Does America Have a Cold?

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of feeling sad, frustrated, and vulnerable.

America has a cold — which means women will get the flu, and working-class and poor families will get pneumonia.

Yesterday at airport security, I thought about the TSA agents showing up every day without pay, making an impossible choice look routine. Last week, I read about double-digit increases in student truancy as many parents face an unthinkable decision: walk their child to school or avoid being detained.

In Poverty by America, Matthew Desmond writes that poverty isn’t just the absence of money; it’s the absence of choice — and the presence of people who exploit them for it. How many of us would show up for work with no guarantee of payment? How many of us could navigate the stress and uncertainty of no paycheck as the bills hit our inboxes — rent, utilities, food, or the gas to reach a job that isn’t paying us?

Families aren’t just making hard choices. They’re being asked to trust, to believe deeply that families matter, that children matter, that they matter — even when the evidence is unclear. Soon, many families will face another hurdle in what I’m sure feels like a nightmare regarding SNAP and WIC payments. Will they come? What happens if they don’t?

Here’s what I know: This cold we’re all experiencing works like glitter. Every sneeze spreads it to another surface — it transfers with mind-boggling swiftness.

I call it the glitter principle. And like many parents who’ve survived their child’s glitter phase, I also know this: You can wash it off. It often takes days, weeks, months, and sometimes years — but it does come off with diligence and commitment. No easy fixes. Just one glitter speck at a time. We are in this together.

Let’s go!

Chastity Lord is the President and CEO of Jeremiah Program.

Can we count on you to help JP families ride out this storm?