With WK “Big Kenny” Alphin and Dr. Randy Wykoff, I am launching #Conversation2015, a look at the opportunities we have to make dramatic changes through compassion and caring. Read the introduction to the project here and the overview of poverty here. Then join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook: #Conversation2015

Poverty is inextricably tied to poor health. The world’s least healthy people often live in the poorest countries. Even in the U.S., a person in the lowest income bracket is about three times more likely to die before the age of sixty-five than someone in the wealthiest bracket. Poorer Americans are more likely to suffer from asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease and cancer.

But in the four decades since the war on poverty began, the gap between the richest Americans and the poorest Americans has actually grown. This is detrimental to the fate of our society because of its impact on children. Children born into poverty often remain there. Breaking the cycle of poverty by creating real opportunities is necessary to allow these children to become contributing members of our national family.

If we aren’t addressing poverty, we can’t improve health. If we aren’t thinking about poverty, we aren’t really considering the staggering level of injustice and inequality in the world.