Ideas change everything

The story we tell about poverty isn't true

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Mia Birdsong |

TEDWomen 2015

• May 2015

As a global community, we all want to end poverty. Mia Birdsong suggests a great place to start: Let's honor the skills, drive and initiative that poor people bring to the struggle every day. She asks us to look again at people in poverty: They may be broke — but they're not broken.

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Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

As a global community, we all want to end poverty. Mia Birdsong suggests a great place to start: Let's honor the skills, drive and initiative that poor people bring to the struggle every day. She asks us to look again at people in poverty: They may be broke — but they're not broken.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

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Sign up to learn more about Family Story, an organization that seeks to expand our understanding of what makes a "good" family to include a diversity of arrangements.

About the speaker

Family activist

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Mia Birdsong advocates for strong communities and the self-determination of everyday people.

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Family Independence Initiative

Learn more about this organization that documents and invests in the initiative that low-income families take to improve their own lives.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.

Sign up to learn more about Family Story, an organization that seeks to expand our understanding of what makes a "good" family to include a diversity of arrangements.

Mia Birdsong: The story we tell about poverty isn't true | TED Talk