Poverty and Power (film)

In 2022, Mayor Michael Tubbs and End Poverty in California (EPIC) had an idea about how to combat poverty that was as simple as it was revolutionary: listen. People in poverty know what’s happening to them. They see what’s broken and how to fix it. But across California — on issues as diverse as housing, immigration, mass incarceration, and entrepreneurship – few were hearing them. Poverty and Power, directed by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Jacob Kornbluth, is the story of what happens when you bring people with lived experience — their voices, ideas, and aspirations — to the halls of power. It’s a journey that culminates in a rally in Sacramento and inaugural meeting of the Select Committee on Poverty and Economic Inclusion where we have the chance to hear directly from people living in poverty about the policy changes they want to see. Ultimately, Poverty and Power is an empowering story of what might happen and how transformative it would be if people in poverty were not just listened to, but actually heard.