Guest Contributor: Advocates for The Other America — 

Advocates for The Other America (AFTOA) was pleased to see Cornel West and Tavis Smiley on The Colbert Report last night speaking out about the issues of poverty. With nearly one in two Americans at or near the poverty line, poverty is a pervasive problem in our society that is rarely spoken of in Washington or the media.

During the segment though, Dr. West and Mr. Smiley noted that there are no lobbyists focused on low-income issues in Washington. This used to be true, but not anymore—now low-income Americans have a lobbyist. AFTOA acts as a voice for low-income Americans in Congress and with the Administration, fighting for policies that will benefit all Americans.

Executive Director Arley Johnson and General Counsel Brad Penney founded AFTOA in September 2011 and have been working tirelessly this year on issues such as the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), among other issues to ensure that the budget is not balanced on the backs of the nations’ most vulnerable.

To find out more about AFTOA, visit the website at www.aftoa.org or call us at 202-403-8630.