Advocacy groups in Michigan are marking a milestone this week with the 60th anniversary of the Economic Opportunity Act.
The EOA is landmark legislation that spearheaded President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. Signed into law in 1964, it was an attempt to tackle poverty in the United States through a series of programs to improve access to healthcare, food, and educational support.
Brian McGrain leads the Michigan Community Action, an organization birthed from the EOA. He told us what his members are doing to observe this 60th anniversary.
“All of the members are drawing attention within their own communities to the work they do, and I think that’s what’s most important,” McGrain said. “I think all of my members would say again, they are the local response to poverty. They are controlled by local electives, local community members, local partners.”
Right now, Community Action Agencies are located in 99% of American counties. They have 1,000 local organizations. Most are nonprofit, and some are units of local government.
