The latest Census Bureau data, released this month, shows that 16% of Americans, or roughly 49.7 million people, live at or below the government-defined poverty line. But by more reasonable measures, poverty in America is even more pervasive.
In partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism, NBC News is asking you to tell us what poverty means to you. Join the conversation using the #PovertyIs hashtag on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and spread the message on your own social networks. Then check back as we update this post with new responses from people around the U.S.
Contributors to #PovertyIs from CUNY include Natalie Abruzzo, Anugya Chitransh, Erica Edwards, Denisse Moreno, Sarah Mortimer, Hakeem Muhammad, Jacob Passy and Roxanne Scott.
