DOC MARATHON: The Price of the American Dream | FRONTLINE

>> BILL MOYERS: Hello, and welcome to this special edition of Frontline. We want to tell you the story of two American families whose lives embody what's happened to the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans over the past 20 years. It's a story that begins in Milwaukee, back in 1991, when we first met the Stanleys and the Neumanns, families my mother, rest her soul, would have called "the salt of the earth." >> I want my kids to... >> Grow up to be good kids. >> Yeah, I want good children. >> I can tell you've been down south a long time. You're saying, "Yes, ma'am." MOYERS: Hard workers, caring parents, faithful church-goers trying to secure a foothold in the middle class. But as we came back to visit them over the years, we watched their children grow and their fortunes change. >> Now I'm putting longer hours in, you're getting money, but it's not that much, and you say, "What's the use?" >> MOYERS: We saw their work lives upended by the powerful economic and political forces that were altering the American landscape. >> Here's my paycheck.

$9,646.89. That's poverty. >> MOYERS: And as America ushered in a new gilded age, in Milwaukee, as in the rest of the country, working people found themselves left behind, barely staying even at best. So now, 22 years in the making, the intimate and revealing story of two American families. (choir singing) >> Tony and I have known each other since we were probably about two years old. His mother and my mother went to school together at Pulaski High School, and our grandparents, when our parents were younger, you know, they played cards, so they were pretty good friends.

I don't know, we just started seeing each other, you know, spending a lot of time at each other's houses and he just asked me out, so I said okay. We were crazy about each other. We had to spend a lot of time together, you know, and I could just picture myself spending the rest of my life with him. And our expectations were, I thought, you know, you find the man that you like and get married and have a family, and get a house, a little white picket fence, you know, all those little fairy tale type things. Um, some of it came true, but some of it as far as the bumpy roads, I didn't expect either. You know, I knew they weren't gonna be all peaches and cream, but you don't think of all the bad things when you're younger. >> MOYERS: Once upon a time, Terry Neumann and her husband Tony dreamed of a good, simple life. >> When we got married, we had started a family right away. He was working factory and I stayed home. And he made pretty good money when we were first married, you know, for a young couple with one little one on the way. >> Grab a couple and crack 'em in the pan. >> I don't know, we had a good time with one child, so we had another one, and there was Adam.

You know, and then I got pregnant with Karissa in '86 and he had lost his job. Then he got hired at Briggs and we thought, "Okay, this is a very stable job, we can start saving," and we bought the house. >> MOYERS: Buying a home was a big step for a young couple. But Tony had a good job with the engine maker Briggs and Stratton, then the largest employer in the region. >> Years ago, if you wanted a small engine, you got a Briggs and Stratton. >> MOYERS: For decades, Briggs and dozens of other stalwart Wisconsin manufacturers had helped make Milwaukee just about the American dream's hometown, celebrated in sitcoms... >> ♪ Give us any chance, we'll take it... ♪ >> MOYERS: And sentimentalized in beer commercials. >> So when Miller time rolls around tonight, we raise a glass to you, Milwaukee. You've earned it. >> MOYERS: When we met the Neumanns in the early '90s, American manufacturers had already begun chasing cheap labor to non-union states and Mexico.

Of over 40,000 good-paying jobs lost from Milwaukee in the preceding decade, about 4,000 were from Briggs and Stratton. One of them was Tony Neumann's. >> It sort of goes like this. Here and here. >> He gets into Briggs and we think, "Oh, this is a good company, we can buy a house." Now we have the house, we have more bills. >> We gotta drill a hole. How big a hole do you want? >> Not that big. >> But it's either rent for the rest of your life or own, and we prefer to own. I mean... >> MOYERS: That's supposed to be the American Dream. >> That's supposed to be the American Dream. Where is it? >> MOYERS: Tony had been making up to $18 an hour plus benefits. Now the jobs available to a laid-off union worker commonly paid a fraction of that. >> I've applied over at grocery stores, hardware stores... >> McDonald's. >> Hardee's, Super America, Pizza Hut, Walmart, Sam's.

Most of them will not pay six dollars an hour. They're all less than six dollars an hour. Little do they know I need to live also. >> Thank you, have a nice day. >> Then one of these. And then you need a business card to call Mommy up. >> MOYERS: While her husband looked for work, Terry tried to bring in some extra money. She bought skin care products and then tried reselling them to her neighbors, door to door. >> Look in the mirror and feel your face and say, well, you know, it's softer... >> It's softer, yeah. >> The complexion, the color... And that's basically why I wanted to share this with you. >> MOYERS: But she lost money on the deal, and their troubles just got worse. >> Are you gonna call him back? >> Am I gonna call him back? Yeah, I'm gonna have to call him back. >> Well, you talked to him before. >> MOYERS: How much is your mortgage a month? >> I believe it's $820.

>> $819? >> Yeah, $820 or something like that. >> MOYERS: And have you been able to make all the payments? >> No, and we're behind. And today, the mortgage company called me again. >> MOYERS: Again? >> Yes. >> MOYERS: What did they say? because I wanted to talk to Tony, and he wasn't home. So I wanted to talk to him. >> MOYERS: You must dread it when the phone rings. >> I do. I cringe. >> MOYERS: Long before the term "foreclosure crisis" was on America's lips, laid-off working people were learning what it meant. >> I did send a thousand-dollar check in probably a few weeks back, but the check was sent back to me with a letter stating, "We will not accept a partial payment." I don't really think of that as a partial payment. I think of that as a basic payment and a good gesture on trying to get, um, caught up. Right now we're going through a hard time. My husband's out of work. He went to school and he's looking for a job. And I'm basically just trying to buy a little time so we can get on our feet again, you know, so we can get caught up. I would think that this is just going to be a temporary thing, not a permanent thing, and I really don't want to lose my house.

Are you just trying to tell me that you have to foreclose on the house if I don't have that full amount? You would recommend it. >> Is he putting this on paper? I want to know. Is he putting this on paper? Dear? >> It really bothers us that we have to depend on other people. I just wanna get up and do what I have to do, just go in the car and go grocery shopping and have a normal life again. >> You get the peanut butter and the honey... >> I don't like having to go and ask and say, "I have no food in the house, can you help me out?" Where when you would go and work and get a paycheck and come home and support yourself... >> You'd be giving this food to other people. >> Well, now the shoe's on the other foot. Makes me feel very uncomfortable. I'd rather be on the giving side than the receiving. >> They have peanut butter, flour, some pork here.

I understand that if you put it over noodles or rice and maybe add a little onion that it's quite palatable. >> Oh, what happened to his ear? He wants to go back in his house? He doesn't like all you kids. >> He don't have no house. >> Can you reach that high, or you want me to do it? >> I wanna hold him all the way over there. >> Okay, you can hold him all the way over there. >> They've made comments too, like, "Mom, let's sell the bookshelf." They've got little baseball cards, "Mom, I'll sell these," and that hurts, because they're willing to sell their baseball cards to help their parents out. >> I've been getting very angry lately. I've been losing my temper quite a bit. I've tried doing things. I work in the garage on woodworking things when I get angry, and that helps once in a while. I'm having a hard time dealing with this.

(TV voices) >> What are you doing today? >> MOYERS: How do you deal with this pressure, the anger and the... >> I can't. It's very difficult. >> Yeah, our marriage is really on the rocks. This is really difficult time... this is a real difficult time. I've been thinking about divorce now for a while. >> MOYERS: Why? >> I can't deal with the situation. I'm just having a real hard time dealing with it. >> MOYERS: You feel guilty? >> Yeah, I do. I feel I should be supporting my family. >> MOYERS: You think he really wants a divorce, or is this just an escape? >> I think it's an escape and I just think he figures it's an easy way out. But really the problems are still going to be there because he's still going to have to support us and I feel it's going to be worse. I just feel it's just a tough time and if we can just get through this, you know, then we'll be back to the life that we had before.

(choir singing) (choir finishes hymn) >> Good morning, everybody. >> Good morning, Father. >> We gather on this Sunday morning in faith to praise our triune God, in the name of the Father and of the Son... >> MOYERS: As Tony and Terry prayed for better times, across town, in Milwaukee's central city, a second hard-working family found their faith being tested. Like Tony Neumann, Claude Stanley had also been laid off. He lost his assembly line job with big manufacturer A.O. Smith. >> When I got laid off they wanted me to go on welfare, but I could not stand in that line. I just said, "It's not me. This is not me."

They want to give me food stamps, I say, "This ain't me, I don't want no food stamps." I say, "I got my strength, my health, I'm gonna find me a job," and I found me a job. >> MOYERS: He found a job waterproofing basements for less than seven dollars an hour, not even half of what he had been making. >> You got to look at it on the real side. I cannot live like I was making $20 an hour. Okay, that money is not there. So you might as well get it in your mind, it's not there no more. So okay, bring yourself down. >> MOYERS: Claude and his wife Jackie were raising five kids: their daughter Nicole, about to enter college when we met her, the oldest son, Keith, the twins Klaudale and Claude Jr., and the youngest, Omega. >> I think the hardest time is when you have to worry about coming home, like I say, always coming home, and then there's a bill on the door saying the water's cut off, or there's a...

The guy just called saying he's gonna cut off the phone, or the electricity's off. And you have to wait for a couple of days until Mom and Dad can get enough money to put it back on. >> MOYERS: Their neighborhood, Sherman Park, was mostly African American and had once thrived on factory jobs that paid enough to support a family. Now those jobs were disappearing, and people here were trying to figure out what to do next. People like Jackie Stanley, who had lost her job at Briggs. >> Do you have any houses in the immediate area that we could show? >> While I was on the motor line at Briggs, I began to study my real estate. I went ten times for my real estate license. The tenth time, I passed. And I promised that as soon as Briggs did close the door, I was going to go on and do real estate. And that's exactly what I did. >> Hi, Joe. This is Jacqueline Stanley from Homestead. >> It's just like anything else. It's really unsure. >> Okay, I just got in and it says, "ASAP."

>> You only get excited when you're sitting at the closing and have the check in your hand. You never get overexuberant. And I'm learning that every day. >> Mom's real estate is tough on her. I've seen her try to wheel and deal deals. They seem so good and at the last minute, they fall apart. >> The listing is for September. It's already October... >> And that falling apart is our mortgage, that falling apart is the car notes. And to someone else it might not seem important that they decide not to buy the house, but for us, it's a matter of not life and death, but it's a matter of light and gas. And that's scary. >> MOYERS: As good jobs left town, the number of African Americans in poverty increased from about 25% in the 1970s to over 40% in the early '90s. The Stanleys vowed it wouldn't happen to them. But as property values fell in the central city, so did real estate commissions. And when Jackie tried to sell in other neighborhoods, she met resistance. >> It was on the market for a year and didn't sell.

>> It's because they didn't have somebody as good as you. >> (laughs): Okay. >> People of color really have a much more difficult time in our business making a living than white people. It may be a situation where she may call for a showing and not get the courtesy of a call back. Maybe her client that she takes in to a mortgage lender has a much more difficult time, even if their credit is good, getting the mortgage. >> All right, fax it to me. >> I can't sell suburbs. I can't sell the most affluent areas here. And that hurts. But they'll call me for Central City. >> You talk to your friends, they always say, "Well, I'm going to be doing this this summer. Well, how about you?" And you're like, "Well, I'm doing, uh, working." That's all you can say right now is, "I'm working." They always ask me, "Why you working? "Why don't you go out there and have fun like the rest of the kids do?"

You say you can't, you just can't do it. You have to go out there and help your Mom and Dad. >> MOYERS: To help out, Keith Stanley and the twins, Claude Jr. and Klaudale, started a business. They called it the Three Sons lawn care service. >> How much money would you like to make when you grow up? >> Probably about a hundred million. Something like that. Three hundred million, something like that. >> Do you think you will? >> Yeah. >> I've seen my mom on the phone talking to the bill collectors asking them when they would take-- the mortgage company-- when they were about to take our house. She was pleading with the mortgage company. She asked the bill collectors to keep the light and sometimes the gas on, and that makes me want to do more, a lot more.

>> MOYERS: The country was deep in recession in 1991. The president predicted it wouldn't last. >> We will get this recession behind us and return to growth soon. (applause) We will get on our way to a new record of expansion and achieve the competitive strength that will carry us into the next American century. >> MOYERS: But the problem was bigger than recession. By 1991, Milwaukee's new economy depended on non-union manufacturing and service jobs, the vast majority of them offering lower pay and fewer benefits. That was still the case when we returned to the city two years later. But by the beginning of 1993, there were expectations that things were about to turn around. >> I, William Jefferson Clinton, do solemnly swear, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God. >> Congratulations. (applause) >> From the way he ran his campaign, it was more like he would concentrate on America... than Mexico, Europe, Africa, Asia.

He wasn't going to send more jobs or factories out of the country, and bring more in. And I guess that in the next four years, maybe we might have openings and maybe you might not have to film as many people in your... More people will have jobs, and things'll probably work out. >> Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States of America, William Jefferson Clinton. >> This president, I think I can trust and relate to somehow. >> Four more years, four more years, buddy. You need to grow up a little bit. >> Today, we celebrate the mystery of American renewal. >> I've been there with Reagan, Bush and now Clinton. I'm not saying I don't trust presidents. It's that you say a lot of stuff to get on top. Even if I was running for something, I'd say, I'd be like, "Everybody get free candy and everything," you know. So you say a lot of stuff to get on top.

>> We inherit an economy that is still the world's strongest, but is weakened by business failures, stagnant wages... >> I think if they work on jobs first, a lot of people will probably be more energized, you know? Give people something to wake up to every morning, you know? A purpose! >> A purpose and a lot more self-respect. >> Right. I think that will change a lot of people's attitudes. >> Changed mine. >> I invited the Neumanns around the Lord's table because a year ago, they may not have had as much to be thankful for, right? You didn't have a steady job then, did you? >> That's a fact. >> That's a fact. What is the fact today? >> I have more than enough work. >> More than enough work! >> MOYERS: Tony Neumann had found a job making engine parts in a small factory. (organ playing) ♪ Amen, amen... ♪ >> MOYERS: Like many in the new light manufacturing sector, the job was non-union. It paid $8.25 an hour, with no benefits. It got the Neumanns back on their feet, but it wouldn't balance their books.

>> Just with the mortgage we got, well, three months behind. And it will take us two years to pay that back because they tack on interest and penalty charges and whatever else. So that three months takes two years. That's a long time. So whatever extra money we have, we send it because we want to make sure that in the next year, we have it paid off so they don't take the house. >> MOYERS: To make ends meet, they needed more money. >> Guess what? I'm on the honor roll. >> That's great. >> MOYERS: And Terry, like so many of her generation, realized she would have to go to work despite needing to be home for the kids. She began taking a series of low-wage, part-time day jobs. >> Anyone for peas? >> Nope. >> MOYERS: Meanwhile, her husband Tony worked the night shift full-time. >> One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

>> Tonight is Boy Scouts. They have a pack meeting once a month where all of the dens get all together, and they come. >> Adam Neumann has passed uniform inspection. >> Congratulations, Adam. >> They have their awards being passed out on that night, so this is kind of like a big night. >> Daniel Neumann, please come up with your mom or dad or both. >> That's one thing Tony misses, because he used to be very involved in scouts. So he had to give that up. >> Good job, Daniel! >> Can I have this? >> Sure you can. >> Daniel! >> Daniel! >> Daniel, look for your homework. >> Get in here! >> And your backpack! >> And shut the door! >> With me working and Tony working, we had different shifts and we weren't all together all the time at the same time. >> Karissa, where is it? >> How can he lose a backpack? >> In the room. >> Daniel started getting very quiet and he kept to himself a lot.

His attitude just changed a little bit. You know, he got really distant. >> Daniel, he's still having problems with his homework. >> I'm sure that Daniel is dealing with the stress of your relationship with Tony, and the work issue, you're working. Some kids almost blame themselves for what's going on in a family, you know, and they have to realize this is a situation that's a tough situation for the whole family. Everybody's doing the best they can. You love him, you're there for him and you'll always be there for him. >> Right. >> A lot of our children here at school are getting themselves up in the morning, coming home to an empty house at night. Ideally, we would have a parent there to get a kid off and someone there to receive them when they come home at night.

But that's, you know, in the fairyland world, I guess, and you know, we do what we have to do to survive. >> Danny Neumann. >> Period at the end. >> Period at the end. >> MOYERS: Even as working people like the Neumanns were just hanging on, the new economy was on the upswing, the stock market was on the rise, and for investors, the good times were roaring back. >> Thank you, hallelujah. Yes, Lord, we thank you this morning. Lord, we thank you, how you provide for us, how you make ways out of no way. Lord, we thank you this morning. >> MOYERS: Claude Stanley served his church as a lay minister on Sundays. >> We thank you, Lord, for your goodness and we thank you for your kindness, Lord. >> MOYERS: But the rest of the week, he was on his hands and knees. By 1993, Claude had been promoted to foreman of the waterproofing crew, which paid him less than a dollar more an hour. >> Factory job, you're making $14 an hour.

This job, you're cutting that in half. You're only making about seven. Yeah, you might get some bonuses here and there, incentives, but ain't that great. >> I think he made about $35,000, $40,000 at Smith. >> At Smith, yeah. >> And I made $35,000 and $40,000. >> At Briggs, mm-hmm. >> And that's... so we're out half of that. If we made what we made at Briggs and Smith right now, we would be really well off. House would be paid for, car paid for, kids at least would have some kind of college funds built up. >> But we look on each other for our strength. You know, some days she has bad days, some days I have bad days, but like, if I'm not producing, she's producing. You know, when I can't, you know, I do, she do, I do. We try to find a way to make ends meet. You got some families probably say how do we make it, you know, how do we make it? >> We don't even know. >> How do you make it? >> We just keep holding on. You know, we shop, we shop.

I found out that there are grocery stores here that have food half-price on Mondays. We rummage. >> Oh, my goodness, some Guess Jeans. Omega! These are $70 in the store, look at that! >> I come here because I work with a lot of people every day, they come in the offices. From the cologne to the shoes, they look gorgeous. And I can't afford what they wear. >> For $24, this one I want. This is for work. My accessories that I wear, they're, like, five, ten to twenty dollar earrings, I pay 99 cents. >> This is something you would wear, probably. >> Something I would wear? No, I think Elvis Presley would wear it. (laughing) No, I wouldn't wear that. >> Nobody wants to be around somebody that doesn't have theirselves together. Even if you have to, as one broker wrote me and said, "Fake it 'til you make it." And that's what we do in the Stanley household. We wear exactly what the people on Lake Drive wear. >> $63.03.

>> That's the very same house. Are you planning on keeping the hedges on there? >> MOYERS: For Jackie, the home sales came frequently enough. It was the pay that was the problem. >> And with my kind of work that I do, which is real estate, I get paid on commission, it goes up and down. And it's rough. >> MOYERS: Jackie was just one of the agents handling this sale, and had to split the commission. >> Don't go in the back hallway, the dog's there. >> MOYERS: After also paying a percentage of her share to her employer, she figured to clear about a thousand dollars. >> If we're going to do the taxes too, then you also have to remember they take the 28% out of the thousand that you make, so you're down again. >> MOYERS: She reckoned that if she opened her own office, she could keep a larger share of the commissions. >> I've set goals at what I want to do, and I plan on going all the way with it because I've got to come out of the hole somewhere. That's it. >> Are you happy? >> And there's something that I always say: "So a man thinketh, so is he." If I think poverty all the time I'll act that way. I can't afford to talk negative and then allow my children to see me that way, down or depressed.

>> MOYERS: As she persevered in 1993, her neighborhood seemed to be coming apart at the seams. >> Even on this street, one block west of my house, just about every door here has the steel doors. I wanted you to see here. There was "Kill you" written on the back of my fence, if you don't join the gangs, to my oldest son, Keith. >> MOYERS: Just blocks from her house, Jackie's uncle was murdered by an intruder. >> All I can tell them is keep trying. Every day, I have to encourage myself and I have to encourage them. Many times Keith has said to me, "What's the use, Mom?" He did a 3.5. "What does it matter?" And I said you gotta keep going. >> Watch out! >> The other day we was... the snow was heavy and we were out shoveling snow. And someone stood at the window and said, "Look at your family, it's perfect." And they called us the Beaver family.

I know they meant to say Cleaver. And they said, "We see you together all the time, it looks good." But it looks good. >> MOYERS: Two years later, in 1995, getting a job wasn't the problem anymore in Milwaukee. There was even a shortage of skilled labor. >> Employers in some parts of the state say they can't find enough qualified workers and Governor Thompson announced what he calls "Operation Hire" to address those shortages. >> MOYERS: The problem, still, was that jobs often didn't pay enough. Like millions of others, the Neumann family now had to have a second full-time income to make it, and Terry Neumann was pulling one in and proud to be doing so. >> I have a new job. I'm a driver and a guard.

And a messenger. My hourly pay right now is $7.50. To start. It has very good insurance benefits, which my husband doesn't have. He gets more money and less benefits, and I've got less money and better benefits, so hopefully between the two of us... >> It kind of works out. >> I get a lot of looks from a lot of truck drivers. A lot of double takes, that, "Wow, look at that," yeah. I love it. I think it's great. You know? >> MOYERS: Working? >> Working, yeah. And having the power behind the big truck, you know. I like it. >> MOYERS: The power behind the big truck? >> Yeah, I get a lot more looks than sitting in the kitchen cooking muffins. (laughing) >> Good morning! >> MOYERS: I remember your telling us a couple of years ago how important it was that as a mother, you were home with the kids. Daniel was having a few difficulties then, approaching teenage years. You just felt it was best if you could be here.

>> Right, I still feel that way, but under the circumstances, we're put into a situation, we don't have a choice. >> You got any homework? >> Yeah, I got a lot. I got this little worksheet. I got a couple other things, I think. >> MOYERS: The Neumanns now made enough from their combined income to meet their expenses. But the kids were coming home to an empty house. >> She probably thinks about us and stuff, how we're doing at home. Gets a little worried if we're okay, and if we made it home. >> MOYERS: What about the neighborhood? You're not the only family around, I guess, where both husband and wife are working? Or kids are coming home by themselves? >> There's a lot of kids around here that are like that. There's quite a bit of commotion as far as the kids that are around here doing pretty much what they want. >> Because they're not supervised. >> Yeah, they're never supervised. >> The parents aren't here to supervise them and that's the reason why you have so much teenage shenanigans. >> Yeah, violence.

>> That's what I'm worried about. I want my kids to... >> Grow up to be good kids. >> Yeah, I want good children. >> MOYERS: So you're betting on the fact that the kids will come through without you being here? >> I've tried to bring them up right and to teach them right from wrong. And I'm just hoping that they will carry these values through all of this. I hope they've learned something from this: how hard it is and how difficult it is and how everybody needs to make sacrifices, including them. This is how it is and this is what we have to do in order to get through this and make it. >> MOYERS: In the Stanley household in 1995, oldest son Keith reached a milestone: becoming the first man on either side of his family to graduate high school. >> Aw, Mommy!

(Jackie crying) >> I've been talking for years and I can't talk now. You're the first one. >> Keith Kenyatta Stanley. (applause and cheers) >> That's my boy! >> MOYERS: He was heading into an uncertain economy, but Keith was determined to make it. That meant college. And in the fall, he enrolled at Alabama State University. >> MOYERS: How do you afford to keep Keith in college? >> I negotiated two transactions and closed them the day before he left. And you're talking about a prayer. >> MOYERS: Jackie's commissions only paid for part of the tuition. They would have to find the balance somehow. >> MOYERS: What does it take you, a year down there for him? >> It's $7,000 a year. Keith? Hi. How you doing?

>> MOYERS: Is he gonna be able to make it this year? >> I just received a letter that I have to pay $1,300 now or Keith will have to be put out in 48 hours. We were concerned about this letter that came from your school. But again, God came through again! Keith had applied for a lot of charge cards before he left. We came up with something. Oh, that's so sweet. I can tell you've been down south a long time. You're saying, "Yes, ma'am." Your Discover card came in. I called the Discover card people and I told them we wanted a cash advance. >> MOYERS: Most people, when they pray, expect God to give them a miracle. What you got was a $1,000 credit with 18% interest rate. >> But it'll tide me over until I can get the miracle. So then this semester is taken care of. You hear me? All right, I love you. It's called, rob Peter to pay Paul. And I'm robbing Peter so much that Peter is just standing there. Send it to the bank.

>> MOYERS: The Stanleys were like millions of others trying to survive the good times of the '90s. Living on credit became a way of life. Over that decade, credit card debt for the average American family increased by 53%. For low-income families, it was 184%. And the paychecks weren't getting any bigger. Claude Stanley was making about the same in '95 as he had been two years earlier. As a supervisor, he did have modest health benefits. Those he supervised? They weren't so lucky. >> MOYERS: What do these guys do for health care? >> There's no benefits. That's the main thing, no benefits. >> MOYERS: When crisis hit, Claude's benefits proved insufficient. A serious lung infection required an extended stay in the hospital and kept him out of work for two months. When we next saw him, it was 1998.

He told us the family faced uncovered medical bills approaching some $30,000-- $30,000 they didn't have. >> It will be rough, you know. It'll hit us financially, but all we do is just... you know, we depend on the Lord to make a way for us, but we ain't going to stop living, you know. We gotta keep moving, keep going. >> Welcome to Burger King. Can I take your order, sir? >> Could I have two small Diet Cokes? >> MOYERS: The growing family debt meant that paying for college for their younger children was out of the question. >> Let's see that pose again. >> MOYERS: Omega was still in high school, but the twins had graduated. Claude, Jr. was working odd jobs, including doing some modeling. His twin Klaudale took a different route. (officer shouting) He joined the Navy. >> I, Klaudale Lamar Stanley, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend... >> MOYERS: He went through basic training in Illinois...

>> Six more days and we'll be through! >> MOYERS: And would soon be stationed in Washington, D.C., at the Pentagon. >> Navy Washington operator #30, how may I assist you? >> MOYERS: Older brother Keith, meanwhile, was now a senior at Alabama State and on his own financially. He had some aid and worked two jobs: as a resident assistant in his dorm and the organist at his church. But when we visited in 1999, we found him on the verge of being kicked out for nonpayment. >> So what I do usually is, I just have to go inside the credit card and pay for it through credit cards, and that's the only way I can do it. And if that's what it takes to stay in school, that's what I'm going to do to stay in school. My current balance for this credit card is $2,574.68. The interest on this is, I believe, it's 23%, close to 24%. "No fee first year. Apply now." They're everywhere.

>> MOYERS: Back home in Milwaukee, Keith's parents had decided to strike out on their own to become entrepreneurs. Borrowing against their home, they bought a Central City office building where Jackie could start her own real estate firm and Claude could set up shop as a home inspector. >> We're talking about those, amen, that's so quick to get rich and quick to prosper and quick to go somewhere. >> MOYERS: They would use it on Sundays as a church. Claude had become an ordained pastor. Their faith remained as strong as their future seemed uncertain. >> God is good, he's good, he's good, he's good! >> I got an article from USA Today where they said, "Every person that's going to retire is going to need at least a million dollars." (laughs) >> MOYERS: Across town, the Neumanns were trying to cope with the toll on family life exacted by their different hours and demands at work, especially since Tony was still mostly working the night shift.

