The national documentary Wage Slaves: Not Getting by in America will be screened Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. in Room 171 of the Student Learning Center. The film follows five families located in various U.S. cities as they struggle to avoid homelessness while holding jobs that pay $6 or $7 an hour. Categorized as “working poor,” their financial situation mirrors some 65 percent of Athens-Clarke County families, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Hon. Steve Jones, an Athens-Clarke County native and UGA alumnus, will open the event with remarks about local poverty issues. Jones was appointed to the Superior Court of the Western Judicial Circuit by former Gov. Zell Miller and began his term on Dec. 1, 1995. Prior to that, he was a municipal court judge, assistant district attorney for the Western Judicial Circuit and director of the Child Support Recovery Unit for Athens-Clarke County. Jones is currently serving as chair for Partners for a Prosperous Athens, a local initiative to decrease poverty.
The screening is co-sponsored by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and the School of Social Work. It is open free to the public. Donations of canned food and nonperishable items to be donated to local charities are welcome.
