Kensington Welfare Rights Union Explained
The Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KRWU) is a progressive social justice, political action, and advocacy group of, by, and for the poor and homeless operating out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] The group was founded by six women, Alexis Baptist, Sandy Brennan, Diane Coyett, Cheri Honkala, Louis Mayberry, and Debra Witzman, and formed in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood in April 1991.[2]
KWRU is a part of the national organization the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, a coalition of grassroots organizations, community groups, and non-profit organizations committed to uniting the poor across color lines as the leadership base for a broad movement to abolish poverty.[1] KWRU is also a member of the steering committee of the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition.[3]
KWRU was written about in the 1997 book Myth of the Welfare Queen by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Zucchino.[4]
Group activities
KWRU often used direct action tactics such as tent cities and housing takeover to provide housing and dramatize the plight of the homeless.[5] In 1994 KWRU organized the takeover of 12 vacant HUD owned homes in Philadelphia to try to call attention to HUD's failed housing policies.[6]
Further reading
- Book: Mazelis, Joan Maya . 2017 . Surviving poverty: creating sustainable ties among the poor . New York . . 9781479873593 . 946161360 . A sociological study of KWRU.
- Book: Zoelle . Diana . Josephson . Jyl J. . 2005 . Making democratic space for poor people: the Kensington Welfare Rights Union . Leatherman . Janie . Webber . Julie A. . Charting transnational democracy: beyond global arrogance . Houndmills, UK; New York . . 55–74 . 1403969523 . 57311708 . 10.1057/9781403981080_3 .
- Book: Zucchino, David . 1997 . Myth of the welfare queen: a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist's portrait of women on the line . New York . . 0684819147 . 36446930 . registration .
Notes and References
- Book: Bricker-Jenkins . Mary . Young . Carrie . Honkala . Cheri . 2007 . Using economic human rights in the movement to end poverty: the Kensington Welfare Rights union and the Poor People's Economic Human Rights campaign . Reichert . Elisabeth . Challenges in human rights: a social work perspective . New York . . 122–137 . 9780231137201 . 76864302.
- Book: Salvatierra . Alexia . Heltzel . Peter Goodwin . 2014 . Faith-rooted organizing: mobilizing the church in service to the world . Downers Grove, Illinois . . 59 . 9780830836611 . 861966476.
- Book: Bowers . John Waite . Ochs . Donovan J. . Jensen . Richard J. . Schulz . David P. . 2010 . The rhetoric of agitation and control . 3rd . Long Grove, IL . Waveland Press . 154 . 9781577666141 . 406133470.
- News: Lippmann . Laura . 13 April 1997 . Welfare mythology: buried charlatan [review of ''Myth of the Welfare Queen'' by David Zucchino] ]. . 10 December 2017.
- Book: Jha, Sandya Rani . 2017 . The power of keeping it simple: humans deserve housing . Transforming communities: how people like you are healing their neighborhoods . Saint Louis, Missouri . . 48–60 . 9780827237155 . 988276950.
- News: Maryniak . Paul . 24 September 1994 . Homeless families evicted: squatters booted from HUD houses . . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222123443/http://articles.philly.com/1994-09-24/news/25838985_1_hud-houses-vacant-houses-shelter-system . 22 December 2015 . 10 December 2017.