>> It takes a little getting used to. It seems like you only get somewhere between four and six hours of real sleep and you have to be able to live off of that. >> Sometimes I like him to help me on homework, but since he's on third shift, he can't really help me a whole lot because he's normally sleeping and when we wake him up, he gets really irritable and kind of crabby. >> I already told you, food is going to be off limits in your room if I see this! >> The only time I get to see him is towards the time I'm going to bed, and that's it. That's when I have to ask him all my quick questions on if I can do stuff or I need him to sign papers for school, and then I normally go to bed right after that. >> Actually, I would prefer to have a real life on first shift. I would really like to sit down and have a nice dinner with the family every day. I would really enjoy that.

Terry and I are never really together for any period of time. We're not really getting along like we used to. We don't sleep together anymore. It's really... It stinks. >> MOYERS: The Neumanns began to see a family therapist. >> I don't like going to counseling because I don't want to tell him my problems. >> It's like he's, "Hello, what are your problems?" (laughing) He never laughs, it's so funny. >> Well, he's serious. He wants to get to the root of the problem. >> And Dad even said that we weren't gonna go anymore, and then you guys scheduled another one, and I told the boys that we weren't gonna have any more and they got all happy. Because the boys don't like coming to these things either.

>> MOYERS: At decade's end, Daniel, now 17, and Adam, 15, were in high school, but having trouble focusing on their studies. >> Goodbye! Behave, be in by curfew. >> Okay. >> Okay, I'm going to work now. >> MOYERS: Terry left the armored car job for one that paid more: $15 an hour instead of nine. But her schedule was utterly unpredictable. Sometimes she worked from 4:00 in the morning to noon, and might have to come back the same evening and work the overnight. She was always on call to report to work on just two hours' notice. >> By the time I get home, I'm, like, zonked out. I get tired. >> MOYERS: Terry and Tony finally made more combined than he had made working at Briggs a decade earlier. But despite all the hard work, these two American families had barely survived one of the most prosperous decades in our history. >> We began the new century with over 20 million new jobs, the fastest economic growth in more than 30 years, the lowest unemployment rates in 30 years. We have built a new economy.

>> MOYERS: It was 12 years before we came back to Milwaukee. We found a city still struggling, with over a quarter of its people living in poverty. Some people had done very well. Parts of the city had been splendidly rebuilt. And over the previous decade, more promises had been made. >> A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy. And that is what we have. Unemployment is low, inflation is low, wages are rising. This economy is on the move. >> MOYERS: But the promises had come with a price: two costly wars, a soaring deficit and a housing market boom and bust. >> The Obama administration says it will spend billions to keep struggling homeowners in their homes. >> MOYERS: American families had been hit by the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression. >> We're raised to believe that each generation can and will do better than the last.

But is that really true? >> MOYERS: We wanted to know what had happened to the two American families we knew. We found Jackie Stanley outside her church. How are you? >> The graduate! >> MOYERS: Along with a grown-up Keith, now 35. >> I never would have made it to college, never would have made it to college, without Mom. >> MOYERS: But Jackie quickly confided that when we called her to see about filming again, she almost said no. >> MOYERS: She said that after suffering some health problems, she had quit doing real estate altogether, that her dream of having her own office had come to nothing, that she hadn't done enough to make it happen. >> Sometimes we gonna go through some things, praise God, and God ain't gonna bring it out like you think it ought to come out, the way you want it to come out. >> MOYERS: Turns out Claude's entrepreneurial efforts hadn't worked out either. >> You might be on your job sometime and you hear about a lay-off gonna happen, and you might go home and pray all week, saying, "Lord, don't let that happen to this place, I want to keep my job."

And guess what? Guess what? You get laid off anyhow and the place close down. Guess what? You got to praise God anyhow. Glory to God, hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. God is good. >> MOYERS: Now the couple was surviving on a job Claude had taken with the city of Milwaukee. >> MOYERS: How did you find the work with the city? >> I was looking through the newspaper, and it said something about the forestry department. >> MOYERS: Forestry? >> During the summertime I do forestry. I do work with the boulevards, all the boulevards you see out here, with the flowers, we keep the flowers intact, the grass being cut. >> MOYERS: And the winter? >> Right now I'm in sanitation, okay, collecting garbage. >> MOYERS: That's hard work. >> Yes it is, Bill, yeah, it ain't easy. >> I think one of the biggest things I can say for my dad is just his work ethic. I remember he helped me install a tile floor in my kitchen. I was tired by the end of the first day. My dad is on the ground, putting the tile in and showing me how to put the cement on the tile. And I was like, "Man, this guy, he has all this strength."

>> MOYERS: And you're how old now? >> I'm almost 60 years old. >> MOYERS: How long do you think you can keep that up? >> Not too long. (laughing): Not too long. >> MOYERS: Claude is a member of a public union. He makes about $26,000 a year, plus some benefits. It's one of a series of jobs he has had since we last saw him waterproofing basements and inspecting homes. >> And you talking about doing other things in between, I had to work at the airport for two years. >> MOYERS: Doing what? >> I worked on the runway, directing the planes to come in, flag them down, stop, take the luggage to the tunnel, lifting baggage... It was all kinds of stuff at the airport I was doing. >> MOYERS: Was that a minimum wage job? >> Definitely was minimum wage. When I worked out there, they cut our salary, I mean, down to nothing. >> He carried dead bodies, too. He worked at the hospital. >> I was a security guard at Columbus Hospital, and at nighttime, if it was like third shift, if anybody passed away, or died, we had to carry, put them on the elevator, and carry them down to the refrigerator. >> MOYERS: The third shift is from when to when? >> Graveyard. >> From 11:00, 12:00 at night to 7:00 in the morning.

>> MOYERS: Once upon a time when people got your age, and you're much younger than I am, you're almost 60, they started thinking seriously about retiring, but you're not. >> I can't do that, because the reason is, Bill, you can't stay on a job long enough to retire. You know, every job I have, I work seven years, okay, the place close down. You work somewhere else for another five years, they lay you off, they shut down. All the years I've been working, Bill, I could've retired. Right now. >> MOYERS: If you had... >> Stayed at one job. >> He will not be able to see the retirement, you know, that he probably would hope for when he was working at A.O. Smith. That's just not a reality. My heart goes out to that generation that was promised something from America, by America, that they would have a better life, and that's not the case anymore. >> I need to fill out my timesheet. I can do that. >> When I look at him early in the morning, he's still doing it. He's got that pretty, young smile on his face and acting like nothing's wrong and every now and then, you'll catch him exercising and humping his back and rubbing it.

One day he told me... Oh God, here goes the tears. I'm not gonna do this. I'm not gonna cry. Here's what he said. He had come in from work, and it was kind of cold, and he said, "By the time I get up, "I'm just thawing out. "My bones haven't finished getting warm. I can't keep doing this." >> Hey, Dyl, are you in a good mood today? Dylan! He's not in a very good mood. I think his bus drive was too long, he's getting antsy and he has to go potty. >> MOYERS: When we next met Terry Neumann, we found she had lost her warehouse job some five years before. She had searched unsuccessfully for a new warehouse or manufacturing position, but couldn't find one. So in 2008, she had retrained to become a nurse's assistant and home health care aid.

Now 49 years old, she was working part-time in a suburb just west of Milwaukee... >> Ready? One, two, three! There you are. >> MOYERS: Taking care of a 16-year-old, Dylan Solper. >> Oh, I've been probably doing this for probably 19 months I've been here. >> (laughing) >> What? Do you think that's funny? What's so funny, Dyl? He thinks he's funny sometimes. He'll put his feet up on me and I'll say, "I don't want those stinky feet, I don't want those stinky feet. I don't want those stinky feet." >> The job paid, when I first started, eight dollars an hour, and now I'm getting nine dollars an hour. I'm at 24 hours a week. >> Where's Dylan? >> MOYERS: How do you survive on nine dollars an hour? >> You can't. If you want a house and if you want that American dream, it's impossible. >> Here's my paycheck. This is a two-week paycheck.

So year to date, what are we talking here? November? That's what I made, $9,646.89. That's poverty. >> MOYERS: For Terry Neumann, survival has been difficult since last time we saw her, and not just because of her paycheck. These days, she's also going it alone. >> MOYERS: What happened to you and your husband? >> I think we just grew apart and went separate ways. And the love wasn't there anymore, the trust wasn't there anymore. It was just gone and dead. It was like a death. >> MOYERS: Tony Neumann told us he had lost his factory job and had been doing construction and handyman work in and out of Milwaukee.

He declined to talk on camera. Terry, meanwhile, said she never gave up searching for a full-time job. >> I need more hours. That's what I need. And I'm working on that. >> Dylan, we're getting into our chair. Back up! Good job! >> MOYERS: Terry was working for a for-profit agency receiving money from Medicaid for Dylan's care. Positions like hers are often part-time or temporary. >> Are you ready? Are you ready? >> MOYERS: You're part-time. >> Yes. So they don't have to pay for the benefits, vacation time, sick time, or health. >> Drink, drink. >> The amount of money that these caregivers make, it's just sad. It's sad. I don't know how they live on it.

And the only thing I can tell them is they're angels. >> Get that noodle! >> MOYERS: You kept the house at the time of the divorce, you were able to keep the house. >> Yes. >> MOYERS: You were determined to hold on to that house. That was your home. >> Oh, yeah. But I didn't feel safe after a while. >> MOYERS: I remember when we were there you were concerned about the growing rowdiness and violence in the neighborhood. >> It just got worse. I was waking up, let's see, 2:00 in the morning with gunfire rounds going through the neighbor's house. >> MOYERS: But you had nowhere else to go. >> Right. >> MOYERS: Terry had survived the wave of home foreclosures that hit some 16,000 Milwaukee property owners between 2008 and 2010. But by 2011, divorced and working part-time, she simply couldn't afford to make her home payments anymore.

>> She was real quiet and I could tell that she was down. And I finally came to her, and I said, "What's going on? "You know, you seem like you're really down, "like you're really tired, like you're exhausted, "like you just have a really heavy... something's heavy on your mind." I said, "Is everything okay with your family?" I think she felt embarrassed, which she shouldn't have. I think that she didn't feel like she wanted to talk about it. But as the summer went on... It was a horrible time for Terry. >> "Dear occupant, "Please take notice, "judgment foreclosure entered March 15, 2011 in the amount of $96,619.12." "You are hereby notified that possession is demanded by J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, which now owns your property."

>> MOYERS: How long did you stay in the house? >> I lived there for 24 years. They wanted $120,000 for the buyout of it, and I'm like, "Where am I supposed to find that?" You know, so it goes into foreclosure and you can sell it for, what, $30,000? I was like, "Are you serious? "You can't lower my payments or my interest rates "so I can stay in my house, but you'll foreclose on it and sell it for $30,000 or $40,000 or whatever it was?" >> MOYERS: With nowhere else to go, Terry moved in first with a relative, then with a friend. >> And I felt, like, a sense of failure because I've always been able to get back up on my feet. I've always found a way or the money to fix it.

And I just couldn't fix it anymore. >> MOYERS: At the time Terry lost her home, both her grown sons Daniel and Adam, were living with her. Do you think they are going to get their feet on the ground one day economically and be more secure than you and Tony were? >> I have my doubts. >> I want to hold him all the way over there! >> Okay, you can hold him. >> Adam Neumann has passed uniform inspection. >> MOYERS: Adam Neumann, Terry's middle son, is now 28. We found him working for a lawn care company. >> I've been doing it for about a year now and, uh, I like this job. It's nice. I like being outside. Keeps me in shape. I get paid, uh, like nine bucks an hour. It's usually 40 hours a week. Right now, there's no benefits or insurance, so that's the downfall of the job. That's Piggy! >> MOYERS: Adam, we learned, had dropped out of school in the 10th grade after fathering a daughter who now lives with her mother. >> I wish I would have, you know, stayed in school and, you know, found something that I was good at, you know, for a stable job in that sense, but after I had my kid at a young age, I had to work, and I couldn't work and go to school at the same time.

>> MOYERS: He lives just south of Milwaukee, in an apartment complex where he met his current girlfriend. They are expecting a child. >> MOYERS: This is your second child. How old is the first one now? >> Eleven. And I live paycheck to paycheck, child support, rent, electric, food, but they still call me middle class. But I don't see that. >> MOYERS: Adam's brother Daniel, Terry's oldest, is now 29. He's an auto mechanic, currently unemployed. >> I've seen it done before, too, where you fill up the syringe with brake fluid. >> MOYERS: Like so many Milwaukeeans of the past few decades, including his father, Daniel was looking to upgrade his skills to help him get work. So he went back to school for retraining at one of the region's many technical colleges... >> How we doing here, young man? >> All right. >> MOYERS: ... studying automotive technology. >> Gotta take the crossmember out in order to get this out. >> Very good. >> Daniel! >> Daniel!

>> Daniel, look for your homework. >> MOYERS: We asked Daniel about the past, about the difficulties in his family that he had witnessed growing up. >> I really wasn't paying too much attention to it. I was busy with school and being a kid. None of that stuff really mattered to me because I didn't know. But now that I'm older and all this, it makes sense because now I'm going through the same thing. >> MOYERS: Daniel has three kids of his own to help support. They live with their mothers. He gets by with unemployment and state food assistance. He's had no home since his mother lost the house and now lives with a friend. He says he will start his own auto repair shop when he gets out of school, and he knows how he'd like to run it. >> What I see is, you know, you keep your employees happy, your company will grow. If you keep treating your employees like crap and just keep taking from them just because you want to get richer and richer and pay them less, that's not the way to go. Because I mean, the economy is so bad right now a lot of people don't have money and stuff, and the world is just going all downhill right now. All this stuff going on here in Milwaukee and all these shootings and all that...

I mean, they just had another shooting out there even in a nice neighborhood over there in Brookfield. I have my concealed carry. I carry everywhere I go. You really don't have to want to use it, but if you have to, you have something to protect yourself and your family and friends around you. >> MOYERS: With this kind of economy that we have now-- low-wage, no-benefit jobs-- do you think that Dan and Adam have a shot at raising a family, having a home... >> I don't see them getting a home. Because they're making... they're just... they're struggling from paycheck to paycheck. You know, I had the home before the job loss, but for them to try to save to get a home now, I don't foresee that, plus raising kids. >> MOYERS: How about Karissa, how's she doing? And she's how old now? >> 26. >> Then one of these. And then you need a business card to call Mommy up. >> When I was younger, I just knew we didn't have money, and money is how the world goes round. >> You can't buy anything yet.

We don't have enough money! >> A lot of people have clothes every school year, they have a new pair of shoes or several pairs of shoes, and I decided when I was younger that I wanted to be able to say I have money in the bank. >> MOYERS: We found Karissa working for a hospital in the large Aurora chain. It's one of the biggest employers in the region in one of the biggest economic growth sectors, health care. She has an associate's degree and also recently took courses to get certified as a professional insurance coder. >> I do the physician billing, so all the physician services, I do those. >> MOYERS: She earns about $15 an hour plus benefits. But she has to support her husband, Anthony Lefebvre. He's got an associate's degree, but like so many others is currently unemployed. He's trying to start his own computer consulting business.

>> Going in, too? >> Yeah, but he had to walk in the garden. >> MOYERS: Because Karissa doesn't earn enough for the two of them to have a home of their own, they live with Anthony's relatives. >> I think there's a lot of people in the same boat as we are. My Uncle Jimmy down in Florida, he was into real estate, selling million-dollar condos. I don't think he's doing too well. >> No. I mean, he even lost the house he was living in. Drive around any neighborhood, and see how many people are living in the houses to try to help support each other. There's a lot of vacant houses. A lot of people lost their houses, you know, my mom being one of them. >> MOYERS: We asked Terry to take us back to her old house. >> So this is it.

>> MOYERS: The people living there invited us in. >> We recently just got this place in early September, and so we just got it fixed up. We still need a lot of repairs. >> MOYERS: Khou Hang and Lu Lao bought Terry's house in a foreclosure sale for about $38,000. >> Can I take a look around? >> Go right ahead. >> This was my room. And this was my spare room. And this is where my grandkids would sleep when they would come to visit me. And then this was the other room that my granddaughter would stay in when she would come visit me. >> Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, amen. >> MOYERS: Jackie Stanley, serious about her community role as the pastor's wife, tries to remain upbeat. >> Everything free, my dear. >> MOYERS: On this day, there was a charitable giveaway at their church. >> If anybody has a queen-size bed, I have a down comforter. We got furniture coming in just a bit. It just went crazy. We can't even finish getting rid of everything because every time we get rid of a table or two, another table comes in. Don't be standing around looking, you better grab, take this stuff. >> MOYERS: We went along to one of her volunteer projects: a drug and alcohol recovery group. The woman who had once told us you have to "fake it till you make it" was still spreading that gospel. >> And I'm gonna show you the 45-degree-angle walk, and women, I want you to hear this: do not walk with your butt. When you want to be successful, when you step out... And don't do those timid walks.

That means it's like, "Whichever way the wind..." No! I have somewhere to go and my name is J. Renee. (audience agreeing) You see that? >> MOYERS: We also went to school with her. She's taking classes to get back into the real estate game. >> And I know I'm good. I can walk out here and I could guarantee an Eskimo would buy some ice, even if I brought it out of my refrigerator. They're going to buy it. >> MOYERS: But the private Jackie was less self-assured. Do you feel like a failure today? >> Yes. >> MOYERS: Claude, do you think she's a failure? >> No, she's not a failure. >> He'll always say that. >> You're not a failure. In this day and age you raised five kids-- that's success. Get jobs and make their own decisions... >> But even the Bible says leave heirs, you must leave something. You know... >> MOYERS: Do you think your children feel that you're a failure? >> I don't think my children...

I think they love me enough not to tell me if they did feel it. >> I was young, about 14. >> MOYERS: Did it scare you? >> MOYERS: The Stanley kids are all grown up now. The oldest, Nicole, is in Virginia, working for a county clerk's office. The youngest daughter, Omega, a single mother of a ten-year-old, recently lost her job at a Milwaukee call center and is looking for another. >> How much money would you like to make when you grow up? >> Probably about a hundred million. Something like that. >> MOYERS: One of the twins, Claude, is also looking for work. >> That makes me want to do more, a lot more. >> MOYERS: The other, Klaudale, left the Navy in 2011 and came back to Milwaukee to look for a job. But he found that opportunities were better elsewhere; he got a job with a private contractor in Afghanistan. >> MOYERS: What does it say to you that he can make more money employed by a military contractor in Afghanistan than he can make here at home in Milwaukee? >> It says something.

>> It's sad. >> It says you gotta run out of this country to go somewhere to make some more money. That's crazy. And we're supposed to be the richest country? That ain't... that don't sound too good, Bill. >> The chair recognizes... >> Thank you, Mr. President. If I could speak to this, as the lead sponsor... >> MOYERS: We went to Milwaukee's city hall to find the family's one college graduate. Keith Stanley earns about $45,000 a year as an assistant to the common council president, Alderman Willie Hines. >> He's been on staff now about a year and a half or two or so, and he's highly respected. He's a man of integrity. >> MOYERS: Hines's district is in Milwaukee's Central City, near where Keith grew up. >> Neil, how's everything going with you? >> MOYERS: Despite government and private efforts to bring jobs back here, Milwaukee's jobless rate among African-American men hovers at around 50%. >> Anyway, if you can, give me a call. This is Keith Stanley, with Alderman Willie Hines' office. >> We do get the calls about jobs.

They're looking for a job. "I need a job." Sometimes it's difficult to have that conversation because I myself am in no position to offer a job, and my boss, that's just... We're policy makers. My heart goes out to them because I know I can share that same story with them. I can understand their pain. Now, they may not want to hear that. A lot of times, you know, they're all, "Oh, you're working at the city and you don't understand." I get lots of those, and I can stop and say, "No, I definitely understand." You know, I definitely understand dealing with struggle when, you know, your parents just don't have enough. >> My parents spent a lot of time and energy in us and making us who we are. There are people that look like me, that live where I live, and who are now dealing with situations and struggles that I never have seen. I've never seen the inside of a jail. I can't tell you what a gun looks like. I don't know what drugs or even alcohol looks like. And I have to give all that credit to my dad along with my mom, and they put the fear of God in us. You know, you have to work hard, you have to look people in the eye.

>> MOYERS: Tell me about Keith. >> He has gone far. He's beyond our expectations. But Keith has told me a lot of times, "Mom, I don't want to be like you and Dad." >> MOYERS: Meaning? >> Bill, when it's time to eat, they want to eat. They don't want to do like Dad and I and start, you know, saying... making excuses why you're not hungry. We're gonna keep filling the racks. Go by color, not by size. >> I'm inspired by my parents, but that's also made me make a lot of tough decisions where I say, "I'm not going to make those decisions because I don't want that to affect my life." >> Look for the blue, look for the brown. >> MOYERS: One of the decisions Keith has made is to hold off on getting married and having kids. >> I want to make sure I can control my destiny, and that's including not having children at a certain age. I would love to say I want to bring in a child in the world, but until I have myself together, I'm confident and believe that I have myself together... And people say there's no perfect time to have a kid, I know that, but there's been too many struggles I saw. And for me, it's like, "Can I make that sacrifice?"

And if I do, man, they... maybe one kid. Maybe a dog right now. That's why I got Spike, so that's it. >> MOYERS: Knowing what growing up without money is like, Keith takes extra jobs to make sure he's never in the same fix. He's a landlord, collecting rents on this building he bought just up the street from his parents' storefront church. He also works nights and weekends as a videographer... >> If you can, kind of restate the question in the answer. >> MOYERS: Shooting and editing public and private events. And he does have a young person to care for. >> This big guy is my nephew, Kevin Joy. >> MOYERS: Kevin is the son of Keith's older sister, Nicole. She sent Kevin from Virginia to Milwaukee with the hope of giving him a strong male role model. >> He's got a client. He's been cutting her grass, watering her grass. It's kind of amazing to see. We've got a whole 'nother generation from just 20 years ago when I was doing this, and we had a business, and we were cutting grass. So it's kind of passing on those values, that same work ethic, making sure that he can get to work on time. He can take authority, he can do time management, that type of thing. KJ, now you know that's... you could be done with that by now.

>> MOYERS: But you do want to be a dad someday? >> I think so. I think Kevin has given me a little light... We're not going to water yet, we're going to cut the grass. Don't water it. Yeah, try to pull it, get the lawn... I can help you out, pull the lawn mower out. So Kevin has given me a little light to say, "Maybe I can pour what little wisdom, what little nuggets I have"-- there's not much there, but what I do have-- and put onto the next generation and say, "Listen, this is what it takes to survive." >> MOYERS: Kevin, now it's your turn, right? You're how old? >> I'm 16. >> MOYERS: And what are your ambitions, what do you want to do with yourself? >> There's nothing else I want to do but go to college. >> And what have you learned about your grandparents? >> Man, they're just resilient. I mean, they're the people that you look at and you can keep hitting them, knocking them down, breaking them to pieces, rip them apart, burn them, but they'll still be there, they're kind of indestructible. >> Sometimes you're going to go through some things to get where you're trying to go.

Do all that you can, but still praise God. >> MOYERS: How much has your faith been an anchor for you during this difficult time? >> That's a big anchor. (clapping to organ music) That's what gets me up in the morning, Bill. That's what keeps me going. I believe that something gonna happen. >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus... ♪ >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus... ♪ >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus... ♪ >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus... ♪ >> MOYER: But you've had so many setbacks since I first met you. >> That's true. >> MOYERS: You were fighting hard after you lost those good-paying jobs and you've been fighting ever since, and yet you still... >> Still, Bill, still praise the Lord, I still believe there's something for us. >> And I would interject at saying, what else? We have no other choice. >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus... ♪ >> MOYERS: In early 2013, yet another American president set lofty goals for restoring the middle class.

>> We believe that America's prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. When the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American. >> MOYERS: What you've lost-- your home, your husband, a livable, decent income-- people say to me, "How does she keep going, where does she get that spirit, how does she do it?" >> My grandfather always said when I was 14, "You never let the devil win. Never let the devil win." I'm still determined. I'm not going to give up. >> MOYERS: Do you think you'll ever be financially secure? >> Um, the way the economy is going, no, I don't think anybody is going to be financially secure, truthfully. >> MOYERS: And you're... >> And we'll just work until we collapse and keel over and die.

>> MOYERS: There's a postscript to Terry Neumann's story. She finally found herself a new full-time job at a nursing home. She works the overnight shift, 11:00 p.m. until 7:00 in the morning. She earns $11.50 an hour plus benefits. It's not enough, she says, to ever think about buying another house of her own. Her hope now is someday to buy herself a spot in a trailer park. Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org >> For more on this and other Frontline programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline.

Frontline's "Two American Families" is available on DVD. To order, visit shopPBS.org, or call 1-800-play-pbs. Frontline is also available for download on iTunes. Hi, I'm Raney Aronson-Rath from FRONTLINE. Deep dive investigative reporting takes months of hard work. But we believe the truth should always be free and accessible to everyone. No paywalls, no agendas. Our independence depends on viewers who believe in fearless, fact-based journalism. Please chip in today to help keep FRONTLINE free and independent for all. Thank you.

>> People don't realize what they have until it's gone. >> NARRATOR: Tonight on "Frontline"... >> We lost our whole house and everything. >> NARRATOR: Growing up poor. >> And we're going to start with numbers one through 20. >> I think there's a lot of people in America that need help with food. >> NARRATOR: Through the eyes of children. >> Sometimes when I watch people who, like, walk into their house when we're driving, I wish that sometimes, like, I had a house like those people. >> NARRATOR: We first met them five years ago. >> If I could change anything, it would be being poor. I'm Kaylie, and I'm 15. >> NARRATOR: Now we catch up with them as teenagers, and see the America they're growing up in today. ♪ ♪ >> My name is Brittany Smith, and I'm nine years old. It's tough because my mom and dad are poor. My dad just lost his job.

Come here, boy! Monday I tried getting in the shower, and it was cold. I put the hot on all the way and no cold, and it was freezing. It felt like shoving your face in a bunch of snow. It was freezing! The hot water shut off because we didn't pay the bill in time. It was overdue. >> So what's the next bill due? >> Electricity. It's going to be $318. We just need to put Roger's ass to work. >> Yeah. >> When you see the flat-screen TV and the computers and our PS3 and stuff, that's just things we've acquired over the years, stuff that we've had before all this happened, like when we were not this poor. >> Sink's broke. (laughs) I don't know how or why, but it broke. And the cheapest plumber is, like, $65 an hour. I can't even afford $20. >> We lived in a farmhouse. My dad lost his job from Picture Perfect. He got laid off, and we got kicked out of there.

We moved here. It's not very big. We didn't have enough room so we had to put stuff in storage, and we lost it all because we couldn't pay it. >> How storage works is, like, you put all your stuff in there when you move, but you have to pay the bill or else it gets thrown out in the street, because they have a spare key. I don't think it's right, because people shouldn't throw other people's stuff in the street, because that's just plain up rude. I got a big make-up thing, and I lost it in storage. I got a Bratz doll, I lost it in storage. I lost my favorite teddy bear. I lost my DS. It was great, it was awesome. I'm bummed out because, like, that was my favorite thing in the world besides my family. (laughs) >> Yeah, caliper's shot.

