the median weekly wage for an American worker was $625.

Economic justice means building a fair economy that works for everyone. It means fair trade policies that protect workers' rights to organize and to receive a living wage for their work at home and abroad. It includes budget and tax policies in which corporations and wealthy individuals pay their fair share, and which support good schools and childcare, affordable healthcare and housing, retirement security, and a safety-net for those in need. It promotes the common good by funding public services. It means calling for new national priorities that reduce wasteful military spending and redirect tax dollars to helping our children, elders, and communities meet their needs. It includes notions of a social contract in which society and individuals fulfill their mutual responsibilities to each other.

Economic justice also embraces a vision of economic human rights. In 1948, the United States signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says that all people are entitled to food, shelter, and other basic necessities. President Franklin Roosevelt called for similar rights in his 1944 State of the Union address. Around the country and around the world, people are organizing to assert these rights and to promote economic justice. Find out how you can join them.

Poverty and hunger in the United States
In the wealthiest nation on Earth, almost 36 million Americans still live in poverty. For too many members of our communities, hunger, homelessness, and economic insecurity are daily struggles. Eliminating poverty and hunger should be a priority for all Americans.

Learn how you can help dismantle the structural causes of poverty and inequality, and build community power to promote the common good.

Who is poor in America?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 35.9 million people lived below the official poverty line in 2003, the most recent year figures were gathered. Many people believe this measure undercounts the number of people who struggle to survive. The federal government says that a family of 4 living under $18,244 a year is poor. Women, children, and members of racial-minority groups are more likely to live below the poverty line than other Americans.

What do religious leaders say?
Faith-based Perspectives on Poverty and Welfare Reform

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A Fair Economy