Got to get new pistons, at least, on it. >> My dad's brakes on the truck isn't working. One time we almost got in a wreck. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. I hate that sound. When is the cable being shut off? >> Soon. We owe them almost $200. The cable, the internet, all that, we don't have the money to pay it. >> What are you doing? >> Applying for a job. >> Have you applied to many places? >> This'll be the third Menard's store I've applied at. Walmart, the anchor place, quite a few. >> I hope that my dad will somehow miracle-y get his truck working and get a good job and so we'll be able to get money to keep this house, hopefully, and not get kicked out. ♪ ♪ >> My name is Kaylie Hegwood, and I live in Stockton, Iowa.

Oh, yay! That one was good, that one was good! And I am ten years old, and I live with my mother and my brother, Tyler, and he is 12 years old. I don't think we're a rich family, but I think, like, we're kind of a poor family. I'm hungry. >> (laughing): I knew you were going to say that as soon as you... You're going to have to wait, sis. >> I'm just starving. We don't get the three meals a day, like breakfast, lunch, and then dinner. When I feel just, like, hungry, I just, like, feel like I'm so, like, sad and all droopy, and then I'll begin to feel, like, weak, and then some in the mornings I'll be, like, so starving, but then I'll be, like, "I need some food!" But then, like, I'll get, like... but then I don't think of food and then I'll just think of something else and then I'll not be hungry anymore. >> There's good days and bad days. Sometimes when we have cereal, we don't have milk. We have to eat it dry.

Sometimes we don't have cereal and we have milk. It's often, like, switch and swap. Sometimes, like, when I switch the channel and there's a cooking show on, I get a little more hungry, and I want to vanish into the screen and start eating the food. >> You can't pull at Mom when I'm doing this. >> Stop pulling. >> I'm sorry. >> How do you think you have customers? >> (laughing): Customers. >> I don't want you to freakin' cut me. >> I'm not gonna cut you. >> You better not. >> I've been in school long enough, I won't cut you. >> Or you're dead. I mean it. My mom, she has very little in her bank. And, like, she can't pay all of her bills at the same time. >> My income is $480... or $1,480, and the total of my bills is $1,326, and that does not leave me money for food or gas.

I've never seen it this bad. >> My best friend is Jordan, and we grew up together. We like to go canning to make money. Cans! With canning, I just walk around, look for cans, and I walk, like, around the whole town. The non-squished ones are five cents. >> And the squished are two cents. >> Yeah. Some people come over here for gas, and it's not here anymore. The dance hall, that's broken. Train station, that's still up, but it's all rotted and stuff. I'll do it nice and slow for you. Oh, another crushed can! >> In 2004 is when this shut down. >> And now look at it. It's crappy. It used to be so... special. Didn't that use to be a movie theater? >> What? >> That.

>> No. >> What did it use to be? >> It was the old bank. >> Huh. I bet there's old money in there. >> I'm not going in there. The floor fell in. >> Well, that would be awesome if there was, like, thousands and thousands of dollars. >> Tyler! Those are ours! Drop 'em! Kaylie! >> Drop 'em! >> Kaylie! >> When we can't afford to pay our bills, like our house bills and stuff, I'm afraid, like, we'll get homeless. Me and my brother will starve. You never know what'll happen in your life. So, yeah. ♪ ♪ (train rumbling) (kids chattering) >> My name is Jasmine, and I am nine years old, and I live with my brothers Joshua, Jaylen, and Jonny. >> My name is Jonny Davis.

I'm 13 years old, going to be 14 in three months. We are in the Salvation Army homeless shelter. My dad had got a business, and he was making about a good $5,000 a month. We had good and fancy things then. We had, like, a three-bedroom house. Our living room had a 32-inch flat-screen TV in there. My mom's and dad's room had a 42-inch flat-screen TV in their room. And that's what TV we watched the Super Bowl on. >> (screaming playfully) >> Those are eggs. Are you serious? >> Yeah. >> Why would you bring that out here? >> Because. >> Whoa! >> When it was good, it was good. I can remember having five or six jobs a month that were lined up back to back, and I mean decent paying jobs-- $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, whatever it was.

And all of a sudden, just right about the time when everybody was saying, you know, "The recession is coming about, the recession is coming about," people just plain old stopped fixing on their houses, stopped making repairs. >> The payment on the house was due in two weeks, and I guess my parents just didn't have the money at the time, because he was explaining to us business was slow. And we lost our whole house and everything. So we're just back to ground zero. Then we moved to a homeless shelter. Anything that can fit in a book bag or a suitcase, you can take it. Whatever you... like this TV, the yellow one in the living room, that only made it because it could fit in my bag. If it couldn't fit in my bag, that would've been left behind, too. >> We have to go. Hurry up, and let's go. >> Hurry, hurry, hurry. My dad works at a factory, and we drive him there every day. >> In, in, in, in, in.

>> Assigned seats, assigned seats, let's go. >> The journey takes about two hours there and back. We have to go with our mom because the rules say that we couldn't be left in the shelter by ourself because we weren't old enough. >> I thank God that he still has a chance and an ability to still go out and get different jobs. >> It's not a career, something that I want to spend the rest of my working years doing, but it's something that will provide for us to have some food. >> ♪ ...road again... ♪ Always driving, always. >> I know this is tough, driving out here every day, there and back, there and back, there and back, there and back. It'd be so much easier if you could go ahead and just grab us a place out here so you don't have to make the trip back and forth. I look at that little house every time I ride past. That's a nice one there.

>> Sometimes when I watch people who, like, walk into their house when we're driving, I wish that sometimes, like, I had a house like those people. >> Is it me or does it seem like it gets further away every day? ♪ ♪ (traffic passing) (train horn blaring) ♪ ♪ >> Kaylie, what are you looking at? >> It's loud. ♪ ♪ >> I would just like to go explore the world. But I'm never going to be able to do this, because these days everything is expensive. I watched one show where it said they're raising the gas prices, and my mom can't even afford gas. We have to be careful how we use our gas, how we use everything.

>> A lot of times I have to give my money up to buy groceries and buy gas for the car and lawnmower. (lawnmower stops) >> (giggles) >> For mowing other people's lawns and... I got ten dollars, and I put in six of it for the gas and gave the rest to my mom for some food and... It's kind of what I do with my money. I don't think I'm going to do mowing for a living. (barking) >> The bills here at the house is just too much for me to handle. And I seen a doctor last week for depression, and she put me on some antidepressants and Xanax for my panic attacks. Right now there doesn't seem to be a way out. So my only options are to give up my house and move my stuff into storage and move into the motel room.

>> Whoo! >> I mean, I don't even know if I can find a job when I get out of school. Or if it'll ever get any better. >> Grace, come here! >> (sniffling) (dog barking) I'll have to find day care for Kaylie. I mean, she's ten, but still... Her and Tyler, they're brother and sister. They fight. I'll come home and one will be hanging from the ceiling fan and the other one will be God knows where. I'm scared. >> I don't want to move. I like living here, because my friends are nice to me. Like, I just want to stay put here.

We won't get to keep our dog, Nala. It's extra money, and we're going to get rid of her. Like, I want to spend as much time as with her. But then again, I want to spend time with my friends. (chattering in background) ♪ ♪ (indistinct conversation) >> And there might be a question about whether you get food stamps or not. We're going to ask you for your name and your phone number. >> I think there's a lot of people in America that need help with food. Because they're poor or they're either homeless, or they're both. We need food for our family.

I'm hitting my growth spurt, and I'm really hungry. My favorite food is Chinese food. I'm craving that right now. Know what makes me mad? We can't afford it. (laughs) ♪ ♪ >> I think we're probably pretty good for fourth grade. >> Wolves aren't ballerinas. I've seen a lot of things in my life... >> (over intercom): Mr. Jaquin? >> Yes? >> If this is a good time for you, would you like to send your students down for the nutrition club? >> I'll have them down there shortly. >> Nutrition club is a bag of food that you get every Friday and you have to make last the whole weekend. They announce in class that you have to go down for nutrition club if you're in it. You have to go to the office and you have to sign your name in for it. And then, um, you go put it in your locker and then you go back to class.

>> Hey, good morning, Brittany. >> Hey, Brittany. >> I'm surprised by how things can change so fast. You can go from doing okay, not having to go hungry, to this-- going hungry and having to pay all your bills and not being able to... on the verge of being homeless again. ♪ ♪ >> That'll fit you, and it's cute. >> Nah. We just found out my mom is pregnant. She's like a whale. My dad's been working. He's been working for a week and he has $64 total. >> Definitely not a good time to have a baby, but I don't believe in abortion and... >> Mm-mmm. Or adoption. Financially, we're going to be in a lot more trouble. >> Financially, we'll be strapped. >> (laughs): Dogs.

>> (growls) >> Good Lord. >> Are you okay, Mom? >> Don't throw up. >> Is the baby hurting you? >> Are you going to be alive in ten seconds? >> Oh, my God, I'm having a hot flash. >> That's just fanning you, Logan. I think it would be difficult for the baby to grow up here because we don't have a lot of money. >> I think the thing I miss the most from having all this happen is the internet. I mean, people don't realize what they have until it's gone. And, whew, serious World of Warcraft withdrawals, man. 'Cause, say, in World of Warcraft, I'm awesome. I'm a level 85 paladin. Tank and healer. And in real life, I'm a 14-year-old boy with nothing going for him. (chuckles) (train horn blaring) ♪ ♪ >> Grr! Nala, she was, like, my dog. Like, she was, like, my favorite dog. And now we have to take her to the pound.

We have to get rid of Nala, but not Tanner. Nala's so adorable. Like if you had her, she would sleep on your bed and she would sleep on you. She's like your little guard dog. We're getting rid of my perfect little lovey dog. Yes, Nala, I hear you stressing out. I love you, Nala. ♪ ♪ >> Does she have any favorite toys or games? >> She needs lots and lots of bones. She'll chew one in, like, an hour, so...

(whispering): She hates baths. >> Oh, yeah. >> Doesn't like baths? >> No. This is my animal lover. >> Yeah. She'll have to go into our isolation room, since she hasn't gotten any vaccinations yet. So she'll be in an isolated area right now. All right, sweetie. Do you want the leash and collar back at all? >> Just the leash. >> Okay. >> And the collar! >> Why the collar? She can have it. >> Collar, Mom... Fine. Meanie. (whimpers) (crying) (barks) ♪ ♪ (wind rustling) >> I got him!

>> I thought we were getting a double bed. >> And there's no mini fridge. Dang it. And there's no microwave. Okay, we have to ask them about that. >> God. I thought we were getting a double bed. Damn. >> Well, we're going to have to ask them about the mini fridge. >> This is small. >> It's going to be small. Plain and simple, it's going to be small. >> This is as big as my room. >> Yeah? ♪ ♪ (kids shouting playfully) >> Here's one of Tom's old business cards. >> Oh, yeah, I remember T&C! >> T&C, Tom and Classy. >> Yeah. >> You don't want a lot of people to find out that you live here. People will make fun of it and, and it can really haunt you after a while.

It starts... you start to have no friends, people will tease you about it and stuff like that. >> You getting too big. You always want something extra. >> I don't want nothing extra. >> Yes, you do. You want a phone, you want shoes... >> I got a phone. I ain't wearing no earth walkers outside. No, sir. Jordans and Nikes. >> Jonny, Nikes and Jordans are expensive. >> I know. >> Just for a name, that makes no sense. You need a job. >> Nike's not expensive. >> Look, I've been buying Josh shoes after shoes after shoes. I can't afford it. Now what-- Walmart? He gotta take Walmart. What else can I do? At least his feet not dragging the ground. >> There were some Jordan flip-flops in there for 30 bucks. Now, that's a great deal. You cannot find no Jordan flip-flops, the brand-new kind, for no 30 bucks. They're probably not real, but guess what? >> Is that a great deal when I can go to Walmart and buy my... the shoes I'm wearing I got from Walmart for five dollars. >> I'm talking about name-brand stuff. That's a good deal, Mama.

>> My sandals are nice, right? >> If you listen to it, it's a good deal. >> You want some of those, right? See, that's why I like y'all when y'all small. They accept stuff. You getting too big. Your feet growing. You in grown people's shoes now. (groans) Please stop growing! (chuckles) >> I'm embarrassed because I'm poor and because I live in a shelter. It makes me feel like I just... wish I never lived here. >> There's a kid at the school who looks... dress worser than me. But he has his own house, though. He got a house to call home. He don't have to go sit down with thousands of people to eat dinner. He can run to his refrigerator and open it up. And I can't do that. I have to wait until a certain time and I have to eat, because if I don't eat, I will starve all night, until the next morning.

>> Make sure you stay in line so you can get your plate, okay? >> Yes, yes, sir. >> Stand right here, and as soon as she goes, Jonny, you go after Jasmine. >> As a mother, you always got different thoughts going through your head and mind and wishing that you could change things and wishing things was different. But what are you to do? You can't keep beating yourself up about it, but at the same time... It's just hard. Having a family is hard. Maintaining a family is hard. Keeping us indoors is hard. (door closes) >> Hey, Mom and Daddy. Guess what I got on my grades? >> What? Oh, oh! >> That's good.

>> One for the Willis team. >> That saved you from 70 lashes, didn't it? (laughing) So did you do good? >> I got two A's, two B's, and two C's. >> Ooh, wow. >> That's what's up, Johnny. >> I have to get you a skateboard. >> Grades is my only way out of here. If my grades are not good, I know I can't go to universities like my dream is to go. I know if my grades are not good, I can't play football like I want to. If I don't succeed doing what I have to do in school and making good grades, I will fail-- I'm going to live this life, a life of shelters, going through hard times, can't feed my kids, trying to figure out where I'm going to lay my head every night. ♪ ♪ >> Look... Ewww... It's all crunched up and there's not much space.

See? (groans) He takes up the hallway to go to the bathroom. We had much more space in the house. Be right back. The cold stuff that needs to be freezed is in the sink. We don't have a fridge. Just this sink is our fridge. Brush. We have to get ice mostly every day because it melts during night. When I struggle for money, there's nothing to eat. All there is is cans of vegetables. So I've been eating vegetables. There's really not enough food. If I could change anything, it would be being poor. I really don't want to be poor because then you can't get... Because then how can you pay rent, how can you get food, how can you get a roof over your head if you're gonna be poor?

♪ ♪ >> All I want is to play football, but football is expensive. I can name a few items I need and want for my sports, but I just got to wait on it till next time Mama can afford it. >> Ooh, good one, good one. >> I'm 14. My life is almost over, until I'm a grown man. And if I don't have the opportunity to show somebody to play football, football won't exist in four years from now. If I don't get to play on a team this year, that dream is going to slowly start fading away. That's what happens to some of the dreams of kids. They pertain to something and they can't afford it. (baby crying) >> It's a boy. The baby's a boy.

>> He wants a bottle. >> I was really hoping for a little sister, but, you know, you get what you get. Went back to work for the company that I used to work for, and they're not doing the greatest either. I'd say I got maybe a week's worth of work, and then they're going to be closing up shop from this local office and only keeping one of the three branches open, you know. So it's just temporary, but it's something. Temporary fix to a long-term problem. >> No more babies. I got my tubes tied after I had him. I love him and I wouldn't mind having more, but we can't afford it. >> The babies' futures are going to be weird and messed up. Life is going to be hard because there's hardly gonna be any jobs left in the future, or any money.

Then rich people will be poor, and like this. Like you. You might get poor in the last few months. You never know. ♪ ♪ >> My mom can't sign us up for school. My mom says that we're going to go, we're going to get in school when we move into the trailer that we are getting. >> The trailer is very livable, it has floors. We're going to be redoing it. >> Am I going to have to crawl in with the snakes to get the pipes unfrozen? >> No, no. It's all... >> The best thing to do is put hay bales around it. >> I know, we're going to get some of those and do that. But we're going to be moving the trailer probably in a couple of summers, but that'll be two years away, because we have to have a two-year lease. >> What?

>> If I keep missing school, >>then I see my future poor, on the streets, in a box, not even. And... asking for money everywhere everybody and then stealing stuff from stores and, you know... I don't want to steal stuff. I don't want to do any of that stuff. I want to get an education and a good job. I believe that I'm going to get a perfect job that I like and that I want to do. People can't stop you from believing in your own dreams. ♪ ♪ >> Barack Obama has been reelected.

The 44th president. >> ...warning Chicago to expect dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills... >> The soaring price of gasoline, now $3.67 a gallon... >> Detroit is now the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy... >> ...shelters to stay open 24 hours a day instead of... >> ...leaving millions struggling to find opportunity in the land that always promised it. >> My fellow Americans, it has been the honor of my life to serve you. ♪ ♪ >> Donald Trump is the next president of the United States. >> I'm Kaylie and I'm now 15, turning 16 in a month or so. I've moved to a trailer, then I moved to a duplex, and then I moved here. And we've been here for almost a year and a half, two years. Ow, that actually hurt. >> I'm Tyler, I'm 18 years old now. I would still say we're, we're kind of stuck in a hole, but it's... it's better than what it was before. Mom, she was working at night, she was in third shifts, and they worked her 40 hours, 50 hours a week at third shift, so she was sleeping in the morning. If I didn't wake up in time for school, I was late and she couldn't call me in. I racked up a couple hundred detentions, and I dropped out and stopped going to school, and they didn't call my mom, they didn't care. So I felt like they just

kind of dropped me off like a piece of trash, almost. (water running) >> Bella, oh, my God, I'm so happy I got her. She cuddles with me, actually cuddles. She'll sit there and lay on my chest all night. Bella, can I get underneath your chin? Are you gonna let me? It's important for me to have a dog because it's kind of like therapy. Come on, lift up-- lift up. Bella helps me feel safe. Everyone surrounding me is getting cancer. My grandma was diagnosed with mucosal melanoma cancer. My grandma, she gives a lot. Without her, we wouldn't have this house, my mom wouldn't have her car, like, I wouldn't have a phone. We wouldn't have anything without her. >> You could be put on your feet, but there's always something putting you back to the ground, and pulling you back.

Well, there's gravity, but there's other things, too. >> My mom, she was then diagnosed with cancer. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. >> I was supposed to go to the specialist this week and schedule the surgery. But they won't see me because they don't accept Iowa Medicaid. >> It kind of makes me afraid, like, when I get older, what'll happen to me. Because my grandma and my mom got it, I'm bound to get it, maybe. Maybe if luck's on my side, I won't, but... How long are you gonna be out of work? >> Well, it was supposed to be two months, a month to two months. Now it's probably going to be closer to three, maybe four. >> Sometimes I'm not sad about things that happen. Sometimes I am. I think I've just gotten so used to bad things happening, I just don't care anymore. (train horn blaring) ♪ ♪ >> I'm Brittany and I'm now 15 years old. My hair isn't blonde anymore because I dye it, which is one of my hobbies, I guess.

I like to do different stuff with my hair. And I like it. And I'm probably not going to stop until all of my hair is gone. (chuckles) >> Give me one of these ones. I'm Roger and I'm now 19. Graduated high school a year and a half early. I got a job, I've gotten a few different jobs. I've just been working, been working and sleeping. (chuckles) >> Zakkary, one... >> Mommy. I'm playing. >> It's not a toy, you see that? That's germs, that's gross. Put your chair back. >> My little brother Zakk turned five. Zakk is autistic. To help him, we'll count with him and we'll help him try to read and stuff like that. >> B is for... >> Ball and... bee. >> Yeah. >> I love that little guy, he's so awesome. He's helped pull the family together and definitely takes a lot of stress out of the day. (Zakk coughs) There's your dragon.

I think my monster could kick your monster's butt, dude. (crashes) (laughs) Well, dang! >> Middle school was filled with drama. And I hated it so much. People would bully me because I was poor. It distracted me from focusing on my grades 'cause they would, like, pass notes and everything saying that I look ugly and that I needed money. My lowest point was getting expelled and getting held back. And my highest point was, you know, finally, like, graduating middle school. And I felt, like, super-proud of myself. I like art and creativity because you get away from the real world. It just helps me a lot. >> It's definitely gone up and down over the past five years. (truck starts) Work's unsteady. It'll be going good for, you know, a week or two, a month, and then out of nowhere, all the bills pile up and just we can't seem to find any money any way.

>> I know that my parents try to make it less stressful for us, but Dad will come home with a really bad paycheck and then I'll just, like, start doubting everything. We won't be able to pay bills, is what I keep thinking. And I'm thinking that we're not gonna be able to pay rent. We're gonna be sitting on the streets or something like that, and just every time that happens, it pops up in my head. You know, being stressed out and everything is part of life. >> What can I get for you? >> I just need to pick up these, two shower doors and a storm door. >> You betcha. >> My dad, he just recently got his job back at Lowe's, and that's when I started with him, too. I think I've gotten myself into the business to where it's always gonna be there, you know? People are always gonna need sidings, and I always figured if this didn't work out, build toilets. Everybody's always gonna need to take a crap. (laughs) I never really thought that I'd still be at home, but I don't make enough money to make it on my own.

I just think at this point in my life, I don't need to be happy right now-- I need to make everything I need to and get the ball rolling. >> Most kids around here, they do graduate high school, but hardly any of them ever go to college. Because, you know, college is expensive. I want to go to college, because I feel like I could do better. But then other times, I get doubts of how, like, you know, what if I get a bad job and end up like this with my kids? (sighs) ♪ ♪ (chattering) I'm Jasmine and I'm 14, turning 15 in December. Right now we're in a hotel because we're waiting for my mom and dad to find us somewhere to live. (laughing) Jonny is in Chicago with my grandma.

I haven't really heard from him since the last time that we saw him. I miss Jonny because, um, he-he listened, and he was somebody that I could talk to. >> What you doing? >> Homework. >> Homework? >> The hardest parts for me were jumping from school to school. I'm not blaming it on this situation, but my grades aren't bad, but they're not as good as they should be. >> So have they offered you tutoring there? >> It's not in the classes that I need. >> Really? >> They don't help me with math. >> Well, if you really need it, and you really need to stay after school, then you can get the tutoring, Jasmine. I just got to come get you. Okay? >> Mm-hmm. I don't think it's my parents' fault because they're moving so we could have somewhere to stay and so we can be stable. For you to get a house, that takes time and work and money. >> It's like a game, the hurry up and wait. You waiting on answers to see when you can move or when you can get in or...

>> You can have one year where everything is fine, but that next coming year, you catch a bad cold and it's all over with. >> Yep. >> And sometimes it means picking up and leaving, going somewhere to try to start over to try to get a better fit for your family. >> I feel like, with the parents that I have, it's going to come eventually. Right now, he-he cleans windows. >> But the thing is is that you make up in your mind, like I said, whether you gonna survive or not. So I choose to go ahead and try to make an honest dollar. >> People don't know half of the stuff that he does to make sure that we're stable and we're okay. And... He tries harder than people think. (crying) ♪ ♪ >> I'm Jonny. I'm 19 now. I live with my grandmother in Chicago. With my parents, they couldn't stay stable and moving around a lot of places, and I knew it was going to be a problem for me academically as

far as my life situation. I guess I started hanging out with the wrong people. I ended up going to jail. When I went to jail that day, it was, like, "You've really fallen off. "You let yourself fall off. "You went from all this good stuff happening to you, "you gonna be, you know what I'm saying, a good football player." Scouts was coming to see me at practices and asking about me, and wanting me to play on their team, to "Now you smoking weed and you got locked up and all that." It was just like a reality check to myself. Like, "You've really fallen off. You need to get back on track." And this was my wake-up call, I guess. I came up here to start over. If you fall, you gotta get up, dust it off, and keep on going. That's the only thing you can do. Till you get to the top. I work for HMR Designs. It's a party and wedding designing company. Just working to this point till I enroll in school this spring. When spring come around, I could still end up going to the school I want to go to, which is Louisiana State University. Going there and pursuing this football dream.

There we go, come on, get open. Oh, yeah. Oh, gotta go for it. Let's go! You can come check on me five years from now, I'll be somewhere, playing for somebody's team in the NFL. Everybody knows the American Dream-- oh, go to college, and go live your life. That's all I want to do. Living my dream and take care of my family. That's it. ♪ ♪ (laughing) >> I would not do that. ♪ ♪ >> I was sitting at home till I was just, like, "Why am I sitting here doing nothing when I could be finishing high school?" I see how hard it is for my mom, 'cause she didn't finish school. I think I started two days late but I was, like, "I need to get in there and do it now." A lot of teachers have been telling me that, uh, it's better late than never. But I'm right there at the edge of being too late! (laughs) >> I'm gonna laugh if he falls. Ready?

>> Oh! >> Told you! ♪ ♪ >> I wouldn't choose this life, but it's kind of showing me what can happen. I would take this experience and use it to make myself a better person by learning from it and knowing what not to do. My hopes for the future would be to have a house and my own room and my own space, but you can't really have everything you want. ♪ ♪ >> If I have kids, I would not want them to be growing up like this. No matter what I go through, I'll still, like, you know, want to try and try and try to be better. >> There've probably been many children who've grown up in a poor household, became rich in the future, which I believe I can. Um, but it's a 50-50 chance.

But the most thing I'm afraid of is becoming like my mom. No offense, she tried her best, but I'm scared to death of becoming like her. Her financial situation and things that's happened to her that affects how she acts. If I become like her, I don't know. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. You know. ♪ ♪ I know it's gonna be really hard. But maybe someday in my future, I'll graduate from college and push through life. ♪ ♪ >> For more on this and other "Frontline" programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline.

Frontline's "Poor Kids" is available on DVD. To order, visit shopPBS.org or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. "Frontline" is also available for download on iTunes. ♪ ♪ Hi, I'm Raney Aronson-Rath from FRONTLINE. Deep dive investigative reporting takes months of hard work. But we believe the truth should always be free and accessible to everyone. No paywalls, no agendas. Our independence depends on viewers who believe in fearless, fact-based journalism. Please chip in today to help keep FRONTLINE free and independent for all. Thank you.

>> ...the new president-elect Joe Biden faces... >> ...America has decided to go another way... >> ...Trump campaign is saying hold on we're fighting the legal battle... >> NARRATOR: A bitterly contested election in a country on edge. >> Not in my country! >> NARRATOR: Over the past year, a team of filmmakers across the United States has been documenting the hopes and fears of Americans. >> (chanting) >> ...keep going... >> ...engage... >> Their right are being taken away... >> NARRATOR: From the earliest days of the pandemic-- the impact on health... >> I love you so much. >> It's just kind of a blur what happened after I got intubated. >> NARRATOR: And the economy. >> We tried putting in for the small business loan, unfortunately, we weren't approved. >> We are the free people of America. >> NARRATOR: To a summer of protest-- >> As long as they catch one dirty cop at a time, I'm happy. One at a time. >> NARRATOR: The backlash-- >> (shouting) >> NARRATOR: And ultimately, the election that roused a deeply divided nation-- and the aftermath. >> (chanting) Trump 2020!

Trump 2020! (cars honking) >> NARRATOR: Now, a FRONTLINE special presentation-- >> We want to live! >> NARRATOR: “American Voices: A Nation in Turmoil”. (overlapping voices) >> How can I love America? I can't... I don't think I can love America, I can't put that into words. >> We don't know when it's gonna pass. >> I feel a revolution coming, it's getting closer every day. >> I have learnt to love being alone. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: These are the voices of Americans. (overlapping voices) >> People are getting angrier and angrier. >> I wanna be in charge of my own life! >> NARRATOR: Gathered from across a divided nation... >> We're just going too far in opposite directions. >> Just set the scene for us, how are you feeling? Give us a clap, first. >> NARRATOR: In this film, Americans reflect on a year of turmoil... >> It's never gonna be the same after this. >> I wish there wasn't as much hate in this world as what we have. (riot guns) >> We're scared to death of this thing and nobody wants to die.

>> We have no reason to trust the state. >> I'm not going to tolerate somebody telling me how I need to live my life. >> NARRATOR: A pastor, a barber, an activist, a mother, a retiree, the owners of a nail salon, and of a construction company, and a flower shop, a doctor, and patient. Their stories begin in March 2020, as COVID was spreading, and the country was shutting down. >> CDC says there are now more than 4,200 cases of coronavirus. >> In Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds has recommended... >> Mass gatherings are restricted to less than ten people... (radio fading) >> Who so falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. All the people, the nations and the languages fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

My name is Cary Gordon. I'm the senior pastor of Cornerstone World Outreach in Sioux City, Iowa. How do I water baptize someone in a virtual service? How do I bury the dead? How do I have a wedding? How are people supposed to have me lay my hands upon them and anoint them with oil and pray over them to be healed in the midst of a pandemic when I'm told that I can't have physical contact? ♪ ♪ Last Sunday morning, I drove past Menards. Menards is a lumberyard, hundreds of cars. And only a quarter mile away my church in contrast, I know is empty, because they've said, "The church is not essential." The church is not essential.

In a time of crisis with imminent death and a pandemic, the church is not essential, but Menards can stay open, someone might need to buy a screwdriver. It's offensive. >> New numbers show the damage coronavirus has inflicted upon Oregon's economy. 266,000 Oregonians are without a job... >> Unemployment is at a record high in Oregon... >> People are spooked because of COVID. They're scared to death of this thing and nobody wants to die going out the house getting a haircut. ♪ ♪ My name is Bryant Moore. I'm a barber from Portland, Oregon. ♪ ♪ The bills keep stacking up... with no money coming in. Scared to look at the bills from our business, 'cause I can't pay. So I'll survive by just doing what I have to do to make it, man, you know, it's... If I would go to a senior's house or go to a bus stop, I couldn't do anything else, I had to make do. >> So I'm having a get together at my house. So I escaped, came here. I gotta get my hair done. He got to get his money. Gonna go back looking fly.

>> My business is one of those things where it makes you feel good. Which we really all need to be feeling good right now. (chuckles) You know? It's just a common human thing to do, it's human to make people feel good. >> Oh, yeah, go for a queen. That part. >> I'm hopeful. This may be the right thing to stop all this fighting among each other. You know, Democrat, Republican, independent, Black, white, yellow, whatever. So this might be the right thing. Because what I've been seeing is folks been sticking together. It doesn't matter what color they are. I mean, seeing it in person. >> ♪ Back and forth, and in and out, and back and forth again... ♪ For we are strong people, and we will come out of this and be on top again. ♪ I do believe. >> The coronavirus pandemic is putting an end to the longest economic expansion in U.S.

history. >> We are going into a global recession. >> Entire parts of the U.S. economy are at a complete standstill. >> People are afraid to go out. People are afraid even to call and have something delivered. It's just a total different... >> Half the businesses are broke. Or they're out of business. >> When I started my flower shop, I started with two used cooler boxes, and a piece of plyboard across the top of the boxes in our yard. That's how I started. Do you need a receipt? >> Um, sure. >> Thank you so much. Keep me posted on that wedding. >> I will for sure. >> All right... bye bye! >> Bye! >> I've been here in this one, probably 24 years in this one spot, so I'm kind of a staple here. But it's kind of sad to only see this many orders on my board.

Because normally should be about 50 to 60 orders on my board for Easter. And I have one, two, three, four, five... six. So I better do a pray dance tonight. (chuckles) Oh, I don't know. It is what it is. Is what it is... Okay, it's done. >> Which one's that? >> This is your last one to Auburn. >> Where's Sharon's? >> I haven't done it yet, but it's too early to take hers. >> Oh, I thought you said I was gonna take it now. >> No. >> I didn't see... >> My husband does my deliveries as much as he can do. We're just a two-man team just trying to survive. >> We got married when we were 18. We dated in high school. From the first time we met we were each other's best friends, because everybody knows Rosie.

She's a pretty special woman. I personally have a problem with a mask at times because of my congestive heart failure. There's times I'm fighting for air. Hello, delivery for Pat. "But you don't want to wear a mask because it's not going to save you," well, no, it's not going to save you, but you might save somebody else's life. >> Governor Ralph Northam and his COVID-19 response team... >> See another spike in cases... >> Repeal the state's stay-at- home order... >> Social distancing guidelines are going to be with us... >> My immune system is weakened. So I have learnt to love being alone. I have learned to be pretty darn comfortable. ♪ ♪ Oh Lord technology... just not my thing. My name is Carran Lewis, I live in North Chesterfield, Virginia. Yeah, good morning Second Baptist, praise the Lord, everybody. I drive close to an hour from my home to church. I got a heavy foot, but if I followed the law, it would be clearly an hour drive. >> Welcome to the Second Baptist Church of South Richmond, a caring and sharing church bringing you the word of God.

>> I have enjoyed the comfort of waking up and listening to it online. >> We're now going to have a virtual Peter verse selection from the mass choir... >> I miss the environment of the building. But that is what it is, a building, because the people, we are the church. The physical human beings are the church. >> What's going on in the White House, or the state house, or the mayor's house oftentimes is not based on... >> I've still helped people, even in this virus, I've picked up groceries for a couple of friends, older people that could not go out, didn't have the means to go out. And they know my number. >> Our seniors, amen, because of COVID-19, should not be out and about... >> That's right. That's part of what God wants you to do, you know. Just help people. ♪ For all you've done ♪ ♪ For me ♪ This is the part that's scary. I think some people are getting too comfortable being at home watching the service. ♪ They all belong to you ♪ ♪ Thank you, Jesus ♪ ♪ For blessing me ♪ >> President Trump appears to be stoking unrest in states around the U.S... >> Where long-term damage from a shuttered economy... >> Signs urging leaders to re-open Utah... >> You can't do one size fits all.

You can't shut everybody in, you can't make healthy people wear masks. Oh, that's looking nice. You look so happy about it. I am Amy Garner. And I am a mom of six kids. Okay, where did you want the bow? We say, like, economy, sometimes we just think of finances as a whole of society, but instead I see my brother, whose business was going down. That triggered the stress, which triggered his health issues, which triggered his mental health issues, and he was gone in 60 days. Three years ago, he took his life. This is my brother, Brian. Yeah. (sighs) I wanted to save other families from going through what we went through. (voice cracking): Sorry. So that's why I became so passionate about not shutting things down, letting people choose. >> Are we sheep or are we people? >> People! >> Let's go to work! >> That doesn't mean that we don't believe there are people at extra risk, or that we don't love them or accept their concerns.

I'm like, mine says, my... our definition, oh, "Your definition of essential is not the same as mine." So, I'm like, they really are missing out on the hardworking people who can't earn money for their family, like... I think the rate of suicide is going to go way higher. You take away people's connections, their hobbies, their friends, their worship, their work, and everyone's gonna be depressed! And I am so blessed to have a family of children and a husband. What about the people who don't? It's heartbreaking. >> Small business is the lifeblood of this country, and we cannot kill it any longer. We are open for business today! >> This is my first rally, so I'm really happy to be here with all of you guys, all of you patriots, all of you activists! >> I really hope people will let go of what we're stuck in, what we're stressed out about right now, and take into consideration the long-term impact of what's going on. >> ♪ God bless America My home sweet home ♪ (cheers and applause) >> Mr. Trump is now insisting the states have to step up their testing.

>> Fewer than than one percent of all Texans have been tested... >> Testing will be a big factor in making sure Texans are healthy enough to fully reopen the economy. >> Clearly, we're in the middle of a pandemic, and we're suffering much worse than we would have had we had a competent, science-based head of state. My name is Dr. Christine Edy Mann, I am a family practice doctor in Cedar Park. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, we were left without any guidance. Individual clinics like mine, doctors like me, weren't really given any information about how to manage the pandemic, and so we kind of all had to make it up on the fly. We didn't know the processes that we needed to use to be able to manage patients as they came in.

It takes between one and three days to get a result. Sorry... (patient coughing) >> I'm one of the COVID-19 testers at my workplace. This is a deep nasal swab, it's very uncomfortable. Pull your mask down, I think you've had this before so you know what's coming... We didn't have equipment, we didn't have test kits, and it was very stressful. (indistinct chatter) It was just a mess for months and months and months. ♪ ♪ >> The number of deaths in the United States has now reached a stunning 50,000. >> Had at least one underlying health issue... >> A new effort to keep Chicagoans safe during the COIVD-19 pandemic... >> In early April was when I started feeling lightheaded, dizzy, um... I was coughing. I lost my sense of taste and smell. Because I have an underlying condition, I thought my symptoms were related to that. >> You're wearing your mask wrong. You have to cover your nose. My name is Mayra Ramirez. I am 28 years old. (chuckling) One day I woke up, I was so weak, I just fell over. (breathing deeply and rapidly) Everything was, like, dark. And I remember calling out for my boyfriend, I was like, "George, George," like, and he would, like, run and, like, help me, and I was like, "Okay, I really need to go to the emergency room." They, like, immediately, like, put me in a room, didn't even ask me my name or anything. (medical equipment beeping)

I remember a doctor came in and told me that, "We're pretty sure we're gonna have to intubate you, do you have someone that can make medical decisions for you?" Then, um... it's just kind of a blur, what happened after I got intubated. ♪ ♪ >> The day they told us that Mayra, um, it was her last day, we're all on the trampoline, just... my mom was crying, um, my sisters, all my aunts were there, they were crying. They didn't know what to do. And we were just planning, um, to go pick up a corpse. I was trying to avoid it. >> I love you so much. >> Uh-oh (chuckles). >> Medical people are wonderful people, they're heroes.

But they're not omniscient. And they make mistakes and they contradict one another. Everyone's going to die at some point. As a Christian, we believe that we're set free from the fear of death. >> Do you have any hand sanitizer? >> We do. >> We're spiritual beings and we require fellowship. >> It's a beautiful day! >> I know, it's gorgeous! >> If it's okay to take a risk and go to stores, I think it's okay to take a risk and go to church. >> 99.6. >> Phew! >> Try to keep families together! (people chatting) >> Welcome back into the church building! (cheers and applause) (chuckles) Whoo-hoo! (cheers and applause) Praise the Lord! We're going to teach you a new song this morning as we re-enter the church, you can stand with us. ♪ ♪ ♪ Oh, Christ be magnified ♪ ♪ Just let his prayers arise ♪ ♪ Christ be magnified in me ♪ Hallelujah!

I said hallelujah! (overlapping chatter) >> The attempted arrest was caught on camera. The video of last night's confrontation shows a white police officer with his knee pinning down the neck... >> His name was George Floyd, he's on video saying, "Please, please, I can't breathe" as a Minneapolis police officer... >> We're just like, man, this is crazy... we're already fighting a common terror, which is COVID, and now this now? You know, people were just pissed off, like, this is just ridiculous-- how can you kill this man? >> No justice, no peace, prosecute the police! >> The outrage began with a video showing an officer kneeling on Floyd's neck. >> Many people have gathered in front of the third precinct... >> Sitting here in front of officers who are complicit in the murder of George Floyd. >> Thousands packed the area... >> Protesting the death of George Floyd. >> How many times have we watched police officers murder people? (crowd reacting) >> You're numb to it after so many of them.

It's been happening for so long. >> Don't shoot, hand's up! >> But then it's a little different, you're like, wow, that just happened right here on 38th. The fact that it happened in my neighborhood was what really pulled me into it. (overlapping chatter) People are getting angrier, and angrier, and angrier, and then hold up... We have a whole bunch of police with helmets right in front of us. (glass shattering) >> Crowds of protestors facing off with officers in riot gear. (explosion booms) (explosions boom) (woman screaming) >> (chanting): I can't breathe! >> Protests turned violent last night. >> Overnight protests left parts of downtown in ruins. >> Multiple fires were set, windows smashed, and stores looted. >> As far as volunteering efforts go, so far you're our go-to volunteer coordinator right? >> Yeah. >> So we really have to get her engaged with...

>> Them. My name is Tayo Daniel. I'm from South Minneapolis, Minnesota, co founder of 10K. You know, we were listening to the news, and the narrative that they're spreading was like, "Oh these looters and rioters, people from Minneapolis, just burning down their own city" and all that kind of stuff, and I I was like, man... I'm from here and I know everybody that lives here, we're not like that. So a lot of guys from the neighborhood decided to get together and create the 10K Foundation. And we want to show that we can have a peaceful protest. >> 10K is about, it's about mobilizing 10,000 people and the power in that, the sovereignty in being able to mobilize 10,000 people. I'm Royce White, I grew up here in the Twin Cities. I was an athlete. I was drafted to the NBA back in 2013, and had a huge fight with the NBA regarding mental health policy. You know, when all the protests broke out, my first thought was, I'm headed down there. I'm not gonna claim to have a crystal ball as to what's gonna happen, I really have no clue. I'm just going off of pure opinion. The four officers were arrested and, temporarily, that's enough justice until we wait and see what happens with the court process. I know people are still very unhappy, they're not in the uproar that they were in, obviously, when the city was burning down or even a few days ago when we marched. Ever day we get away from it, that energy's gonna go down a little bit. I think it's spiking up in other places around the country.

I want the goal of this march to be how can we re-grab some of that energy? ♪ ♪ (helicopter droning) >> The reason why we're here is because the history has been misconstrued, because every 4th of July I used to go out and party, and I used to just... really scream independence. Not realizing that my ancestors with the same color skin of mine were not independent. They were in chains, they were being whipped, they were being tortured. People, the time is right now. Can everybody say that one time? On the count of three say the "The time is now," one, two, three! >> The time is now! >> Say it again! >> The time is now! >> Louder! >> The time is now! >> The time is right now. ♪ ♪ (chains dragging) >> Look, we did our best to think through how the protests would put people at risk for COVID-19 transmission.

But, at the end of the day, there's no way that we could allow the state to tell us, "Hey, we're going to kill Black men out on the streets, and also, stay in your house because we also... you know, because of COVID-19." ♪ ♪ If you think about the historical context of Black men, Black people in this country in general, we have no reason to trust the state. In general, when we wake up in the morning, there's no good reason for us to have any faith in the state. And maybe in times where there needs to be a trust, it falls through. Yeah, maybe Black people should have more trust in the state when it comes to COVID-19, but it's a tough sell. >> The reason why we're doing this silent march is because when you take a moment of silence, you're taking a moment of silence for the dead. For the Eric Garners, for the Breonna Taylors, for the George Floyds. >> Hey, it is what it is, this is a war. This is a war. And so the only other option is to, you know, board up in your house and wait for the next George Floyd to be murdered.

I mean, that's just the reality. (light chatter, shuffling) >> Protestors have been on the streets of Richmond for several weeks now. >> The one-time capital of the Confederacy is in the throes of change as statues commemorating confederate leaders come down... >> I am grateful to this generation of Black youth and white youth that are not rioting, they're protesting, and they're smart, and they're doing it right. I'm going in from over here... I decided one Sunday, I said you know what, I'm stepping out on faith, I'm going down to see what this it's about. >> Black Lives Matter! >> I kept seeing it on the news and I just did not believe the way media was portraying it, that it was that bad. >> Do you understand you are a spirit being that lives in a body, your body will die... >> Understand, I'm 63, I'm deadly afraid of COVID, but it's worth it to come out and show my support. >> Black Lives Matter, may all lives matter, I'mma stand for something.

>> I met some terrific people, had great conversations with people. (laughter) The diversity is what makes me feel good about it. The Black and the whites are coming out here. And as long as they catch one dirty cop at a time, one dirty racist, dirty politician, dirty lawyer-- I'm happy, one at a time. 'Cause this is 400 years of this (bleep). (overlapping voices) >> We are out here to end systematic racism. We're out here to defund the police. I grew up in rural Virginia, the closest town was Bowling Green. There were some whites that we talked with, but I didn't play with any, it was no white kids up the street that I played with or anything, they didn't do... we didn't do that in my era. (drumming laughter) That's where I grew up as a child.

Yeah. I'm at the monument right now as we speak. Having big fun, man. (fireworks crackling, whistling) Each experience I had out here has been different. >> We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues or erase our history. >> I come early and I leave before it gets too late. (crowd shouting indistinctly) One evening I didn't understand what was happening when I saw like 14 police cars coming up in front of the area. (crowd shouting) And I just begged them to allow me to go to my car and leave. I just wanna go home, please. I just wanna go home. My car's (indistinct)... I can't get over there. >> You can go wait in your car. We'll be out of here in just a second.

We'll be out of here in just a second. You can go wait in your car. >> And they were very kind. They even helped me get out and I was gone. ♪ ♪ Caucasian people, white people, that I have known for years are very decent people on the surface. I don't understand why they can't see what we're seeing. All I can do is just shake my head. (indistinct chatter) >> Another intense night here in the city of Richmond as protestors took to the streets... >> A peaceful protest in Virginia also turned violent on Saturday night. People in Richmond marched... >> I don't think our country could be any more divided than we are right now. The country is, is horribly divided right now and, and more divided than we ever have been. And for what? For what gain?

My name is Mark Curtis. I'm a father of four young kids. I'm also a business owner. I own a construction company. I'm huge rights activist. I believe in our constitution. I believe in the way our constitution was intended to be read and not interpreted. If anybody had told us this was gonna ended up happening, nobody would have believed it. No. >> Like I say, racism is out there. That's what it is. (Bleep), I got more Black friends than I could ever imagine. I got one Black friend and I specifically tell people that that's my brother. (both laughing) And we talk about it all the time. It's ridiculous, man. >> People that are doing all this are just out just to wreck stuff. >> My same buddy that I call my brother he said it too. He said, "Man, it's crazy," because they say it's a Black Lives Matter thing, but yet they're going in and destroying old Black people's businesses that live in Richmond. >> Yeah. >> You know what I mean? >> I don't know how everything got so race-oriented all of a sudden here within the past year, honestly.

Um... that, that kind of blows my mind. ♪ ♪ So as far as the platform or the cause that the Black Lives Matter rallies are for, I think raising awareness for police brutality sure. If you want to focus on any aspect of it that could have a positive effect on the American people, you could bring up that one aspect of it. But it doesn't just happen to Black folks, happens to white folks, happens to Asian folks. It happens across all walks of life, no matter what color you are, no matter what race you are. >> Are we jumping? >> We all need to work together in a common cause to defend our freedoms. Not to fight against each other and empower more regulation against us. (indistinct chatter) >> Two crises have converged: protests over the death of George Floyd and the pandemic. The U.S. death toll now topping 104,000, the most in any country...

>> Right now we have a situation where Black Americans die out of proportion to any kind of parameter that you can think of. >> All lives do matter but they won't until Black lives matter first. (crowd cheering, applauding) Sometimes when you have specific type of community that's hurting, it is okay to focus on them for a little while until things get better. And then when they do get better, then all lives will matter. (cheers and applause) >> When the George Floyd murder occurred, it was in the middle of this pandemic. And so, for me as a healthcare provider, I really felt that it was my responsibility to not expose myself to the potential for getting the disease and spreading on to my patients. (crowd chanting) But I was happy that so many people were coming out of their homes and out of their workplaces to be involved in those protests. >> Black Lives Matter! >> We were there, you know, in in solidarity.

We have a very long history of systemic racism in this country that persists today. You have to look at the lives that are most at risk in our country. The ones that are being lost out of proportion to every other category of American. >> Black Lives Matter! >> Protests turned violent after demonstrators clashed with Oakland police officers. There is significant property damage to businesses in the downtown area of Oakland after these protests last night. >> My understanding is it's actually a good movement, in my opinion, but there's just a bunch of other protesters, a small percentage of it, that are... they're giving it a bad name. ♪ ♪ My name is Jason Tolentino and I own a nail salon. >> Well, actually, I'm the one who wanted to open a shop. My name is Jamie, I'm from Vietnam. >> No way!

>> Oh no! >> Really?! It's all closed. >> I told myself before I'm 30 I will own something. So when I'm 28, just take all the money for our wedding, just to go buy a shop and start a business. ♪ ♪ >> We've been open for about three years, and so far, everything's great. Besides this, of course. The pandemic has taken a huge toll. We're just trying to get by doing whatever we can to survive. ♪ ♪ Then now when we have this going on, which made it even worse. It's mainly just for insurance purposes. If it did get vandalized or looted it's not fair for someone like me who's trying to make this community better. And next thing you know someone just takes it away and ruins the whole business itself. There is the racism in America.

And, at the moment, I think it's just getting worse. African Americans, they just want to not be harassed by the law. There's nothing wrong with protesting. You can protest all you want. We live in America. But when you start vandalizing small businesses, that part is wrong. (overlapping voices) >> Now amidst of all this chaos and turmoil in the country right now, it could be easy to forget that we are still in a pandemic. >> One of the first known American COVID-19 survivors to receive a double lung transplant is now recovering. 28-year-old Mayra Ramirez received a lung transplant at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. >> When I first woke up from my lung transplant, I was a vegetable, I couldn't move a finger, I couldn't, you know, I could barely wiggle my toes. I couldn't talk. I was in a lot of pain, I was uncomfortable. I was like really disoriented at the time. I felt like I had only been there for like three days or so. I didn't realize that I was intubated and sedated for six weeks. (shouting, explosion, sparks) The TV would be on and, you know, they would talk about all these riots that were happening, and George Floyd, and protest.

I was like, "Can I just go back to being sedated? Like can I wake up when this is over?" The world was so ugly. Literally, cities are burning. I, I just couldn't take it. >> The radical Dems are pushing as many left-wing activists and anarchists as they can into the streets of America. I understand the president is on the phone now. >> Well maybe the point of great success, you know... >> My feelings with the Black Lives Matter is all lives matter. Not just Black, not pink, white or purple. It's not just one race. I think it's wrong, basically, what the officer did. I think he should pay a price for what he did. But I look back in history. I had a great-great-grandfather that helped with the slaves. He helped run the Underground Railroad. He was ambushed by white people who felt the slaves should stay slaves.

So, you know, when they sit there and say every white person is racist or bad, I'm not racist. I'm not bad. I'm a human being. I respect them. I expect to be respected back. >> George Floyd's name is on a list now, a very long list, a centuries-old history... >> People told me that these protests had become about more than George Floyd. That they're about this long history of police brutality. >> All you have to do is look at history. If you flip the pages back from history, it speaks for itself. >> There is another vigil for George Floyd that is getting underway right now at Peninsula Park. >> I keep seeing African American people get killed by cops all across the nation... (crowd chanting) ...and nothing's happening. >> No peace! >> You look at American history and it's ugly. (cheers and applause) People are hurt, people are tired of... they're tired of being tired. >> They're sworn to protect this country... >> When I look at history, we protest. Nothing changed. We protest now.

Nothing's really changing. And that's hurtful. >> From day one, America has been based off of the subjugation of Black and indigenous people. (cheers and applause) >> Yes! Yes! Speak it, sister! How can I love America? I can't-- I don't think I can love America. America hasn't loved me, that's for damn sure. >> Power to the people! >> Black Power! >> Power to the people! >> All power to the people! The fight is real. But it's always been here. Now it's to the surface in 2020. Now where do we go from here? >> You need to get off your damn phones and recording (bleep) and (bleep) start getting active! (cheers and applause) >> Millions of people all across America are casting their votes on who they want to lead the country for the next... >> It has been a campaign year unlike any other and now 100 million people have voted already. >> Record breaking early voting continues. Massive early vote total includes more than seven million Californians who have already returned their mail-in ballots.

>> I wish there wasn't as much hate in this world as what we have. I don't care if you're a Dem, I don't care if you're Republican, I don't care if you're in the middle. There's so much hate. I hope President Trump wins. Vice President Biden, I feel, is-- and I hate to say the age thing, because he's probably my age maybe. Oh my he is... I don't know how old he is. Um... I think he's too old. I think he's too feeble in his mind. I just wish it was over. Yay! (chuckling) >> Illinois election officials reporting seeing early voting numbers they have not seen in prior elections. >> Recovery is pretty slow and really hard.

I have someone else's lungs and be like a slap in the face if I didn't try my hardest. >> You're here to vote? >> Mm-hmm. >> Okay, so you're going to go through the revolving doors. >> I avoid going anywhere. So I requested the mail-in ballot, but it never arrived. Hi. Um... Mayra Ramirez. I saw one person who like didn't have their mask on properly and that upset me a little bit. My umber one topic of interest during this election is, you know, healthcare reform. I think this is the first time that during an election that we've actually expected like riots and violence and protests. Regardless of how the results go, I think we're all still expecting it. ♪ ♪ >> So far this election is on track to set a record. >> California's top election official assuring folks there are safe ways to vote during a pandemic. All ballots will be... >> All right, everything's... >> Did I put my name here? >> No! >> You gotta sign...

Well I got no pen. Now we gotta walk back out again. You have a pen? You gotta put your address... It literally says on the top it's gonna invalidate it if you don't sign it. >> Whoa! (laughing) >> Um, I would rather not say who I voted for. I just want everything to come back to normal. That's all. That's all I'm praying for really. People will be surprised, but I don't want to say who I voted for. >> I just vote for myself or I vote for the lady! No, I vote for the lady! >> You voted for that lady. You don't even know her name. >> I don't know who she is, but it seem like she's the only lady, so I vote for the lady. ♪ ♪ I vote for the woman! >> Well, you have a right to do that. ♪ ♪ >> It's been a while since I voted, you know, due to my situation. I'm here at the polling station. I'm here with my dad-- the O.G. I made a lot of bad decisions when I was younger. Getting in fights, had an assault charge, things like that.

Trying to do the right thing. It's never too late to do the right thing. That's for sure. I've made a vow to myself that I'll never do nothing illegal again. You know, I'll never go to jail again. I need to register. So I just felt privileged to be able to get out and vote. There are a lot of people that are not allowed to vote or can't vote so it's important that the people who have the privilege of voting take that step and make that initiative. >> The polls in Iowa are open until 9:00 tonight for anyone who chooses to vote in person. Across the state there are about 1,200 locations. >> Gonna have to put this on now. You're supposed to find people that represent you, Donald Trump cannot represent me, he does not represent my beliefs. Of course, I can't vote for Joe Biden for the very same reason. >> Thank you for voting. (indistinct chatter) >> I will sleep good tonight. Because someday, as a Christian, I believe Christ will return and all wrongs will be righted and justice will prevail. And my job is to keep speaking the truth as a minister.

>> Big race, big electoral vote fight tonight, too early to call. >> We will be getting some results, actually we think, this hour from Kentucky from Indiana, all the poles not closed... >> I'm equally excited and nervous. I've been thinking about how four years ago, I didn't think I was going to make it four years. Joe Biden was not my first choice. My first choice was Kamala Harris, who thankfully is the vice presidential candidate, soon to be vice president. >> In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts... >> Yay! Joe Biden wins Massachusetts! >> ...Joe Biden the projected winner tonight. >> My gut is telling me Biden's gonna win. But I'm so nervous about the possibility of a contested election. But I think that it's unlikely. I think that we're going to have a good win tonight. >> We are still in the thick of a very heated contest. >> It is closer than the Democrats wanted it to be. It is closer than any Democrat is comfortable with right now.

We'll have to wait and see how that comes in. >> I anticipate some very uneasy people on either or both sides angry about not getting their way. (nearby drumming) Whoever wins, which I hope it is not Trump, we should come together. (crowd singing indistinctly) This week I felt kind of like a sigh of relief, like I was feeling, like, things are changing, things are shifting in, in a different direction. (crowd singing indistinctly) You know, it was, it was an invigorating space to see a lot of people that not necessarily look like me, but wanted the same types of things that I want in America. >> Vice President Joe Biden will win Pennsylvania and Nevada, putting him over the 270... >> Across the country, pro-Trump protesters gathering at state capitols, echoing the president that the election was stolen. (engine revving, crowd cheering) (tires squeal) >> Because I was really just so sick of politics I wanted to write in Jesus. (laughs) But that doesn't do anything.

So, I was surprised, I felt prompted to vote for Trump. >> We are very much in a spiritual battle right now. We are invoking Christ, because Christ is the way, and Christ is the only way that we're going to triumph over evil. (cheers and applause) >> I really hope representatives will be the voice of the people, and that there will be a middle ground. Biden probably can't accomplish everything he wants, but a part of me feels devastated because I feel like it's taking society in a completely different direction. >> Stand by and stand down. No, we're not standing down. We're here, we're gonna stand. We're gonna stand fast. We're gonna wait for orders. >> Cheers and celebrations in the streets of Minneapolis. >> Celebrations by Joe Biden supporters have been going on all day, including here in the metro. (horns honking) >> Hey! I'm just excited that overall that more people got involved in the voting process. Because that way we're going to be able to hold these elected officials more accountable. (car horns honking) So I think a lot of people are going to be looking at Joe Biden like, "Okay, you were talking that talk, now are you gonna walk the walk?" What do you guys think of the election? >> Oh yeah! >> We're good. >> I was relieved to the point where it's like, "Okay, this step has been handled. Now, what's the next step?" You know, it's not over, this is just the beginning. (car horns honking) That's just one man. The president doesn't make the world a better place, the people make the world a better place. The people living in it. (car horns honking) >> So let's talk about what exactly happened and what this

vote says about the country. Joe Biden got a record number of votes. >> We have half a nation that believes that we had an unfair election. We have another half of the nation that thinks everything is just great, wonderful. I hope it's wrong, but I see too many comments by too many people. I feel a revolution coming. It's getting closer every day. Somebody is going to be dumb enough to fire the first shot. And we're gonna have some serious problems. I hope I'm wrong. >> I hope you're wrong too. >> And I hope I'm not here to see it. ♪ ♪ >> I'm ready for you... >> Okay, I'll be right there. I think the immediate future holds turmoil and fear and concern about where we go next. We are ready to do some COVID testing now. I actually fear that people are going to say, "Whew, Joe Biden won, we're done, we can go back to doing and living our normal lives." All right, this is a nasal swab.

Both sides of your nose. Anyone who thinks that the election getting called is the end of the work that needs to be done is mistaken. And we'll have results for you within 24 hours. ♪ ♪ >> I have no regrets about voting for the Libertarian candidate. I'm tired of people voting for the lesser of two evils. You know, voting Democrat because it's not Trump. Or voting Republican because it's not Biden. Wouldn't've really mattered who got in office, I feel like they're one in the same. I think our culture is going to stay divided. The division that has been created here recently is, is something that we've regressed to. That's going to take generations to recover. I think our culture is going to be horribly scarred by this. And I don't know what it's going to be blamed on in the end, or how it's going to be spun, but I think our culture in a whole has gone down a deep, deep, dark hole.

♪ ♪ >> Whoo-hoo! President Biden! Yay! That was for you. We have a president. ♪ Let there be peace on Earth And let it begin with me. ♪ He can't fix this mess overnight. You can't fix it in a week, a month, but it's over. Thank goodness, it's over. ♪ Let peace begin with me Let this be the moment now. ♪ But now we worry about what's going to happen next. Let there be peace. (crickets chirping) Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org >> For more on this and other "Frontline" programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline. ♪ ♪ FRONTLINE's, "American Voices: A Nation in

Turmoil" is available on Amazon Prime Video. ♪ ♪ Hi, I'm Raney Aronson-Rath from FRONTLINE. Deep dive investigative reporting takes months of hard work. But we believe the truth should always be free and accessible to everyone. No paywalls, no agendas. Our independence depends on viewers who believe in fearless, fact-based journalism. Please chip in today to help keep FRONTLINE free and independent for all. Thank you. >> We were raised to believe that each generation can and will do better than the last.

But is that really true? >> NARRATOR: In a Frontline special presentation - the continuation of Bill Moyers' portrait of two families, chasing the American Dream. The Stanley's... >> It's called Rob Peter to pay Paul. And I'm robbing Peter so much that Peter's just standing there. I'm hitting 70 years old now, and it's time for me to have it together. >> But we ain't going to stop living. You know, we got to keep moving, keep going. And as we get older, we slow down, ain't no sense in fooling ourselves. >> NARRATOR: And the Neumann's... >> Having money coming in consistently is more important than spending time with my children all the time like I used to. Money used to be a big thing. Now there's so many more things that are really more important than money. You can't lower my payments or my interest rate so I can stay in my house? If our wages get raised, then everything else goes up. There is no wiggle room for anything. >> NARRATOR: Now, 34 years in the making, the intimate and revealing story of Two American Families.

>> I still believe in hard work. But I will say that I think we are fooling ourselves if we believe that it's only hard work. >> There are so many people that are in the same situation that are struggling the same way. It's like we haven't come very far. >> Tony and I have known each other since we were probably about two years old. His mother and my mother went to school together, Pulaski High School. And our grandparents, when our parents were younger, you know, they'd play cards. So they were pretty good friends. (song continues) I don't know, we just started seeing each other, you know, spending a lot of time at each other's houses, and he just asked me out, so I said okay. (chuckles) We were crazy about each other. We had to spend lot of time together, you know, and I could just picture myself spending the rest of my life with him.

(song continues) And our expectations were, I thought, you know, you find the man that you like and get married, and you have a family and get a house, little white picket fence. You know, all those little fairy tale-type things. Um... Some of it came true, but some of it, as far as the bumpy roads, I didn't expect, either. You know? I knew they weren't going to be all peaches and cream, but, you don't think of all the bad things when you're younger. >> MOYERS: Once upon a time, Terry Neumann and her husband, Tony, dreamed of a good, simple life. >> When we got married, we had started a family right away. He was working factory and I stayed home. And he made pretty good money when we were first married, you know, for a young couple with one little one on the way. Grab a couple and, and crack them in the pan. (voiceover): I don't know, we had a good time with one child, so we had another one, and there was Adam. >> (babbling) >> Um... You know, and then, I got pregnant with Karissa in '86, and he had lost his job.

Then he got hired at Briggs, and we thought, "Okay, this is a very stable job," you know, "we can start saving." And we bought the house. ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: Buying a home was a big step for a young couple. But Tony had a good job with the engine maker Briggs and Stratton, then the largest employer in the region. >> Years ago, if you wanted a small engine, you got a Briggs and Stratton. >> MOYERS: For decades, Briggs and dozens of other stalwart Wisconsin manufacturers had helped make Milwaukee just about the American Dream's hometown, celebrated in sitcoms... >> ♪ Give us any chance, we'll take it ♪ >> MOYERS: ...and sentimentalized in beer commercials. >> So when Miller time rolls around tonight, we raise a glass to you, Milwaukee. You've earned it. ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: When we met the Neumanns in the early '90s, American manufacturers had already begun chasing cheap labor to non-union states and Mexico. Of over 40,000 good-paying jobs lost from Milwaukee in the preceding decade, about 4,000 were from Briggs and Stratton. One of them was Tony Neumann's. >> Verticals like this.

Here and here. >> He gets into Briggs, and we think, "Oh, this is a good company, we can buy a house." Now we have the house, we have more bills. >> We gotta drill a hole. How big of a hole do you want? >> Mm, not that big. >> But it's either rent for the rest of your life or own, and we prefer to own. I mean... >> MOYERS: That's, that's... That's supposed to be the American Dream, I mean... >> That's supposed to be the American Dream. Well, where is it? >> MOYERS: A house, a good job. >> Where is it? (birds chirping) >> MOYERS: Tony had been making up to $18 an hour, plus benefits. Now the jobs available to a laid-off union worker commonly paid a fraction of that. >> I've applied over at grocery stores, hardware stores, there's... >> McDonald's. >> Hardee's. >> Kohl's. >> SuperAmerica, Pizza Hut Walmart Sam's. Most of them will not pay six dollars an hour. They're all less than six dollars an hour. Little did they know, I need to live, also. Thank you. Have a nice day. >> Have a good day. (birds chirping) >> And one of these. And then you need a business card to call Mommy up. >> MOYERS: While her husband looked for work, Terry tried to bring in some extra money. She bought skin care products, and then tried reselling them to her neighbors door to door. (children talking in background) >> Look in the mirror and feel your face and say, "Well, you know, it's... >> Soft feel, yeah. >> "...softer, the complexion,

the color." Yeah. And that's basically why I wanted to share this with you. >> MOYERS: But she lost money on the deal, and the troubles just got worse. (children talking in background) >> (sighs) >> Are you gonna call them back? >> Am I gonna call them back? Yeah, I'm going to have to call them back. >> I mean, you talked to them before. >> Yeah. >> MOYERS: How much is your mortgage a month? >> I believe it's, like, $820... >> $819? >> Yeah, $820 or something like that. >> MOYERS: Have you been able to make all the payments since... >> No, I'm, we're behind. And today the mortgage company called me again. >> MOYERS: Again? >> Yes. >> MOYERS: What did they say? >> I didn't answer them right now, because I wanted to talk to Tony and he wasn't home. So I wanted to talk to him. >> MOYERS: You must dread it when the phone rings. >> It... I do, I, I cringe. >> It's the same guy... (hand hits table) ...who I talked to before. >> Really? (exhales) I did send a $1,000 check in, um, probably a few weeks back, but the check was sent back to me with a letter stating, "We will not accept a partial payment."

I don't really think of that as a partial payment. That, I think of that as a basic payment and a good gesture on trying to get, um, caught up. Right now, we're going through a hard time, my husband's out of work. He went to school and he's looking for a job. (water running) And I'm basically just trying to buy a little time so we can get on our feet again. You know, so we can get caught up. I would think that this is just going to be a temporary thing, not a permanent thing, and I really don't want to lose my house. Or are you just trying to tell me that you have to foreclose on the house if I don't have that full amount? You would recommend it. (pen scratching) >> Is he putting this on paper? I want to know, is he putting this on paper? (pen scratching) Dear? >> (sighs) >> Holding in there okay? >> Mm-hmm. >> Did you get the peanut butter and the honey?

>> I don't like having to go and ask and say, "I have no food in the house" or something, "can you help me out?", where, when you would go and work and get a paycheck and come home and support yourself... >> And then you'd be giving this food to other people. >> Right. Well, now shoe's on the other foot. Makes me feel very uncomfortable. I'd rather be on the giving side than the receiving. >> They have peanut butter, flour, some pork here. I understand that if you put it over noodles or rice and maybe add a little onion, that it's quite palatable. >> Oh, what happened to his ear? What, he wants to go back in his house? He doesn't like all you kids. >> He don't have no house. >> He hates yelling-- oh. >> Come here. >> Can you reach that high, or you want me to do it? >> I want to hold him all the way over there. >> Okay, you can hold him all the way over there. >> Come on, come here. >> They've made comments, too, like, "Mom, let's sell the bookshelf." They've got little baseball cards. "Mom, I'll sell these." And, and that hurts. >> (grunts): Okay, let him go in there. >> Because they're willing to sell their baseball cards to help their parents out. >> Okay. (bird chirping) (lathe whirring) (tool grinding) I've been getting very angry lately. I've been losing my temper quite a bit. I've tried doing things.

I work in the garage on woodworking things when I get angry, and that helps once in a while. I just, I'm having a hard time dealing with this. (TV playing) >> (on TV): Just kidding, big guy! (laser blasting on TV) >> What are you doing today? >> MOYERS: How do you deal with this pressure, the, the anger, the... >> I can't. It's very difficult. >> Yeah, our marriage is really on the rocks. This is a really difficult time. This is a real difficult time. I've been thinking about divorce now for a while. >> MOYERS: Why? >> I can't deal with uh the situation. I, I'm just having a real hard time dealing with it. >> (on TV): Come on and take your medicine. Come on! This is going to be your Waterloo... >> MOYERS: Do you feel guilty? >> Yeah, I do. I feel I should be supporting my family. >> MOYERS: You think he really wants a divorce, or is this just an escape? >> So... I think it's an escape, and I just think he figures it's an easy way out. But really, the problems are still going to be there, because he's still going to have to support us, and I feel it's going to be worse. I just feel it's just, just a tough time, and if we can just get through this, you know, then, then we'll be back to the life that we had before. >> ♪ We bring to serve you ♪ ♪ That with our neighbor ♪ ♪ We may be fed ♪ ♪ Sowing and tilling ♪

♪ We would work with you ♪ ♪ Harvesting, milling ♪ ♪ For daily bread ♪ (hymn ends) >> Good morning, everybody. >> Good morning, Father. >> We gather on this Sunday morning in faith to praise our triune God in the name of the Father and of the Son... >> MOYERS: As Tony and Terry pray for better times, across town, in Milwaukee's Central City, a second hardworking family found their faith being tested. Like Tony Neumann, Claude Stanley had also been laid off. He lost his assembly line job with big manufacturer A.O. Smith. >> When I got laid off, they wanted me to go on the welfare, get on the welfare, but I could not stand in that line. I just said, "It's not me. This is not me." They wanted to give me food... I said, "This ain't me, I don't want no food stamp." I said, "I got my strength, my health. I will find me a job." And I found me a job. >> MOYERS: He found a job waterproofing basements for less than seven dollars an hour-- not even half of what he had been making.

>> You got to look at it on the real side. I cannot live like I was making $20 an hour. Okay? That money is not there. So you might as well get in your mind it's, it's not there no more. So, okay, bring yourself down. >> MOYERS: Claude and his wife, Jackie, were raising five kids: their daughter Nicole, about to enter college when we met her; the oldest son, Keith; the twins, Klaudale and Claude, Jr.; and the youngest, Omega. >> I think the hardest time is when you have to worry about coming home. Like, like I say, always coming home. And then, there, there's a bill on the door saying the water's cut off, or there's a... The guy just called saying he's gonna cut off the phone. Or the electricity's off, and you have to wait for a couple of days until Mom and Dad can get enough money to put it back on. ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: Their neighborhood, Sherman Park, was mostly African American, and had once thrived on factory jobs that paid enough to support a family. Now those jobs were disappearing, and people here were trying to figure out what to do next.

People like Jackie Stanley, who had lost her job at Briggs. >> Do you have any houses in the immediate area that we could show... (voiceover): When I was on the motor line at Briggs, I began to study my real estate. Can I shake your hand? (voiceover): I went ten times for my real estate license. The tenth time, I passed. And I promised that, as soon as Briggs did close the door, that I was going to go on and do real estate. And that's exactly what I did. Hi, Joe. Yeah, this is Jacqueline Stanley from Homestead. (voiceover): It's just like anything else, it's really unsure. Okay, I just got into this, says A.S.A.P. (voiceover): You only get excited when you're sitting at the closing and have the check in your hand. You never get overexuberant, and I'm learning that every day. >> Mom's real estate is tough on her. I've seen her try to wheel and deal deals. They seem so good, and at the last minute, they fall apart. >> The listing is for September. It's already October.

>> And that falling apart is our mortgage. That falling apart is the car noise. And that's scary. ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: As good jobs left town, the number of African Americans in poverty increased from about 25% in the 1970s to over 40% in the early '90s. The Stanleys vowed it wouldn't happen to them, but as property values fell in the Central City, so did real estate commissions. And when Jackie tried to sell in other neighborhoods, she met resistance. >> Okay. >> It was on the market for a year and didn't sell. >> It's because they didn't have someone as good as you. >> (laughing): Okay. >> People of color really have a much more difficult time in our business making a living than white people. It may be a situation where she may call for a showing and not get the courtesy of a call back. Maybe her client that she takes into a mortgage lender has a much more difficult time, even if their credit is good, getting a mortgage. >> All right, fax it to me. (voiceover): I can't sell suburbs. I can't sell the most affluent areas here. And that hurts. But they'll call me for Central City. (engine starts) >> You talk to your friends, they always say, "Well, I'm

going to be doing this this summer. Well, how about you?" And you're, like, "Well, um, I'm doing... Uh, working." That's all you can say right now, is, "I'm working." And they always ask me, "Why do you work? "Why don't you go out and have fun like the rest of the kids do?" You say you can't, just, you just can't do it. You have to go out there and help your mom and dad. >> MOYERS: To help out, Keith Stanley and the twins, Claude, Jr., and Klaudale, started a business. They called it the Three Sons Lawn Care Service. >> How much money would you like to make when you grow up? >> Probably about... (clicks tongue): $100 million. Something like that. $300 million, something like that. >> Do you think you will? >> Yeah. >> I see my mom on the phone, talking to the bill collectors, asking them when they would take... The mortgage company, when they were about to take our house, she was pleading with the mortgage company. She asked the, the bill collectors to keep the light and sometimes the gas on, and...

That makes me want to do more-- a lot more. (mower running) ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: The country was deep in recession in 1991. The president predicted it wouldn't last. >> We will get this recession behind us and return to growth soon. We... (applauding) We will get on our way to a new record of expansion and achieve the competitive strength that will carry us into the next American century. >> MOYERS: But the problem was bigger than recession. By 1991, Milwaukee's new economy depended on non-union manufacturing and service jobs, the vast majority of them offering lower pay and fewer benefits. That was still the case when we returned to the city two years later. (music playing on TV) >> MOYERS: But by the beginning of 1993, there were expectations that things were about to turn around. >> (on TV): ...do solemnly swear... >> I, William Jefferson Clinton, do solemnly swear... ...and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

So help me God. >> Congratulations, Mr. President. >> From the way he ran his campaign, it was more like he wasn't going to send more jobs or factories out of the country and bring more in, and I guess that, in the next four years, maybe we might, might have openings, and maybe you might not have to film as many people, and you're... More, more people have jobs and, and things probably work out. >> Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States of America, William Jefferson Clinton. (crowd applauds and cheers) >> This president, I think I can trust and relate to some, somehow. >> Four more years. Four more years, buddy-- you need to grow up a little bit. (laughs) >> Today, we celebrate the mystery of American renewal. >> Yeah, I've been there with Reagan, Bush, and now Clinton. I'm not saying I don't trust presidents. It's that you say a lot of stuff to get on top.

Even if I was running for something, I'd say, I'd be, like, "I'm... Everybody get free candy and everything," you know? So you say a lot of stuff to get on top. >> We inherit an economy that is still the world's strongest, but is weakened by business failures, stagnant wages, increasing... >> I think if they work on jobs first, a lot of people would probably be more energized, you know? Give people something to wake up to every morning, you know, a purpose. You know, a purpose... >> A purpose and a lot more self-respect. >> Right. And I think that will change a lot of people's attitudes. >> Changed mine. >> Yeah. >> I invited the Neumanns around the Lord's table because a year ago, they may not have had as much to be thankful for, right? You didn't have a steady job, then, did you? >> That's a fact. >> That's a fact. What is the fact today? >> I have more than enough work. >> More than enough work. God is with us. >> MOYERS: Tony Neumann had found a job making engine parts in a small factory. (organ plays, handbells ring) >> ♪ Amen, amen ♪ >> MOYERS: Like many in the new light manufacturing sector, the job was non-union. It paid $8.25 an hour with no benefits.

(organ and bells continue) >> More coffee for Daddy. (people talking in background) >> I'm still scared, because of being laid off so many times. Some people do call me money-hungry because I eat up the overtime, but I've seen how a couple of months without income can do to you. I won't feel safe enough until I have, like, $20,000 in the bank. >> MOYERS: Tony was working the night shift. Still months behind on the mortgage, he was working an exhausting amount of overtime to try and catch up. >> The kids are off to school at 8:00 in the morning, so I can see them from 7:00, when they get up, until 8:00, when they leave. And then I don't get home until 12:00 at night, and they're already in bed sleeping. Because it's wet outside. (voiceover): And it does bother me not to be able to see the kids as much as I used to. It does bother me a lot, but at this point in time right now, having money coming in consistently is more important than spending time with my children all the time, like I used to. >> (laughing) >> Stop giggling.

>> Can you make sure Daniel reads that book on the chemistry set real good? >> MOYERS: Terry and Tony's marriage survived, but there were still pressures. >> See you tonight. >> Goodbye. >> Come on, let's pray. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. (voiceover): We are missing somebody, we're missing Tony. Daniel's putting the snake away. (voiceover): So a lot of times, we're here by ourselves, and it gets kind of lonely, because we have to do things just with the four of us, and sometimes I feel like a single parent. >> In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit amen. Bless us, oh, Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ, our Lord, amen. The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. >> This is the ham that Dad got from work. At Christmastime? >> MOYERS: Terry still found herself having to choose between making money and staying home with the kids. The choice for now was to bring in some extra income.

Selling beauty products had wound up costing her money, so she took part-time work caring for an elderly woman. She left the kids with a relative. >> (on TV): No, I think we lost power. We were between floors-- those are the emergency lights. >> It stopped. Wait, the shaking stopped. Is it over? >> I think so. >> (panting) >> What, what's wrong? >> Well, the elevator's stuck. (tool running) >> MOYERS: In 1993, Claude, Sr., was still waterproofing basements. >> I do my best. If I'm gonna come out here and do a job, I'm gonna make sure it's done right. And I don't care who work with me, we're going to do it right if I be here half the night to get it done. >> MOYERS: He was now earning about seven dollars an hour, 50 cents more than in '91. >> Now I'm putting the long hours in, you're getting money, but it's not that much, but you're getting longer hours. But, you know, you... When you get home, you're tired. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, we tired, you know? And, uh, you say, "What the use?" Uh... you know...

(stammering) >> What's, why keep struggling? >> Why keep going? But you gotta say, "I'm going to make it. I'm gonna, I'm gonna make it." But a door gotta open up somewhere. It's got to open up somewhere. (people talking in background) >> MOYERS: In 1993, the Three Sons were still in business. Keith Stanley, now 16, and the 14-year-old twins, Klaudale and Claude, Jr. >> We do a lot of offhand jobs, odd jobs, like doing this and painting rooms and pulling up carpet, taking out furniture, and stuff like that. Most of the money goes to the bank, and if it doesn't, either we're helping our sister out in college, um, or we're helping out buying our own shoes, buying our equipment. So it doesn't just get spent on whatever you want. >> MOYERS: Keith had set a goal to become the first boy on either side of the family to graduate high school and go on to college. >> I try to instill in, in them, it's, you're going to need to get education. You got to go to college. Without a college education, you won't make it. >> Daniel! (dog barks) >> Daniel! >> Daniel, look for your homework. >> (calling faintly) >> And your backpack. >> And shut the door.

>> With me working and, and Tony working, we had different shifts, and we weren't all together all the time at the same time. >> Karissa, where is it? >> How could he lose a backpack? >> (crying): In the room. >> Daniel started getting very quiet and kept to himself a lot, and... His attitude just changed a little bit. You know, he got really distant. >> Hey, look at this. >> Homework, not finished-- why? >> What is this? >> (voiceover): And then Daniel started having problems with his grades in school. >> There's three pages here. >> I'm not signing none of this. >> Let me see that. >> Some kids almost blame themselves for what's going on in a, in a family, and that they have to realize this is a situation, it's a tough situation for the whole family. Everybody's doing the best they can. You love him, you're there for him, and you'll always be there for him. >> Danny Neumann?

>> (talking in background) >> MOYERS: Deciding the children needed her full time at home, Terry gave up the job. >> I think he made about $35, $40 at Smith. >> At Smith, yeah. >> And I made $35 and $40. >> At Briggs. Mm-hmm. >> Mm-hmm. And that's-- so we're about half of that. If we did, made what we made at Briggs and Smith, right now, kids would at least have some kind of college funds built up. >> But, you know, like I said, we look on each other for our strength. You know, some days she have a bad day, some days I have a bad day. But like, when... If I'm not producing, she's producing, whatever. And when I can't get... You know, I do, she do, I do. We, we're trying to find a way to make ends meet. You know, it's like I said, you got some families probably saying, "How did we make it?" You know, how do we make it? You know... >> We don't even know sometimes. (both laugh) >> How do you make it, you know? >> We just keep holding on. You know, we, we rummage. I love to rummage. (shop bell ringing) >> Hi. >> How are you today?

>> Fine. (voiceover): I come here because I work with a lot of people every day. I mean, they come in the offices, from their cologne to the shoes, I, they look gorgeous, and I can't afford what they wear. My accessories that I wear, they're, like, five, ten, to $20 earrings. I pay 99 cents. Ooh. >> This is something you'd wear, probably. >> Something I would wear? No, I think Elvis Presley would wear it. (laughs) No, I wouldn't wear that. (receipt printing) >> $55. >> Okay, I'll get hers and put mine on layaway. (voiceover): Nobody wants to be around somebody that doesn't have their selves together. Even if you have to, as one broker wrote me, and said, "Fake it till you make it." And that's what we, we do in the Stanley household. We wear exactly what the people on Lake Drive wears. (hangers moving) I'll tell you what we'll do. >> You take his.

>> I'll tell you what, I'll give you this one, because that's the very same house. >> Yeah. >> (voiceover): Our family would be what you would say is what the average Americans are going through. And with my kind of work that I do, which is real estate, I get paid on commission, it goes up and down. And it's, and it's rough. >> The way I do my inspection... >> Don't go in the back hallway, the dog's there. >> MOYERS: Jackie was just one of the agents working on this sale, and had to split the commission with the others. She also had to pay a percentage of her share to her employer, Homestead Realty, reducing her own take. >> Out of this one, by the time they're done, it'll be about $1,000. If we're going to do the taxes, too, then you also have to remember, they take the 28% out of the $1,000 that you make, so you're, you're down again. There's something that I always say, and I know you may not understand this, but it says, "So a man thinketh, so is he." If I think poverty all the time, I'll act that way. I can't afford to, to talk negative, and then allow my children to see me that way, down or depressed. >> MOYERS: Even as Jackie persevered, it seemed her neighborhood was coming apart at the seams.

>> Even on this street, one block west of my house, just about every door here has the steel doors. There was "kill you" written on the back of my fence, "if you don't join the gangs," to my oldest son, Keith. All I could tell them is, "Keep trying." Every day I have to encourage myself, and I have to encourage them. Many times, Keith has said to me, "What's the use, Mom?" He did a 3.5. "What does it matter?" And I said, "You gotta keep going." Someone called us the other day. The snow was heavy and we were out shoveling snow, and someone stood at the window and said, "Look at your family, it's perfect." And they called us the Beaver family. I know they meant to say Cleaver, but... >> (laughs) >> And I said... They said, "We see you together all the time. It looks good," but it looks good. But no matter how it looks on the outside, I'm concerned. (birds chirping) >> Daniel, Daniel, let me see, let me see, please. >> No, no, no, I...

>> Oh, come on, come on. I've been waiting for this. >> (mumbling) >> You have what? >> MOYERS: Having given up on her job, Terry was home with the kids, encouraging them and helping with homework. >> As, Cs, Cs. Well, you went up in math, you had a U. You went to a C. (voiceover): I wasn't sure if it was the right decision, but I thought, it's either that or my kids are just going to be having a, a worse problem. "Wow!! "I am proud of your efforts, Dan, I know you could do it. Keep up the good work." Good job, Dan. >> Julie mention what kind of plants she wanted? >> Hm? >> Tomatoes? >> Yeah, she wanted tomatoes. >> A lot of the stuff that you grow, you can eat, and just helps save money a little bit. I learned this from my mom and dad and grandma and all of these people who grew up during the Depression and figured, it makes it seem like you don't have it that bad.

>> MOYERS: Tony continued working lots of overtime. Then he got sick and lost ten days' pay. >> He caught pneumonia and he collapsed. >> Yeah, they put me on a I.V. for about a hour-and-a-half or so. >> And you get the bill and it's, like, 300-and-something dollars. And I said, "Just for a taxi service to the hospital?" I'm, like, "Come on!" And Tony's, like, "Oh, God, there's another bill." >> MOYERS: Tony's new medical expenses hit them hard. They were still paying off the debts from when he was unemployed. >> Just with the mortgage, we got, well, three months behind. And it will take us two years to get, to pay that back, because they tack on the interest and penalty charges and whatever else. You know, so that three months takes two years. That, that's a long time. So whatever extra money we have, we send it, only because we want to make sure that in the next year, we have it paid off so they don't take the house.

>> Okay, let's get these numbers down, see what we've got here. Looks like you've got a medical deduction there. >> Mm-hmm. >> MOYERS: In April 1993, the Neumanns were proud that Tony was reporting income for the first time in two years. (receipt printing) >> (mouthing) Uh-oh. You don't have enough taxes paid up. (page turning) (receipt printing) You owe $900. (page turning) >> $900-- where am I gonna get $900? ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: Two years later, in 1995, getting a job wasn't the problem anymore in Milwaukee.

There was even a shortage of skilled labor. >> Employers in some parts of the state say they can't find enough qualified workers, and Governor Thompson announced what he calls Operation Hire to address those shortages. >> MOYERS: The problem still was that jobs often didn't pay enough. >> In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. Bless us, oh, Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord Amen. >> MOYERS: In the spring of '95, Tony Neumann finally moved on to the day shift. Now he and Terry were able to spend more time with the kids. >> (voiceover): They're doing great. They're healthy, they're doing well in school. And they're getting big. They're, they're growing, they're just huge. They're growing out of shoes and pants and cups! >> (talking in background) >> MOYERS: Tony was now making around $13 an hour, still less than he had made at Briggs and Stratton. The Neumanns had managed to catch up on their mortgage, but they had no savings, and still lived paycheck to paycheck. >> Why would I be waiting? >> Morning-- morning, Barb.

>> Morning, Terry! >> MOYERS: Terry's latest part-time job was at a school cafeteria. Paying $6.91 an hour, it let her get home before the kids. >> (voiceover): I only work three hours so I don't get any benefits right now. (water running) I might get extra time if somebody's sick. Any extra time that I can get I grab, because it helps. (exhales) >> MOYERS: In a typical day, Terry took home less than $20 after taxes. >> Oh, I have to go by my dad's house. He went on vacation for three weeks and I have to go check out the house. ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS In the Stanley household in 1995, oldest son Keith reached a milestone, becoming the first man on either side of his family to graduate high school. >> Aw, Mommy. >> (crying) >> Mm.

>> (gasping, sniffling) I've been talking for years, I can't talk now. >> (chuckles) >> You're the first one. (crying) >> Keith Kenyatta Stanley. (audience cheering and applauding) >> That's my boy! That's my son. Jackie Stanley's son. (cheering and applauding) >> I'm kind of nervous and kind of excited, but I'm ready to go on and move on now, because it's, like, been a long four years at high school. I'm hoping that after I graduate, I really, you know, stay in college. Because I know a lot of times, people, they go out there expecting high hopes, and, like, the world let them down. I want to really go out there, make some noise in the world. (chuckles): Yeah, that's what I want to do. >> (laughing) (exclaiming indistinctly) (people talking in background) >> This is where I'm going today, Karissa.

Pickup and deliveries. Must have CDL; competitive wages and excellent benefits. And that's what we need, benefits. Apply in person. I studied and took a test at the motor vehicle department and got a CDL license. And CDL license stands for commercial driver's license. I'm hoping to get into a, a pretty good company that's going to offer me, like, eight hours a day and give me some decent benefits, like medical, dental, and eye exam. >> Dad's home. >> MOYERS: Knowing he wouldn't make the living he needed at his present job, Tony had been retraining again. >> What are you doing outside? >> I was waiting for you. >> (voiceover): I'm always learning. You always have to learn. If you, when you stop learning, then you got a problem. The Honors Program. "Congratulations on your outstanding performance on The Asset." >> MOYERS: Tony got near-perfect scores, this time in thermoplastic molding. Now he was up for a new job.

>> I went and got an interview, and I'm waiting to hear sometime by the end of the month if I have the job or not. >> MOYERS: And that doesn't make you happy? >> It makes me happy because it's really what he wanted. I told him he had to make the decision. And if that's, if he felt that that's what he wanted, to, to go ahead and do it. >> MOYERS: But? >> It's a cut in pay rate... >> It's a cut in pay. >> MOYERS: Oh. >> They do have good benefits. >> MOYERS: How much do you lose if you take it? >> Oh, probably about... >> Three bucks? >> ...two-and-a-half, three dollars an hour. >> Yeah, a cut. >> But the thing is, four years down the road, I'll be making more money than I would ever dream of making here. >> But is it going to be there when he gets out? You know what I mean? >> They're going to train you on the job for four years, and all that is going to cost them a lot of money to put you through school and train you. And why would they do all that and want to kick you out? >> I know-- I don't want to burst your bubble. >> Okay.

>> But what happens if they can't compete with a neighbor? >> MOYERS: As you said, it's happened twice to Tony. >> Right-- you know, a company can just... I mean, I've seen it, it can just pick up and move. >> MOYERS: Hey, Jackie. >> Hi. >> MOYERS: Good to see you. >> (talking softly) >> MOYERS: Thank you, good to see you. This is new. >> Yeah. >> MOYERS: What's going on? >> The neighborhood's changing, and we right now feel that we should sell the house. Every year it's getting worse. Gangs are moving in. I have $2,800 worth of steel up to my house. >> MOYERS: Yeah, I saw the steel doors, the... "Protected by" the... >> Alarm, yeah. >> MOYERS: Alarm system, "Beware of the dogs." >> We have it all. And I was gonna make up a sign-- "Ignore the dog, "ignore the alarm, and you're going to make the 6:00 news." I'm, I've had it, I have had it. (music playing) >> (on recording): Hey, what's up, everybody, this is Keith. I'm inside my dorm room just trying to let you know how everything is doing. >> MOYERS: In September of 1995, Keith started at Alabama State University. >> ...taking each step at a time.

It's kind of harder than I thought, but I can do it. >> MOYERS: How do you afford to keep Keith in college? >> I negotiated two transactions and closed them the day before he left. And you're talking about a prayer. >> MOYERS: Jackie's commissions paid for only part of the first semester. >> ...and who they're with. >> MOYERS: What does it take you a year down there for him? >> It's $7,000 a year. >> MOYERS: Is he going to be able to make it this year? >> I just received a letter that I have to pay $1,300 now or Keith will have to be put out in 48 hours. But again, God came through again. Keith had applied for a lot of charge cards before he left. Keith? Hi, how are you doing? All right. Listen, we came up with something. Oh, that's so sweet. I could tell you've been down south a long time. You're saying, "Yes, ma'am." Your Discover card came in and we were concerned about this letter that came from your school. So here's what we're going to do. I called the Discover card people, and I told them we wanted a cash advance.

>> MOYERS: Most people, when they pray, expect God to give them a miracle. You, what you got was $1,000 credit with 18% interest rate. >> But it'll tide me over until I can get the miracle. So then this semester's taken care of. You hear me? All right. I love you. >> It's called "rob Peter to pay Paul." >> MOYERS (chuckles): Yeah. >> And I'm robbing Peter so much that Peter's just standing there. >> I have a new job. I'm a driver and a guard and a messenger. My hourly pay right now is $7.50 to start. It has very good insurance benefits, which my husband doesn't have. He gets more money and, and less benefits, and I've got less money and better benefits. So hopefully between the two of us... >> ...it kind of works out. >> Yeah. I get a lot of looks from from a lot of truck drivers. >> (chuckles) >> A lot of double takes that, "Wow, look at that," yeah. I love it, I think it's great, you know?

>> MOYERS: Working? >> Working, yeah. And having the power behind the big truck, you know, I, I like it. >> MOYERS: The power behind the big truck? >> Yeah, I get a lot more looks than sitting in the kitchen cooking muffins. (all laugh) >> Well, good morning! (laughs) >> MOYERS: I remember you telling us a couple of years ago how important it was that as a mother, you were home with the kids. And, you know, Daniel was having a few difficulties then. >> Right. >> MOYERS: Approaching teenage years. >> Right. >> MOYERS: You just felt it was best if you could be here. >> Right-- I still feel that way. But under the circumstances, we're put into, to a situation. We don't have a choice. >> You got any homework? >> Yeah, I got a lot. I got this little worksheet. I got a couple of other things, I think. >> MOYERS: The Neumanns now made enough from their combined income to meet their expenses. But the kids were coming home to an empty house. >> See you with Ricky at 6:00? >> I hope they've learned something from this, how hard it is and how difficult it is and how everybody needs to make sacrifices, including them-- this is how it is, and this is what we have to do in order to get through this and, and make it. >> (cooing) ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: Over the next few years, as their parents worked harder and harder, the Neumann kids were growing up. (dog barks) >> I love clothes. >> She loves clothes.

>> I'm a clothes fanatic. Adidas, Tommy Gear. Nike. Which I have none of, or Tommy... >> (murmurs) >> I have Adidas. ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: Terry was making a little more money at the armored car company. >> I got a raise. I did get a raise. A few of us complained, and, um, 40 cents-- 40 cents more. But I mean, it's, it's better than what it was. >> MOYERS: Tony continued working and trying to find a better job. >> I don't have any complaints about the job that I have now. Except for the pay. And the benefits. And you can't seem to go no further. >> MOYERS: The Stanleys were barely getting by. Claude remained at his job waterproofing basements. >> Then they also flip out... >> MOYERS: Jackie continued selling real estate in the Central City. >> Okay, take a look up.

>> MOYERS: They couldn't sell their own home for enough money to afford a more stable neighborhood, so they decided to stay put. ♪ ♪ >> On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up more than 98-and-a-half points. >> MOYERS: Meanwhile, the economy was really booming. The stock market kept rising, to over 6,000 by 1997, 8,000 by '98. Inflation was lower than it had been in 30 years and jobs were plentiful. But for working families, it was still a struggle to make ends meet. (rocks clattering) Even a full-time job didn't guarantee full benefits. Not having enough health insurance could turn into a nightmare. And that's what happened in 1997, when Claude Stanley got sick. A serious lung infection required an extended stay in the hospital and kept him out of work for two months. When we next saw him, it was 1998. He told us the family faced uncovered medical bills approaching some $30,000.

>> It will be rough, you know? It, it hit us financially, but, um, all we did was just depend on, we, you know, we depend on the Lord to make a way for us, but we ain't going to stop living, you know? We got to keep moving, keep going. >> Welcome to Burger King. Can I take your order, sir? >> Can I have two small Diet Cokes... >> MOYERS: The growing family debt meant that paying for college for their younger children was out of the question. >> Let's see that pose again. >> MOYERS: Omega was still in high school, but the twins had graduated. Claude, Jr., was working odd jobs, including doing some modeling. His twin, Klaudale, took a different route. >> A-ten-hut! >> MOYERS: He joined the Navy. >> I, Klaudale Lamar Stanley.... >> ...do solemnly swear... >> ...do solemnly swear... >> ...that I will support and defend... >> ...that I will support and defend... >> MOYERS: He went through basic training in Illinois... >> Pivot to the right, recruit.

I said to the far right side, recruit-- can you even hear? Do you have a problem hearing, recruit? >> No, petty officer. >> Apparently you do! Now get to the far right side of the passageway! >> Get that back up the way it was when you first came aboard. >> Aye aye, sir. >> (chanting): Six more days and we'll be through! >> MOYERS: ...and would soon be stationed in Washington, D.C., at the Pentagon. >> Navy Washington operator 30. How may I assist you? >> MOYERS: Tony had found a new job as a machinist. >> There are a lot of jobs available in the paper for skilled people. Right now I'm running a boring bar, a four-inch boring bar. I'm making pretty good money there. A lot better than I have in a long time. This is really comparable to what I was making at Briggs. >> MOYERS: The day shift paid $14 an hour, but he could make $15 working overnight, from midnight to 8:00 in the morning. He decided it was worth it. >> It takes a little getting used to. It seems like you only get somewhere between four and six hours of real sleep, and you have to be able to live off of that.

>> Sometimes, I like him to help me on homework. But since he's on third shift, he can't really help me a whole lot, because he's normally sleeping. And when we wake him up, he gets really irritable. And he's kind of crabby. >> I already told you, food is going to be off limits in your room if I see this. >> The only time I get to see him is towards the time I'm going to bed. (machinery humming) >> Actually, I would prefer to have a real life on first shift. I would really like to sit down and have a, a nice dinner with the family every day. I would really enjoy that. Terry and I are never really together for any period of time. We're not really getting along like we used to. We don't sleep together anymore. It's really, it stinks. >> MOYERS: Daniel and his brother were working part time at their church, where the pastor, Father Mike Strachota, had gotten to know them well. >> Dan would be the quiet one who's always thinking and has the insights. He has a rough edge to himself that he oftentimes portrays, but deep down, who he is is not only good, but it's struggling to overcome other forces.

>> And if we don't have the money, we don't have the money. >> Jesus said to his disciples, "You are the salt of the earth." (voiceover): This has always been a working-class parish. We have no wealthy people as a part of the parish. And so it's been the struggle to maintain not only one job, but two jobs, or both parents working has become the common experience. It's just like, there are so many other things that are occupying their time. The parents don't have time for being with the children. And that's why sometimes we begin to think that even their violent behavior or disruptive behavior is often their cry, "We want attention. Somebody, look at us." Now we talk about grade-school children and what they are facing when it comes to drugs, to smoking, to the violence that fills the neighborhood. >> I go to work, I expect it. I put my weapon on, my vest, and I go out there and I'm watching. But when I'm done punching the clock out, and I go home, that's my safe haven.

I want to go home, get some loose clothes on and lounge, or do what I need to do. Now I have to go home and I have to do exactly what I have to do at work. I'm taking Adam over to his friend's house because some kids have been causing some problems and threatening their lives. So I don't want them walking alone, because the minute they get them alone, they got a group of kids driving around in vehicles that are stalking them, that have threatened to kill them, beat them up, hurt them bad. The sergeant said, you know, "If you see anything, dial 911." >> MOYERS: The threats to the Neumann boys began after another teenager harassed Adam's girlfriend at a party. Then, one evening, while Terry was on the phone to Father Mike, a rock came crashing through her picture window. >> I told Father Mike, I said, "Call 911. "I don't know what's going on. "There's, somebody's trying to break through my house, or somebody broke my window." >> I said, "I'll call 911," and rushed over to the house. And at that point, Dan, who was home, was angry. >> Dan wanted to go outside, you know, and find out what was going on and beat somebody up. And I said, "Absolutely not."

>> So Terry is there, trying to calm him down, get him down into the basement, because they were circling. And then they started pounding on the door. I have never been more terrorized in all my life as when I was downstairs, and Dan telling me where to hide, "Stay away from the windows, they have guns." Guns had been seen. It was an incredible, frightening experience. (sirens wailing) >> MOYERS: The police finally arrived and arrested the leader of the assault, but Daniel and Adam would now have trouble feeling safe even in their own home. >> Their sense was, "We better protect ourselves. We, we got to have weapons." And I remember saying to them, "Guns are not the answer. Jesus calls us to turn the other cheek, pray for our enemies." And Adam's response haunted me. He said, "Look, Father Mike, this is the real world." >> MOYERS: With their conflicting work schedules, the Neumanns managed a rare weekend together in the fall of '98 at Tony's parents' home in Northern Wisconsin.

>> It's nice relaxing and get away from a lot of the stress. Enjoy time out with the kids. This is about the only time that I get to be with the kids. Hey, Adam, slow down, you're getting too far ahead. Adam decided to take it upon himself... (gun fires) ...to, uh... ...go to a Catholic school this year. It's harder than the schools he was going to. He's putting forth a good effort, and effort to me means a lot more than the grades anyhow. It does cost, but it's for his future, which means more than money. You got one? How close were you? >> He was in a tree. He was way in a tree. >> MOYERS: Tony's parents retired here. His mother, Mary Lou, spent her career at the very company that laid her son off, Briggs and Stratton. >> I think they're all envious of me now because I'm sitting here not-- and retired at an early age, along with my husband. Enjoying life.

I feel sorry for these kids. I don't know how they're going to get ahead to do any savings. ♪ ♪ >> It's a good economy, but it's just that ain't hitting our house. You're gonna have to help me with some of this. (voiceover): Like I was discussing with a girlfriend of mine that just left here to start her retirement with several-- $90,000 worth of CDs. And I was telling them, "We didn't save like that, and we're not ready for retirement." >> And an office with a sink. >> MOYERS: Sales in the Central City produced only meager commissions. But Jackie still didn't feel welcome as an African American trying to sell in more affluent, mostly white neighborhoods. >> I'm the same color I was when you came before. I-- no matter what I wear, no matter how I look, it's still the same. And it might've been water in here at the time... (voiceover): This is 1999, and it's still doing it. As a realtor, I know. That's sad.

>> MOYERS: In the fall of 1999, Keith Stanley began his last year at Alabama State. He had some aid and worked two jobs, as a resident assistant in his dorm and the organist at his church. But when we visited, we found him on the verge of being kicked out for nonpayment. >> So what I do usually is, um, I just have to go inside the credit card and, and pay for it through credit cards, you know? And that's the only way I can do it, you know. That's, and that's what it takes to stay in school, that's what I'm going do to stay in school. My current balance for this credit card is $2,574.68. The interest on this is, I believe it's 23%, close to 24%. "No fee first year. Apply now." They're everywhere. >> MOYERS: Back home in Milwaukee, Keith's parents had decided to strike out on their own, to become entrepreneurs.

Borrowing against their home, they bought a Central City office building where Jackie could start her own real estate firm and Claude could set up shop as a home inspector. >> We're talking about those, amen, that is so quick to get rich and quick to prospering, quick to go somewhere. >> MOYERS: They would use it on Sundays as a church. Claude had become an ordained pastor. Their faith remained as strong as their futures seemed uncertain. >> God is good, he's good, he's good, he's good! >> I got a article from "U.S.A. Today" where they said every person that is going to retire is going to need at least a million dollars. (chuckles) >> MOYERS: Seeing the growing tensions in the family, Father Mike recommended the Neumanns and their children enter counseling. >> I don't like going to counseling because I don't want to tell him my problems. It's like he's...

(imitating): Hello, what are your problems? (giggling) He does... He never laughs, it's so funny. >> Well, he's serious. He's, he wants to get to the root of the problem. >> Daddy even said that we weren't gonna go to any more, and then you guys scheduled another one. And I told the boys that we weren't gonna have any more... >> That's... >> ...and they got all happy. Because the boys don't like coming to these things, either. >> Goodbye! >> Bye! >> Behave-- be in by curfew. >> Okay. >> Okay, I'm going to work now. >> MOYERS: Terry left the armored car job for one that paid more. $15 an hour, instead of nine. But her schedule was utterly unpredictable. Sometimes she worked from 4:00 in the morning to noon, and might have to come back the same evening and work the overnight. She was always on call to report to work on just two hours' notice. >> By the time I get home, I'm, like, zonked out. I get tired.

♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: Despite all the hard work, these two American families had barely survived one of the most prosperous decades in our history. >> We began the new century with over 20 million new jobs, the fastest economic growth in more than 30 years, the lowest unemployment rates in 30 years... We have built a new economy. >> MOYERS: It was 12 years before we came back to Milwaukee. We found a city still struggling, with over a quarter of its people living in poverty. Some people had done very well. Parts of the city had been splendidly rebuilt, and over the previous decade, more promises had been made. >> A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy. And that is what we have...

Unemployment is low. Inflation is low. Wages are rising. This economy is on the move. >> MOYERS: But the promises had come with a price: two costly wars, a soaring deficit, and a housing market boom and bust. >> The Obama administration says it will spend billions to keep struggling homeowners in their homes. >> MOYERS: American families had been hit by the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression. >> We were raised to believe that each generation can and will do better than the last. But is that really true? >> MOYERS: We wanted to know what had happened to the two American families we knew. (talking in background) We found Jackie Stanley outside her church. How are you? >> The graduate! >> MOYERS: I can't believe it! Along with a grown-up Keith, now 35. >> I would never would have made it through college. Never would have made it through college without Mom. >> MOYERS: But Jackie quickly confided that when we called her to see about filming again, she almost said no. >> I was telling Kathy I thought I was a failure.

I really thought I was a failure, because I didn't do it. (voice trembling): We went backwards. >> MOYERS: She said that after suffering some health problems, she had quit doing real estate altogether, that her dream of having her own office had come to nothing, that she hadn't done enough to make it happen. >> ...and not, and not caring... >> Sometime we're going to go through some things-- praise God-- and God ain't gonna bring it out like you think it ought to come out, the way you want it to come out. >> MOYERS: Turns out Claude's entrepreneurial efforts hadn't worked out, either. >> You might be on your job sometime, and you hear about a layoff fitting to happen, and you might go home and pray all week, saying, "Lord, don't let that happen to this place, I want to keep my job," And guess what? Guess what? You get laid off anyhow, the place close down. Guess what? You got to praise God anyhow! >> MOYERS: Now the couple was surviving on a job Claude had taken with the City of Milwaukee. >> During the summertime, I do forestry. I do work with the boulevard-- all the boulevards you see out here, with the flowers. We keep the flowers intact, the grass being cut.

>> MOYERS: And the winter? >> Right now, I'm in sanitation, okay? Collecting garbage. >> MOYERS: That's hard work. >> Yes, it is, Bill. >> MOYERS: And you're how old now? >> I'm almost 60 years old. >> MOYERS: How long do you think you can keep that up? >> Not too long. (chuckles): Not too long. (trash bin moving) >> MOYERS: Claude was a member of a public union, making about $26,000 a year, plus some benefits. >> You talking about doing other things in between. I did work at the airport for two years. >> MOYERS: Doing what? >> I was, worked on, on the runway, directing the planes that come in, flag them down, stop, taking their luggage to the tunnel, lifting baggage. And it was all kind of stuff at the airport I was doing. >> MOYERS: Was that a minimum-wage job? >> Definitely was minimum wage-- when I worked out there, they cut our salary, I mean, down to nothing. >> He carried dead bodies, too. >> (clears throat): Yes. >> He worked at the hospital. >> I was a security guard at Columbus Hospital, and, uh, in the, at nighttime, if it was, like, third shift, anybody passed away or died, we had to carry, put them on the elevator and carry them down to the refrigerator. >> MOYERS: The third shift is from when to when? >> Graveyard. (laughs) >> From 11:00, from 11:00 to... 12:00 at night to 7:00 in the morning. >> MOYERS: Once upon a time, when people got your age, and you're much younger than I am... >> Mm-hmm. >> MOYERS: ...you're almost 60, they started thinking seriously about retiring. >> Yes. >> MOYERS: But you're not. >> I can't do that. ♪ ♪ >> One day he told me, he had come in from work and it

was kind of cold, and he said, "By the time I get up, I'm just thawing out. "My bones haven't finished getting warm. I can't keep doing this." (brakes squealing) (engine idling) >> Hey, Dyl. Are you in a good mood today? (head thudding) Dylan! >> MOYERS: When we next met Terry Neumann, we found she had lost her warehouse job some five years before. So in 2008, she had retrained to become a nurse's assistant and home healthcare aide. Now 49 years old, she was working part-time in a suburb just west of Milwaukee... >> Ready? One, two, three-- there you are! >> MOYERS: ...taking care of a 16-year-old, Dylan Soper.

>> Oh, I've been probably doing this for... Probably 19 months I've been here. >> (laughing softly) >> What, you think that's funny? What's so funny, Dyl? He thinks he's funny sometimes. I don't want those stinky feet! I don't want those stinky feet! The job paid, when I first started, eight dollars an hour, and now I'm getting nine dollars an hour. I'm at 24 hours a week. Here is my paycheck. This is a two-week paycheck. So year-to-date... What are we talking here, November? That's what I made-- $9,646.89. That's poverty. ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: For Terry Neumann, survival had been difficult since the last time we saw her, and not just because of her paycheck.

What happened to you and your husband? >> I think we just grew apart and went separate ways. And the love wasn't there anymore. ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: Tony Neumann told us he had lost his factory job, and had been doing construction and handyman work in and out of Milwaukee. He declined to talk on camera. >> Dylan, we're getting into our chair. Back up. Good job. >> MOYERS: Terry was working for a for-profit agency receiving money from Medicaid for Dylan's care. Positions like hers are often part-time or temporary. >> Are you ready? So they don't have to pay for the benefits. Vacation time, sick time. Or health. Drink-- drink. >> MOYERS: You kept the house at the time of the divorce. You were able to keep the house. >> Yes. >> MOYERS: You were determined to hold on to that house. >> Oh, yeah. >> MOYERS: Terry had survived the wave of home foreclosures that hit some 16,000 Milwaukee property owners between 2008 and 2010.

But by 2011, divorced and working part-time, she simply couldn't afford to make her home payments anymore. >> She was real quiet, and, you know, I could tell that she was down. And I finally came to her and I said, "What's going on?" You know, "You seem like you're really down, "like you're really tired, like you're exhausted, "like you just have a really heavy-- something's heavy on your mind." I said, "Is everything okay with your family?" I think she felt embarrassed, but she shouldn't have. I think that she didn't feel like she wanted to talk about it. But as the summer went on... (voice trembling): ...it was a horrible time for Terry. >> "Dear occupant, "You are hereby notified that possession "is demanded by JP Morgan Chase Bank, which now owns your property."

They wanted $120,000 for the buyout of it. And I'm, like, "Where am I supposed to find that?" You know? So it goes into foreclosure. And you can sell it for, what, $30,000? Are they, are you serious? You can't lower my payments or my interest rate so I can stay in my house? >> MOYERS: With nowhere else to go, Terry moved in first with a relative, then with a friend. At the time Terry lost her home, both her grown sons, Daniel and Adam, were living with her. >> I want to hold him all the way over there. >> Okay, you can hold him all the way over there. >> Adam Neumann has passed uniform inspection. >> MOYERS: We found Adam Neumann, Terry's middle son, working for a lawn care company. >> I've been doing it for about a year now, and I like this job-- it's, it's nice, I like being outside. Keeps me in shape. I get paid, like, nine bucks an hour, usually 40 hours a week. Right now, there's no benefits or insurance. So that's, that's the downfall of the job.

(exhales) That's Piggy. >> MOYERS: Adam, we learned, had dropped out of school in the tenth grade after fathering a daughter who now lived with her mother. >> I wish I would have, you know, stayed in school and, you know, found something that I was good at, and, you know, for a stable job in that sense. But after I had my kid at a young age, I had to work, and I couldn't work and go to school at the same time. >> And Daniel has earned the handyman activity pin. >> MOYERS: Adam's brother Daniel, Terry's oldest, was now 29, an auto mechanic. >> I've seen it done before, too, where you pull up the syringe with the brake fluid... >> MOYERS: Like so many Milwaukeeans of the past few decades, including his father, Daniel was looking to upgrade his skills to help him get work, so he went back to school for retraining at one of the region's many technical colleges... >> How are we doing here, young man? >> All right. >> MOYERS: ...studying automotive technology.

(yelling) >> MOYERS: Daniel had three kids of his own to help support. They lived with their mothers. >> The world is just going all downhill right now. All this stuff going on here in Milwaukee, and all these shootings and all that. I mean, they just had another shooting out there, even in a nice neighborhood, over there in Brookfield. I have my concealed carry. I carry everywhere I go. You really don't have to, want to use it, but you have to, you have something to protect yourself and your family and friends around you. >> MOYERS: How about Karissa? How's she doing? And she's how old now? >> 26. You have one of these. And then you need a business card to call Mommy up. >> When I was younger, I just knew we didn't have money. And money is how the world goes round. A lot of people have clothes every, every school year-- they have a new pair of shoes. Or several pairs of shoes.

And I wanted to be able to say, "I have money in the bank." >> MOYERS: We found Karissa working for a hospital in the large Aurora chain, one of the biggest employers in the region in one of the biggest economic growth sectors healthcare. She had an associate's degree, and also recently took courses to get certified as a professional insurance coder. >> I do the physician billing, so all the physician services, I do those. >> MOYERS: She earned about $15 an hour plus benefits. She supported herself and her husband, Anthony LeFebvre. >> You going in, too? >> Yeah, but she, uh, she had to walk in the garden. >> MOYERS: Because they didn't earn enough to have a home of their own, they live with Anthony's relatives. >> Drive around any neighborhood, see how many people are living in the houses to try to help support each other. There's a lot of vacant houses.

You know, a lot of people lost their houses. You know, my mom being one of them. ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: We asked Terry to take us back to her old house. >> So this is it. >> MOYERS: The people living there invited us in. >> We recently just got this place, um, and, um, early September. And so we just got it fixed up. It's still, we still need a lot of repairs, but... >> MOYERS: Khou Yang and Lu Lao bought Terry's house in a foreclosure sale for about $38,000. >> Can I take a look around? >> Go, go right ahead. >> Yeah, go ahead. >> This was my room. And this was my spare room.

And this is where my grandkids would sleep when they'd come to visit me. >> MOYERS: Jackie Stanley, serious about her community role as the pastor's wife, tried to remain upbeat. >> Everything's free, my dear. >> MOYERS: On this day, there was a charitable giveaway at their church. >> If anybody has a queen size bed, I have a down comforter. We got furniture coming in just a bit. It just went crazy. We can't even finish getting rid of everything, 'cause every time we get rid of a table or two, another table comes in. >> MOYERS: We went along to one of her volunteer projects, a drug and alcohol recovery group. The woman who had once told us, "You have to fake it till you make it," was still spreading that gospel. >> And I'mma show you the 45-degree angle walk. And women, I want you to hear this.

Do not walk with your butt. When you want to be successful, when you step out-- and don't do those timid walks. That means, "Uh..." You know, it's, like, "Whichever way the wind"-- no! "I have somewhere to go, my name is Jae Renée." >> (murmuring) >> You see that? >> (applauding) >> MOYERS: But the private Jackie was less self-assured. Do you feel like a failure today? >> Yes. >> No, she's not a failure. >> He'll always say that. >> You're not a failure. You raise... You know, in this day and age, you raise five kids, you, that's success. Get jobs and make their own decisions... >> But even the Bible says leave heirs... You got to, you must leave something, you know? >> MOYERS: Do you think your children feel that you're a failure? >> I think they love me enough not to tell me if they did feel it. >> The chair recognizes Alderman Bauman. >> Yeah, thank you, Mr. President. >> MOYERS: At Milwaukee's City Hall, Keith Stanley earned about $45,000 a year as an assistant to the Common Council president, Alderman Willie Hines. Hines's district was in Milwaukee's Central City, near where Keith grew up. >> Neil!

How's that thing going, how's that thing going with you? You know, if you can, give me a call. It's Keith Stanley with Alderman Willie Hines' office... We do get the calls about jobs. They're looking for a job, "I need a job." Sometimes, that's difficult to have that conversation, because I, I, myself, I'm in no position to offer a job, and my boss, we, that's just-- we're policy makers. My heart goes out to them, because I know I can share that same story with them. I can understand their pain. Now, they may not want to hear that, lot of times, you know? "Oh, you work in that, the city, and you don't understand." And lots of it, I wish I could stop and say, "No, I definitely understand." You know? "I definitely understand "dealing with struggle when, you know, your parents just don't have enough." ♪ ♪ My parents spent a lot of time and energy just in making us who we are. You know, there are people that look like me, that live where I live, and who are now dealing with situations and struggles that I've never have seen. I've never seen the inside of a jail. I can't tell you what a gun looks like. I don't know what drugs or even alcohol looks like. And I have to give all that credit to my dad, along with my mom. And they put the fear of God in us, you know? You have to work hard. You have to look people in the eye.

>> He's beyond our expectation. But Keith has told me a lot of times, "Mom, I don't want to be like you and Dad. >> MOYERS: Meaning? >> Bill, when it's time to eat, they want to eat. They don't want to do like Dad and I, and start, you know, saying, making excuses why you're not hungry. We're going to keep filling the racks-- go by color. Not by size, go by color. >> It's inspired by my parents, but that's also made me make a lot of tough decisions where I say, "I'm not going to make those decisions, because I don't want that to affect my life." >> Look for the blue one, look for the brown one. (chuckles) >> MOYERS: One of the decisions Keith made is to hold off on getting married and having kids. >> I want to make sure I can control my destiny. And that's including not having children at a certain age. I would love to say, "I want to bring in a child in the world," but until I have myself together, and I'm confident and believe that I have myself together-- and people say there's no perfect time to have a kid-- I know that, but there's been too many struggles I saw. And for me, it's, like, can I make that sacrifice? And if I do, I, man, maybe, maybe one kid, maybe a dog right now.

That's why I got Spike, so that's it. (barks) >> Sometime you gonna to go through some things to get where you're trying to go. Do all that you can, but still praise God. >> MOYERS: How much has your faith been an anchor for you during this difficult time? >> Oh, it's, it's a big anchor. (clapping rhythmically, church music playing) That's what gets me up in the morning, Bill. That's what keeps me going. (clapping, organ playing) I believe that something going to happen. >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus ♪ >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus ♪ >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus ♪ >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus ♪ (song continues) >> Come on! Come on! >> MOYERS: But you've had so many setbacks. I mean, since I first met you. >> That's true. >> MOYERS: You were fighting hard after you lost those good-paying jobs. >> That's right. >> MOYERS: And you've been fighting ever since. And yet you still...? >> Still, Bill. Still praise the Lord. I still believe there's, there's something for us. >> And I would interject, saying, "What else?" We have no other choice.

>> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus ♪ >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus ♪ >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus ♪ >> ♪ Can't nobody do me like Jesus ♪ >> MOYERS: What you've lost, people say to me, "How does she keep going? Where does she get that spirit? How does she do it?" >> My grandfather always said, "You never let the devil win." >> MOYERS: (chuckles) >> "Never let the devil win." I'm still determined. (chuckles) You know, I'm not going to give up. ♪ ♪ (crowd cheering and whistling) >> We believe that America's prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class... When the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship... >> America will start winning again... We will bring back our jobs... We will bring back our wealth.

And we will bring... >> We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs... and rebuild the middle class and make healthcare secure for all. ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: A dozen years and three presidential terms later, we returned to Milwaukee. Tax cuts had made the wealthy richer here and across the country... >> The stock market has been blasting through record after record... >> MOYERS: ...and Wall Street was living it up. >> ...recently crossed a new threshold, the 5,000 mark, for the first time ever. >> MOYERS: By 2024, wages had been rising faster than they had in decades. >> Income adjusted for inflation has been rising above the cost of living. >> MOYERS: But that proved little comfort to those who had lost and never regained their sense of economic security. >> They see prices in the grocery store, at the gas tank... >> MOYERS: Terry Neumann was once again working in a warehouse. >> I was making nine-something taking care of Dylan. You know, I had to move on because I, I needed more money to sustain me. ♪ ♪ My current job, I load and unload trailers and wrap pallets and get product to the other department. With all my physical jobs, my joints, my knees, shoulders... The foot that I fractured, the weather changes, and it aches. I mean, I hurt every day, but I keep pushing

through. But there are days where it's like, "Oh, God!" (keys jangling) I work from 4:00 p.m. to 12 midnight. I make $19.10 an hour. And then, because I work a night shift, you get extra three dollars more an hour. (pan sizzling) If our wages get raised, then everything else goes up: gas goes up, groceries goes up. There is no wiggle room for anything. >> And she takes a lot of other stuff, supplements and stuff, so, vitamins. I takes those, too, so she just... >> This is the one with the ladies dancing on the commercial, for God's sake. >> MOYERS: Since we last saw Jackie, she had developed some new health problems. >> I was getting fluid on me and didn't understand, where was this weight coming from? And then that's when they told me that the diabetes was full-blown. And I take that one twice.

And then later on, congestive heart failure. I tell you no lie, when I was in the hospital and they rushed me in... (voice trembling): I knew I would cry. >> Oh... >> When they rushed me in... ...this guy had rolled into the bed with me when I went to sleep. I didn't even know who he was. I should have died, but I'm coming back. You guys, I'm telling you, you have no idea, I... I'm talking to-- I literally walk through here at night talking to God. (chuckles) You feel like going by 5801? >> MOYERS: Claude Stanley retired from his sanitation job with a small pension in late 2023. Now he helps Jackie, who's back in the real estate game. They plan to supplement their retirement income with commissions. >> We'll both be 70 this year. He's 71 and I'll be 70. There you go. >> All right. >> I'll wait on you. >> I'm going in. Can I go in? >> Yeah, yeah. >> All right. >> I can't breathe. >> All right.

>> Right now, like, giving her insulin and whatever, it just is part of our life now. You know, we just got to do it until she, she get better. And she's going to get better. Even when I was working in different jobs and stuff, if I lost it, it's another one. I can get another one, you know? This is not where I'm gonna be, you know? I'm gonna keep going. And when I looked at my wife's situation, I said, "We can work with that." "We can, we can work with that." >> Flowers. >> I'm not giving up. I'm not playing, I'm fighting. (people talking in background) ♪ ♪ >> What would I tell my younger self? Should have probably saved a little bit more money more often. I did buy a trailer. It needed a lot of work. It's convenient 'cause it's real close to the expressway.

(lighter clicks) >> MOYERS: Tony Neumann is now 62. >> I worked at a lot of factories. Briggs and Stratton. And then there was machining that I did at another company. Tool and die maker at another company, maintenance worker at another company. A machinist at another company. Smaller ones seem to take care of your employees better. The bigger ones, you're just a number, and you come and go just as they please. You just gotta roll with the punches. You gotta do what you gotta do when you, when you can. That's all you can do. Nowadays, it's painting, drywall, plumbing, electric, tile, roofing, little bit of concrete, maybe.

Almost anything. I'm a handyman. (laughs) It's what I do. (drill whirring) And I'm good at it. (laughs) (tool whirring) My job cannot be outsourced overseas because you can't do this remotely. You actually have to be at a certain particular place in order to do this. ♪ ♪ I know I will always have a job. >> If you expect to hear Claude said he, "I saved a million," he didn't save a million. We couldn't do it all. If you're gonna have five kids, but look at those five kids now. I'm beyond proud. Aren't you proud? >> Yeah, I'm proud of them. >> There was a word back in the '60s or '70s. We called it "braggadocious."

I'm braggadocious. >> (chuckles) >> I, Klaudale Lamar Stanley... >> Klaudale, Klaudale is United States Navy, retired. He has a son and a daughter. He's I.T., and he's moving and shaking. Claude has stayed near home. He stays near Mom and Dad at all times. Nicole went to Virginia. She got married in Virginia. She went to Missouri, got her master's. >> MOYERS: These days, Nicole lives in Augusta, Georgia, with her husband and 14-year-old son. She has an older son in the Navy. >> I desired to complete college, because I saw the struggle of my mother. I have my undergrad in I.T. infrastructure, and I have my master's in cybersecurity. I also have four I.T. certifications-- Network Plus, Security Plus, ITIL Foundations, and Cybersecurity.

Come here, T! Look! I love it, but economically speaking, I have $90,000 in student loans. There you go. That was my only option, was the loans. ♪ ♪ >> Then there's Omega. And I gotta say that, with my Omega, Omega's a go-getter. >> MOYERS: Omega became a single mother at 21, and life got harder as her bills got larger. Now she believes she's landed on her feet. >> Okay, I love you, too. >> Be safe. >> I will. >> All right. >> Be cool, Mama. >> All right, love you. I'm a certified nursing assistant. I work for the state. I take care from age 29 all the way up to 80, with autism, dementia, other mental and physical disabilities. I think I was about ten years old when it started. I just didn't realize that my parents went through that. >> It's called rob Peter to pay Paul.

And I'm robbing Peter so much that Peter's just standing there. >> And back then I was trying to realize, okay, are we really robbing someone to pay somebody else? I had to grow and understand what that meant. >> Joining us this morning, we have Keith Stanley... >> Then there's Keith. >> ...of Near West Side Partner. >> The Near West Side is one of the most historic parts of the city of Milwaukee, in my humble opinion, Grace. >> MOYERS: From 2014 to 2022, Keith worked as an executive for nonprofit organizations in Milwaukee. >> It's your time, it's your mind, it's your energy, it's your resources. >> Here, get the pinwheel in the background, maybe... >> He's gone to North Carolina. He's doing what he did here. >> Hey, this is Keith Stanley with University City Partners. It is live, it is happening right now, we are celebrating, it's Charlotte Kids Fest. I got a call from a headhunter about an opportunity here in Charlotte. And I figured that this is a way for me to grow and to learn. ...on U.N.C.-Charlotte's campus. >> MOYERS: Now he leads University City Partners, a Charlotte community development group. >> And we want to make sure that Charlotte's a place where our kids are being nurtured... When I describe what I do, there's a term I use: the common good.

And it's a little bit of everything. It's safety and security. It's economic development. It's connectivity and public transportation. And how do we work together to make a difference? You have a list you think that we can run through? >> He's doing what the president of the United States did, Obama, is, he's recreating the communities. >> Yes. >> He's also married, ladies. (laughs) ♪ ♪ >> I'm originally from Boston, and I am a I.T. manager, and work in professional and managed services. I watched the last installment of this documentary. I was really struck by the vulnerability of the families, and what I think it must have taken to put yourself out there that way. >> I was telling Kathy I thought I was a failure. >> I recognize as a person of color that oftentimes we tend to be more private and keep things inside. And the vulnerability that they showed over that time frame was just striking to me. Um, and so I reached out to Keith, and it was just like, "Hey, thank you for doing this." Um, "I really enjoyed it. Thank your family for doing it." And that was 2013?

>> 2013. ♪ ♪ >> 2018, I had moved from Boston to Dallas, and then he was coming down to Dallas for a visit. I wasn't sure why. I thought he was coming for work or church or something like that, and he came down, and we hung out, and that was pretty much it. ♪ ♪ (car chiming) >> Oh, this thing is digging in my back. Okay, I think I got it. (chiming stops) (exhales) (seatbelt clicks) >> Turn right, then turn left. >> My British guy-- I love his accent. >> Turn left onto East Moreland Boulevard. >> (imitates accent): Boulevard. >> Uh, I'm driving to go see Father Mike.

>> More than enough work. God is with us. >> Because he's had some health issues and he's retiring. (organ and handbells playing) (car door closes) I'll be 61 in July. So I have, like, six years to go before I can retire. So, with the cost of everything that's going up, you know, are we going to be able to afford retirement and live comfortably? >> Mm-hmm. The challenge as you get older is beginning to feel your worth. Why did I do, work all these years, and this is all that I get? But it isn't the end of the road, it's the beginning of something new. And when we go back to our trust in God, I have found and I've been amazed... God has done things that I could never have imagined. But it's in very subtle ways. So, our strength will inspire others and sustain us.

>> So, how do you like it here? >> Very much so. They feed me well, good people, and I'm one of the youngest, so... How is life with the family? >> It's going good. >> Going well? >> Going good. >> Excellent. >> Adam's working, working. ♪ ♪ His hours are, like, 7:00 till, like, 5:00, 6:00 in the morning. He's working at Amazon, he's making good money. Karissa. Sometimes she's like her mother. (laughs) >> MOYERS: Karissa recently received a promotion at her hospital job. During the pandemic, she began working full-time in the two-room apartment she shares with her husband. >> My office was in our living room. And it was quite difficult, you know, when two people are trying to share a space, and you can only have me in the room, and he's not allowed in there, because I deal with patient medical records. When they offered the position, I said, "I need to talk to our landlord to see "if he would be willing to rent me a second apartment that I could use as an office."

Previously I was saving. We had a little bit of extra money to go out and do a few activities, and now we won't be able to do that because of the additional expense of the office. (bottle spraying) When we go to the store, pick up fruits and vegetables, and it's... >> Expensive. >> So we've decided to start a raised garden. ♪ ♪ This part with the seeds reminds me of when the basement was just full of lots of seeds and plants. That was 30 years ago. And when I talked to my dad about, you know, gardening, he's, like, "I can drop off some pallets and you can work on building some planters." And I said, "I would love to do that." >> I know my daughter used to love coming out and helping me do the woodworking, and she learned quite a bit.

She seems to enjoy it a lot. I finished cutting these other ones up a little bit, and then I'm gonna cut... >> That one, okay. >> That one that's leaning down that way. >> I did get permission from the landlord to trim up some of the trees to allow more light in. (starting) (running) We do want our own place. I don't want to be here long enough to see an apple tree grow and bear fruit. (chipper running) >> Dan, well, he's my oldest. I had him when I was 18. He's got a good work ethic. Works hard. >> Long day. >> I know. He called me the other day and said that he found some property up north. He's, like, "I'm just done with the city, Mom."

A month ago, he says, he went to the car wash and there was, like, 15 bullets, just pop-pop-pop-pop-pop -pop-pop-pop, you know, right across the street. >> MOYERS: Gun violence has long been a scourge in Milwaukee. It's often ranked among the country's most dangerous cities. >> Milwaukee's getting more rough and rough as the days go. Got a car wash in the middle of an intersection, a shoot-out at 11:00 in the morning, right in the middle of an intersection. And I was, like, "Yeah, it's time to go." I'll see you later, I gotta hit this highway here. >> Take care of Kate. >> Yeah. >> All right. People are getting angry. They're getting frustrated, they're getting violent, because they don't see no way out. There are so many people that are struggling the same way, with the cost of everything and not getting enough on your paycheck to cover your monthly expenses. It's like, we haven't come very far. ♪ ♪ >> I've got to give them a cull.

>> I always have my parents at the top of mind, and I'm always thinking about, you know, how they're doing and making sure they're okay. But I know that there are some health considerations. My dad has done it all as much as possible, as I can see, and I know that it takes a toll, so I know he's not as fast as he used to be, but he's still getting around. I mean, just, like, "I'mma cut the grass." I'm, like, "Dad, really?" (laughing): He's doing it, too. (mower starts) >> I never thought that retirement for my dad was gonna come. You know, because he's a worker. My dad works. >> I think for Mom and Dad, as they think about retiring and what that means, I would love for them to be out traveling, even possibly a different neighborhood. >> I worry every day. I worry every day with them over there.

There's more violence. It's not safe. >> He always walks me down. >> They cannot afford to leave that area. Everything's expensive. Real estate have rocketed. And what does that do to a senior citizen couple? It devastates them. Because they could be in a dangerous area, and have to be subjected to it, because they have no other option. >> Just from my understanding, there's a monthly pension that's coming, right? >> Mm-hmm. >> And then both of you have your Social Security. >> Yes. >> We should be working on what the budget looks like in your day-to-day and what your needs are. I know you were talking about still doing some working. >> Mm-hmm. >> But because... >> Yeah. >> Because of your health... >> My health. >> Because of the market... >> I was just saying that that's a problem for me, because yesterday, I had five houses I had to go into. >> Mm-hmm. >> But I can only make it to two because of my heart. I couldn't go up the steps. >> As we get older, we slow down.

Ain't no, ain't no sense in fooling ourselves. >> I just don't want to see... >> That's the only thing. >> Yeah. >> I planned... I planned for growing old. >> Mm. >> But I didn't plan for getting sick. >> Right-- nobody plan for that, ain't it? >> Yeah. >> And you're very independent, let's just be honest. >> Yes. >> You're very prideful, you have always taken care of yourself. >> I have a G.E.D., so tell me something. >> (chuckles): Oh, my goodness. >> What does that mean? I'm prideful? (all laugh) No. >> Because you don't want to ask for help, and you don't ask for help. No one's given you anything. I'm not saying that we don't work to leave children things, but your, you've made sure that your children are able to be self-sufficient, so you need to think about what it looks like for you, because time is not promised, but what time we have, I really want to see you guys be able to do the work you want. You still want to do ministry. Most of that's come out of your pocket, though. And we talked about that. >> Mm-hmm, yeah. >> That's come out of Pastor's check. That's come out of you putting funds to the side. And then, again, sitting down and talking about what your expenses are, because right now, you're paying taxes and you're paying utilities, and you have to think about insurance, as well, because you don't have life insurance... >> And I don't want to lean on my kids for nothing, unless it's what color are you wearing to the funeral-type thing. >> Oh, my goodness.

(chuckling): Oh, my goodness. >> You know, I'm serious. I don't want to bother them. They, they have a life. There I go. >> (chuckles) But you know what? You, you raise your kids, and, for them to be independent. >> I know, Dad, but I looked up and I'm gray-haired, and... (clicks tongue) >> But listen... >> (voice breaking): And I'm tired, and I don't know how to rest. >> Mm. >> (moans) >> Where I want to see them right now is somewhere in a beach. They never really been on a vacation, a real vacation. Swimsuits, the beach, the... You know, and I want them to live. >> When's the last time you actually had a vacation? >> Whew! When Keith went to college. That was the weekend in 1995. >> They paved the way. Their name is stamped all over Milwaukee. They're very known, you know, as good people. Big hearts. >> It's wonderful that we're buying foods in bulk and taking it to neighborhoods.

It's wonderful that we're out ministering to people. But when our health isn't there and when our finances are not there, we can only do so much. That's not being selfish, it's being realistic. >> Yeah, but we were in motion. It's not a badge of honor to be sick in, in our community. It's-- you know, you're weak. And I'm, I'm Jackie Stanley. (crying): I refuse... Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, that shall be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Lord, do give us this day our daily bread... >> I would say the key word that I think that is not spoken enough of is sacrifice in this country. We cannot point to a lot of indicators of how great the economy is. (reverse signal beeping) Our productivity of the past 40, 50 years in this country has skyrocketed. But there's a sacrifice to that.

The sacrifice of not being home to see your kids go to school, the sacrifice of always putting work before everything else. I still believe in hard work. But I will say that I think we are, are fooling ourselves if we believe that it's only hard work. (jump rope whooshing) So as much as I believe what my father and my grandfather taught me about rolling your sleeves up and getting the job done, I know it's not just hard work that you need to succeed. Many times, it's about luck, it's about who you know, it's about your ZIP code. And I think sometimes that's conflated within our society that you've worked really hard, that you will be successful. And I think there's a lot more to that equation. (whistle blows) >> MOYERS: For now, these two American families expect they will have to keep working as long as they can. >> ...the entire run of the house. >> Okay. >> MOYERS: Even in an economy that long ago stopped working for them. >> (yawns) The inside walls are pretty much all done up to about here. I'm waiting on a door.

It should be in almost any time, and then I can finish the rest of it... I used to expect a lot more of myself when I was younger. ♪ ♪ But as I got older, it's kind of, like, certain things mean more than others. Money used to be a big thing. Now there's so many more things that are really more important than money. Don't stop it... >> Uh-huh. >> ...until it's totally clean. >> Empty. >> You got it. You just gotta live within your means. (motor starting) All the way. Personally, I am not going to retire. I am going to slow down a whole lot. Go for a ride? Come on. Get in. Who knows? Maybe in the future, I get a big bus and put all my tools on there and just travel around the country.

Kind of like them guys on "This Old House." (laughs) (griddle sizzling) ♪ ♪ >> MOYERS: On weekends, Terry Neumann entertains the grandkids when she can. There are five in all, plus a great-grandchild. >> Everybody probably thinks this, "Yeah, you got married young," and, I mean, maybe I should've went to school and did something, you know? But after I had my kids, I mean, I became a mom. ♪ ♪ And I'm still a mom to this day. I don't regret anything I did, you know? I wouldn't change my kids for anything, because they're my world. Here we go. >> (coos) (people talking in background) >> There was times I put $12 in my account savings. There was time I put $40 in there.

>> I feel good, you know. I'm not a millionaire or whatever, but I'mma, I'mma feel good. >> If I have to, you know, I'll stay. It, it's fine. I'm-- he's here. >> (chuckles) We've been together, be 50 years. ♪ ♪ >> Been 45, 45. >> We've been married 45. >> Yeah, we've been-- yeah. >> And together 50 years. >> It's been a while, maybe. (laughs) >> A little while. >> (laughs) Been a while. ♪ ♪ Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org >> For more on this and other "FRONTLINE" programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline. ♪ ♪ FRONTLINE's "Two American

Families 1991 - 2024" is available on Amazon Prime Video. ♪ ♪ Hi, I'm Raney Aronson-Rath from FRONTLINE. Deep dive investigative reporting takes months of hard work. But we believe the truth should always be free and accessible to everyone. No paywalls, no agendas. Our independence depends on viewers who believe in fearless, fact-based journalism. Please chip in today to help keep FRONTLINE free and independent for all. Thank you. >> Millions more Americans have filed unemployment claims...

>> Many Americans face a new challenge of putting food on the table. >> NARRATOR: Even before the pandemic... >> I haven't had any income coming in since before Covid started. >> NARRATOR: Deepened the countries economic divide. >> Please let there be strawberries. >> NARRATOR: Millions of children were living in poverty. >> Thank you. Have a good one. >> We have a lot of kids that come to school and they rely on us to... They come hungry. >> NARRATOR: In places like Ohio... >> Sometimes this is probably the only meal they get. I don't think anybody thought we'd be doing this you know, yeah. >> NARRATOR: Home to some of the poorest communities in the country. >> Being a single mom is hard. You know if I could feed my kids without having assistance, you best betcha I would, but I can't. >> Flour, salt? Chicken or? >> Beef! If you have beef. >> Yeah, we have... >> NARRATOR: From the start of the crisis, Frontline followed three children and their families. >> When we say we don't like have money, like, we really don't. >> I have no home, I can't provide a home for my children right now. >> I walk to McDonalds because they have a free lunch for school aged kids.

>> We're here for the free lunch. >> NARRATOR: As they navigated months of uncertainty. >> If we can't finish the rest of the year, we may get held back again. >> If they keep these schools shut, I'm gonna go crazy. I cannot teach her. >> If I feel sad or something, and I expressed to my mom, that would make her feel sad and so I just keep it to myself. >> I couldn't imagine living like this forever and I don't want to live like this forever. >> NARRATOR: Now, the experience of growing up poor in America through the eyes of children. >> I think anyone can end up how we are, being homeless. >> When I get older, I wouldn't want to live here. I want to get a good stable job. >> I just can't, I can't. >> It's alright. >> No, I can't concentrate. >> It's way more kids like this that's going through the same thing as we are. Because something life does happen, and things go the wrong way. ♪ ♪ >> Now, the governor of Ohio ordered all schools in the state to close for three weeks.

>> Governor ordering schools K through 12 to go on an extended spring break. >> We have to do everything that we can to slow down, uh, the spread, uh, of, of this virus. >> Now that he's made that decision, what exactly is this three-week break gonna look like? Well, that really depends on where your kid goes to school. >> My name is Shawn, I'm 13 and I live in The Plains, Ohio. Coronavirus scares me. I know it's really dangerous. Potentially deadly, probably. We're trying our best to not, like, have it come in here. We use disinfecting wipes to wipe down the knobs, the light switches, and a lot of things that we touch a lot. I don't like cleaning, but, I mean, it's a "have to do" thing, really. Um, Mom, do you want me to spray? >> Um, sure, I'll let you take over after I spray the stuff in here and you can... >> Curtain. >> Spray the curtain and the rod and we're good. Hey, Dior. How did you get there? >> I live in a trailer with my mom and my sister Dior. There's not enough room in the house for my brother to stay, so he lives with my grandparents, and he comes over to visit as much as he can. >> You can make it. >> This is my first time living in a trailer. The walls, like, you can-- they're really thin, and so you can, like, hear a lot of things. The reason we moved into a trailer is 'cause it's, like, something we actually can afford. >> (babbling)

>> (laughs) >> (babbles in response) >> Here, you can hang this up. I'm a single parent mother. I've always worked, uh, up until I found out I had a kidney disease and was told by my doctor that they didn't want me to work. >> She couldn't really get a job because when she'd stand or something, like, her feet would get swollen. >> Because of the fact that I couldn't keep working, I do get benefits right now. >> (babbles) >> That's not a phone, missy. My mom gets food stamps, HUD pays the rent. That helps us out a lot 'cause she only has to pay, like, one or two bills. So she has other money to buy, like, pay for other things, like clothes, shoes, and that type of stuff. >> Right now I am getting assistance until I get back into the workforce. So, I do have to work hours off.

Working off hours are basically hours that I'm assigned to be eligible for my benefits. (phone ringing) Thank you for calling the Salvation Army, this is Crystal. How can I help you? >> She works at a place called the Salvation Army. They give out, like, free food, free clothes to other people. >> Uh, we have sliced potatoes. What I get is $485 per month, and I get approximately $400 in food stamp assistance. So I take $885 times 12 equals $10,620, for three. >> My mom stretches the money that she gets, like, to last out the whole month, but some things I can't get that I want. The grocery stores are, like, running out of supplies and stuff, like, um, toilet paper, bread, meats, I don't-- a few things.

My mom, she does still work, which kind of scares me. They have to do something called curbside pickup. >> Okay, we have Edner and Edinger right here. >> She goes up to people's cars and puts the food box in the trunk. >> We got you. You guys have a wonderful day. >> Thanks a lot, guys. >> Have a good one. >> Stay safe. >> If I had my choice, I probably wouldn't want my mom working. Because there's still any chance of her getting sick from contact with other people-- even their cars, like, they, they could have coughed or something and it could have gotten on the car. I don't know, there's still any chance that could... That could-- that she could still get the virus. >> I am still required to work my hours for my assistance that I'm getting. Peaches. Long-term, I don't know how that's gonna change, and the virus could very well change that. If we're not allowed to work, then that means I can't complete my hours so, to... maybe my, my assistance could get shut down.

You know, I don't know. I guess that's something that's all coming down the pipeline, but as of right now, we're at a standstill with knowing what's gonna happen. >> My fellow Ohioans, we have not faced an enemy like we are facing today in 102 years. You have to go back to the 1918, uh, influenza epidemic. >> Dang. >> Uh, we are certainly at war. I don't know any other way to describe this, but to say that we are at war. In a time of war, we have to make sacrifices. Dr. Acton just signed a stay-at-home order for all Ohioans. >> I'm Kyah, and I am 14 years old. And I live with my sister and my mom. I would say we were a poor family, because we really don't have a lot of money at all.

I'm bored. We've been homeless basically for a year or something like that. We had moved into a apartment, and we couldn't afford it, so we had to move out. So we've just been living with people. We're just in one room and there's three of us. >> I'm homeless, I'm just not your typical what it looks like to be homeless. But I have no home. I can't provide a home for my children right now. We need a dentist appointment bad. She got some cavities. >> Lately, they've been hurting all the time, for some reason. I think it's because I was just, I've been eating a whole lot of candy. We're homeless because we're not financially stable. And my mom's just been struggling because she's a single parent, and it's really harder than people think. Prior to losing her house, she just couldn't afford, um, paying the bills anymore. She still has not gotten back on her feet with, um, a job which, um... and she doesn't want to move into another place where she knows that she can't afford it and then we'll be out. >> All of my jobs have been, like, temp jobs.

I haven't had any income coming in since before COVID started, because I had just ended a position and I was going into a new position in March. And then I got a call saying we're not gonna be able to move forward with your job. So I have had no income coming in, no child support. So, I've tried other programs, you know, to assist in helping us kind of get through this portion of life. If you was gonna start work and COVID-19 interrupted that, and/or if you had a child in your home whose schooling was interrupted by COVID-19, this... This unemployment is, um, just specifically for that. They're going to be giving me a weekly benefit of that much money until I find a job, but everything is still pending, though, so I haven't got anything yet. Every little bit will help the necessities of life, like toothpaste, toothbrush, stuff that we need for feminine products or summer clothes, for example, since our stuff was frickin' taken away through storage, auctioned off. >> We had it in a storage unit. And we didn't have enough money to pay for the storage unit. So they auctioned our stuff out.

I lost important things like pictures that I can't get again, some of our clothes were actually in there, and a whole lot of other stuff. >> I live in a packed bag. And all my stuff is in there. I just keep it packed, 'cause at this point, there's no reason to keep on packing it, so I just keep it all packed. So, that is stressful, but I've got-- I've gotten used to it. So I guess it's really not, not anymore. >> This the first layer. Then I put this on there... like this. I just lay these out and then in the morning, I'll put them away, and then when I go to sleep again, I'll take them out. I really make this look like, like a little twin-sized bed. I have to sleep on the floor, and my, um, my sister and my mom sleep on the bed. I feel like I should, because my mama's back is more fragile than mine. I go like this. I don't like living in other houses-- I wish we had our own.

I couldn't imagine living like this forever and I don't want to live like this forever. >> I have never appreciated having a house until it's gone. So today, they have, um, bananas, strawberries, pears, lettuce, and sweet potatoes. >> It's not only a house that we need support or help with. It's also, like, getting, like, food, because just, like, more than for not having money for a house, it's just in general. We don't even own the car. We borrowed it from my mom's friend. Sometimes we go to get food at the food pantry. Sometimes when my mom does have, like, a little bit of money, we'll get it on our own. >> Y'all still have strawberries? >> We have different stuff every day. >> Please let there be strawberries. Please let there be strawberries. >> I hope they have them. >> All right, baby, you can... >> All right, thank you. >> Hi. >> (laughs): Hi.

>> We have chips and apples... >> Okay. >> And premade lunches. >> Oh. Want one of those? >> Do you want some of those? >> Sure. >> Okay, I can give you, like, four or five? >> We'll just take three, yeah. Thank you, though. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Y'all have a good one. >> Yeah, you, too. >> There you go. >> Have a nice day, guys. >> You, too. I like her mask. I wonder if they give away masks. >> Oh, Jesus. >> What makes me the saddest about all this is seeing my mom like this. I try not to, like, show my feelings because I know it will be overwhelming, and it makes things worse. I don't think I should have to carry these worries as a kid, but I just choose to. Because when my mom-- when I can see that, like, my mom feels like that, it makes me feel like that, then I start to, like, not blame it on myself, but feel like I wish, like, I could help, but I can't. So just, like, I feel like I stress myself out, even though my mom tells me not to worry. >> My stomach is hurting. >> Okay.

You want to lay down? >> (murmurs) >> You sure you don't want to lay down? Huh? Like, sit up, kind of? >> When I'm trapped, I actually feel... I actually am-- I feel depressed, even though kids shouldn't be depressed, but I feel like it really makes us depressed. And when I feel that way, I actually-- sometimes, I do cry. I feel drained and dark. ♪ ♪ >> Where-- Oh, she's crying. >> Yeah. Something's wrong, for her to be responding like that. ♪ ♪ >> Ohio food pantries are feeling the weight of the health crisis. >> Food pantries are finding new ways to keep our communities safe while providing their much-needed services. >> Many Americans face a new challenge of putting food on the table.

>> I'm Laikyen, and I'm 12 years old. I live in Marietta, Ohio, with my mom and my sister. >> (laughs): Your aim sucks. >> I am not in school right now because of the coronavirus. For three weeks. You can't even throw a football. All you can do is throw pom poms. It's kind of sad because it's kind of boring, and I don't get to see my friends. (laughs) (indistinct) (laughing) My mom works at a gas station. This week she's worked all, um, nights. Next week, she's gonna work mornings. And sometimes she has mid-shift. (dog barking) >> Mox, come on. >> He's happy you're home. >> You're happy I'm home? Did you have a good day today, girls? >> She woke up at 12:00. I woke her up. >> Did you do dishes? >> No. >> Is it just too much to ask for? >> I could sweep. And do laundry.

>> Uh, dishes ain't hard. >> Dishes suck. >> Well, what are you gonna do when you get older? How you gonna make it in college? >> Paper plates. >> Yep. >> You are going far away. >> I don't think it's good that I'm missing lots of school, because my grades right now, my schoolwork is not very well. I watch my movies and, um, that's really all I do. And eat-- that's what I do. Eat, sleep... sometimes learn. (phone chirps) >> (coughs) (song playing on phone) >> I have to take ADHD medicine, but I don't take it 'cause, uh, I don't like it. Sorry, I was in Laikyen Land. I have a land that's called Laikyen Land, and when I, like... Do you guys know when you guys just, like, zone out, like when you just stare and don't blink? I have that, and I have Laikyen Land; it's where I think. I think it's when I, like, I get stressed or something, or, like, when I'm, like, I don't know. And, like, I just stare at something. And, then, like, it, like, calms me down, and I don't know why, but yeah. I just stare at something, and then I zone out. Everything except what I'm staring at becomes blurry. Like, see I'm cross-eyed?

Like, see how I'm doing this right now? It looks, like, blurry. Like, I stare at it... (growls) Don't it... >> My mom has food stamps. Our food stamps have not stayed the same probably throughout my whole life. Depending on my mom's raise or decline, or what job she's had, they've always gone up and down. She doesn't really use her paychecks from work to buy our food, 'cause that's more important to put towards bills and other stuff that we need. >> My paycheck yesterday was $214, and it's already gone. 'Cause I had to get everything I needed. Plus, I had a bill I had to pay. And I literally have $20 left to my name. >> In my opinion, my mom don't get paid as much as she should, because my mom works hard, and she... deserves a little bit more. But yeah. >> Being a single mom is hard. I mean, I can't... I mean, there's days I'm, like, "How am I even gonna pay my electric bill?" You know, if I could feed my kids without having assistance, you best betcha I would.

But I can't, you know. Especially when I'm doing everything alone. Thank God I own my house, or I wouldn't be able to make it, period. I mean, there's no way I could afford rent right now. I don't know how people do it. No insurance on my home. That I don't have, and that's the risk I have to take every day waking up and hoping to hell it don't burn down to the ground. >> How many in your family? >> Three. >> Any veterans? >> No. >> Some weeks I'm paycheck to paycheck. Most weeks I'm paycheck till the next day. Stop. >> How many children in your family? >> Two. >> Two? Are you a single parent? >> Yes. >> Is there anyone disabled? >> No. Thank heavens there's the pantry down the street. >> How we doing? Come on in. >> Good. >> Got some flour, salt. A chicken... >> Beef. If you have beef. >> Yeah, we got beef. Why do I have to hold it? You're the mom. Food pantry is, like, um, what Miss Candy does, and she helps people that needs help.

She can give you food if you need it. (gasps): Miss Candy! >> My princess! Oh... oh, Laikyen, I love you. I love you. >> I love you, too! >> I love you, too. >> Well, how was school for you before you guys had to, um, take a break? >> Oh, I'm failing. >> You're what? >> I'm failing. >> Oh, my. Yeah? >> I have all Ds. >> Get 'em up a little bit. >> Mm-hmm. >> Apply yourself. Yeah, don't stress about it, just, just work a little bit at a time and get them up a little bit each time. >> Okay, I will. >> Just work on one thing at a time, okay? >> Mm-hmm. >> Okay. >> I'll let you get back to... >> Cruisin' around. >> Yep. On your new-- what's the word? (gasps): Wheels. >> Yeah. Yeah. I love you. >> I love you. >> Don't you forget. >> It is not fun being off school this long at all. But we possibly may not even go back to school. But yeah, and Miracle's very depressed about that, 'cause now she probably won't have prom.

That's my sister's prom dress, that black one. >> I got it from my cousin. Uh, she wore it as a bridesmaid dress, and she only wore it once, and I thought it was cute. This is my first, like, actual prom. I also have a date. I'm looking forward to having a date. (laughs) 'Cause I've never had a, you know, date to a dance before, so... >> It's beautiful. Want to see me walk? ♪ ♪ >> Like, don't wrinkle your sister's dress up, now. >> Oh, I actually look pretty in it. (chuckles): This is my sister's prom dress. ♪ ♪ >> I haven't done schoolwork yet. My mom got a message by someone, she works at the school. Today the school's planning on, like, delivering Chromebooks. >> He's gonna be getting his Chromebook, and it's gonna be his homework and studies. >> Want to put some of her animal crackers on the tray? >> Not right now, honey. Shawn, slow your roll. >> Transportation is difficult, because my mom don't have a car, because hers broke down. >> I was told that they think that it's a blown head gasket. It's, basically, my car is dead. When you have a vehicle, you have to have money saved back for that, and... It's not always easy.

♪ ♪ So... We are gonna have to just go... See, that says, "Stay in your cars." All right, we're just gonna get in line here. Here, you wanna... you hold your sister, you just hold your sister back there. >> Are you guys here to pick up computers? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Do you have a vehicle? >> I don't have a vehicle. I live across the street, and I... I have no way to get here. >> Okay. Who are you picking up for? >> Shawn (no audio) and Edward (no audio). >> And what grade? >> Eighth. Both of them. (woman speaks indistinctly) Sorry, my car's broke down, so it's been unfortunate. (chuckles): Especially during this time. Thank you so much. God bless you. >> You're welcome. You, too. >> Let's put these under here so they don't get wet. Nice Chromebooks. >> Mm-hmm.

>> Ready to start your education. >> Mm-mm. >> You want me to push? I am so, so glad... >> I'm not. >> ...that you get to start doing some schoolwork, son. >> Why? Then we'd be asking if you're homeschooling me. "Yup, yup." >> Yeah. I mean... We'll figure it out together. >> What's important about school is, like, that I have support by my teachers, counseling, and, mm, some of my friends. Hey, really? One of the main teachers that helped me a lot was Mrs. Matters, and I haven't seen her since lockdown. But I know that she does have cancer, which really worries me. Is there anything that I have to do? Like, assigned? >> What? >> Is there something I'm assigned to do yet? >> Um, I don't know, we'll have to read-- let me see my phone, and I'll read the email. Let's check the emails. >> (crying loudly) >> This email-- Shawn, I have to tell you something. >> I'm listening.

>> The, the email said that Mrs. Matters passed away. >> Nuh-uh! >> It said she... "Passed away at her home surrounded by her family and friends." Come here, it's all right. >> (crying) >> It's okay. >> (sniffles and gasps) >> And the, the school says that they're sorry that your life has been disrupted, and they'll be making every attempt to support you. And if you want, we can request a phone call from your counselor. Okay? You want to give him a hug? You want to give bubby a hug? Hmm? Do you know, was there something, was she ill? >> Cancer. >> She's been battling cancer. Aw. >> When was it? >> This was just sent today, honey. >> The loss of her is, like, really big to me, and, like, I don't think anyone else can take her spot.

She was there for me when I needed her. She taught me how to read. Like, she'd just brighten up my morning by just, like, simply saying, by, like, smiling and by saying, "Good morning." ♪ ♪ >> Coronavirus has had a big impact on us, because the place we're at is getting annoying. It's such a tight space, and it's three people. Sometimes we'll go to my mom's friend's house, like, to get away. >> Nikki has a degree-- she's a surgical tech. >> Well, that's one of my options. >> Of what? >> Surgical tech. >> As a career? >> Uh-huh. >> Really? You didn't tell me that. >> Yes, huh. I did tell a lot. It's a relief being here. You just feel like you have more freedom. This is what I would look up. >> ...farmer's cottage with sauna, steam, massage area... >> Hmm. I used to watch these all the time. >> $40,500,000-- let's take a look. >> $40... Can you imagine a $40 million house, Kalia? >> What? >> Can you imagine a $40 million house? >> I like looking at houses on the internet to, like, know that someday we're gonna get that again. >> The next move is getting a job to bring that income and saving and then we can... We can apartment-hunt, because I have to have the application fee and the processing fees. I don't have another $185 for every place that I apply for.

♪ ♪ Imagine the pivot with your foot still there, though. Now just turn. Where we find housing is important to me because Kyah has already expressed to me time and time again that she wants to stay in her school district. Her school district is a lot more expensive. And that kind of does make the search for housing harder. >> Well, I would choose not to change schools because I used to not like going to school because I used to get bullied a lot. So I used to beg my mom to stay home and I don't think it will just be wise to go through that all again and messing up my education. I just think that education should be your first priority. >> So every time I call, she say she's going call me back. Every time I call her, she say she gonna call me back. >> Okay. When I was going through getting bullied, it made me, like, I don't know, it just made me really sad and, like, self- conscious about myself. It can affect people more than it affected me. Because I know people who have actually, like, cut their self and stuff like that over bullying, and, like, a lot of people take their lives over it, but luckily, I was, like, younger. My mindset wasn't there, and I wouldn't think about, like, suicidal stuff. I would just, like, not want to be there. ♪ ♪ When I'm dancing, I feel like I can just, like, let all my emotions out, and, like, just, like, breathe and don't have to

worry about anything else, like, that you know you're going through. >> First, Ohio children were to stay out of the classroom and focus on virtual learning until April 6. Now it's May 1. State leaders say it was a difficult decision, and what you can do to make sure your child does not fall behind. >> Okay. >> Come on. You got this. Um, the government shut down school for the rest of next month and we'll go back to school on May 1, but we possibly may not even go back to school. >> There you go-- good job! >> I got a Twitter notification about the announcement. The governor tweeted about it. It kind of made me a little bummed out because it meant that I don't get to see my friends or really anybody else for, like, another month.

Um... prom I knew was gone by Trump's announcement of the 30, April 30 being in quarantine. >> "During this time of mandated school closures, it is important that our students keep their skills and continue to grow as learners. Helpful tips for parents-- remain calm. Monitor television and viewing on social media." >> (laughs) >> "Maintain a normal routine as much as possible and make yourself available." >> If we can't finish the rest of the year, we might get held back again. I was held back in kindergarten. I was held back because, um, I was not smart. Fifth grade assignment packet! Seven timetable targets? We have not even learned any of this! Like, I think there's, like, this teacher thing. And I think it, like, helps us, like, learn it. >> There might be something. >> I can watch videos. >> Yeah. >> Oh, Lord, I hate these things. >> I do worry about Laikyen a lot. She's gonna be the wild child, I can already see it, 'cause, you know, I got my head on my shoulders and there's always that one. >> That's too much.

Oh, God, more reading. >> Don't say that. >> Nine times two is 152 right? >> No. >> I'm thinking. >> If they keep these schools shut, I'm gonna go crazy. I cannot teach her. I don't have the patience. >> All of the younger grades, like, it's really hard for any of them to do their work because they're younger, and they're used to having that structure at school where their teacher, like, tells them to do their work and, like, if they're at home, their parents, like, are at work or just don't enforce it how they should, of how they need to do their school work. >> Democracy is... >> They gave me a packet. And I go down to the Gospel Mission and Miss Candy helps me. >> We're gonna get that D up. >> I don't care. >> Yeah, you do. Yeah, you do care. I care, Jeff cares, and you'd care, it's just a lot... >> I don't really care. >> It's just a lot on you right now, 'cause you didn't get it done, like we could have done it and now we're just... >> I just can-- I can't. (groans) >> It's all right. >> No, I can't concentrate.

>> If Laikyen doesn't do her work, then she's probably going to struggle. It's harder for Laikyen because she has ADHD, and, like, her mind's all over the place. >> I can't concentrate. (sighs) >> The leader of North Korea... >> I'm reading it! I have to read it myself. >> Okay. >> I just need to know what I'm doing and I know what I'm doing. I just need, just... >> You just need what? >> I don't know just... Just, just let me try to figure it out. If I was held back again, I would be sad because I want to go to the middle school already. >> So are you getting the, um, cheeseburger? >> Yeah, Shawn, what are you getting, chicken nuggets? >> Yeah, and I'm getting... What I miss most about school is spending time with my friends, um, talking to them, being able to communicate. Some classes where I had, like, a lot of friends in, like, gym class or recess, stuff like that.

Because of the virus, don't do a lot of contact with other people than the family. >> Great, McDonald's is packed today. Yo, it's gonna be a minute before we order our food. >> Well, we ought to hurry up, man. I only have so much to do at home like inside and like I usually like to, like, go outside and play basketball, but now I can't really do that 'cause of the virus. You're not supposed to be in a group with a lot of people. Being online, I can still talk to people and, like, communicate with them, but I'd much rather, like, communicate with, with them in person. You want, you want a cheeseburger or nuggets? >> Nuggets. >> Nuggets? >> Yo, a Mustang. >> I usually spend time with my brother and my sister Dior. I usually, like, take her out on walks sometimes. I walk to McDonald's because they have a free lunch for, uh, school-aged kids. >> Hello. >> Hello! Hello! >> We're here for the free lunch. >> My mom thinks of me as like a father figure to her, 'cause she don't really have one. >> He is the little man of this house, he takes on that role. >> Oh, really now? Oh, really?

>> Help me feed her, get her diapers together, carry her, watch cartoons with her, play with her, you know, those type of things that a father would do, so I tell Shawn that he is her brother-father, and he likes that. (laughs) >> (babbling to Dior) >> (blows raspberry) >> Oh! Family is really important to me. My family was, like, my role model. Now, now that, now that I, like, now I'm older, now I have to be Dior's role model. I mean, it's a lot of pressure on me, but I try to do my best. If I feel sad or something, I have a counselor to talk to. I told my mom that I needed one because there, there aren't as much people, like, my skin color down here. I just keep building up stuff that I really want to talk about. I first had a counselor, I'd say in fifth grade. >> What I like about this location is if it ends up being rainy, we could probably then meet here if we need to. >> Mm-hmm okay.

Jesse is my counselor. Since this virus and stuff hit, um, I haven't seen him much, maybe around, like, once a month. >> Where should we start? Where would you like to start? >> Um... >> We got finishing the school year... >> Mm-hmm. >> Dealing with coronavirus, and all of the things that's done in our life. >> If I feel sad or something, and I expressed to my mom, that would make her feel sad, and so I just sort of keep it to myself. If, if my anger keeps building up, I could get mad and, like, do something that wouldn't be good or do something that would get me in trouble instead of talking to somebody and, like, releasing all the anger and stress and just, like... And it's, like... It's pretty much, like, gone. >> Hundreds rally to protest police brutality after the death of George Floyd. >> Demonstrations have popped up in cities small and large, including places like Cleveland and Columbus. >> Protests are happening during a pandemic, so they are advising people to wear their masks.

>> Okay, y'all good? Can I wear those? Looking adorable. >> My grandma actually does help us sometimes. She's been more of a help than anyone else. My grandma doesn't have lots of money, but she can do what she can. She does a lot in the community. She actually gives back a lot. Through her work, I've watched her be an advocate for people who don't have voices. >> Back in our days, there were, they were fighting. People were dying just to get the right to vote. >> Yeah. >> Back then, it was just the boys. >> Boys, yeah. >> But now we have to tell our daughters, if you get into a confrontation with the police, just, you know, keep your hands up and don't get smart. >> Something I saw... >> I was aware of racism and being black at a very young age. In third grade, I remember bringing, um, a Baby Alive doll to school for, um, show and tell. And the baby doll was Caucasian, and I was a little Black, you know, little African American kid.

And everyone was asking me, like, "Why is your doll a different color than you? Like, you're not Caucasian, like, you need, a, um, African American doll." And that's, like, when I became aware of the difference in skin tones, and how people could treat you. >> You have to get involved. You know, you got to encourage your friends and your older friends to vote. Kalia, you got to vote. >> You think we can vote at 18? >> You're 18. You're gonna vote. You registered? We can get you started on that right now. >> Are you registered, Becky? >> I get phone calls now all the time from friends who are asking, how do they activate white lives to, uh, change or be effective in awareness of what's happening. I think that this grew different because of, you know, just being on lockdown, being told what to do. I, I think y'all probably experienced that Black life, you know, that we do every day. That the knee on the neck is also the pandemic locking down the whole America. You know, we, we can't breathe, we're, we're done. You know what I'm saying?

That, that helplessness. You're a registered voter. High-five. The power of one, you're now the-- part of the team. You are going to be a, uh, law changer, and you're-- you get to vote for the president of the United States. You can keep that favorite person in there now or you can vote for somebody else. >> If this is still going on, I'm not having no kids. >> The younger generation are part of the bigger heart. I believe that this generation is a generation of change. And they have more answers than they think. >> My first year ever doing stuff like this, so I just think that I should get all the experience I can. We shouldn't have to do all this stuff. We shouldn't have to riot or protest just for them to hear us. Your color doesn't define anything. Well, it shouldn't. >> It's so many layers.

It's easier to give up. It's harder to fight and win. >> Don't shoot. Don't shoot. Don't shoot-- don't shoot. >> I think that them having an education, going to college, um, you know, just being able to live the life that, statistically, they say we will fail at, you know? So, yeah, this, this affects every dynamic of where we go in life. Um, because of the color of our skin. It just-- all... it's always been an issue. >> I think it does make it harder to get out of poverty. I actually am worried about the future, 'cause I just want us to be good and don't have to worry about how we're gonna get the next thing or how we're gonna get food. I just want us to be all right. >> I, I have hope, though. I have hope that, um, this is where the struggle stops for my family. 'Cause I'm a female, maybe I'm not as-- I don't feel as scared or threatened. But I think the males have it way, way, way harder than Black females.

>> What about that? That's awesome. I like that one right there. >> I'm gonna do that. >> I think being Black could affect my opportunities in the future. Like, if I want to get a job and it's a white person that don't want Black people, they just would turn me down. So yeah, I think it could affect my opportunities in the future. >> I want you guys to experience what it's like tomorrow when people come together and when you stand up for what you believe in. I don't want you to be afraid to do that. When I turned 18, I moved into an area where it was predominantly Black, and when I first moved to that area, my first feelings was, "Oh, my gosh, there's Black people, roll up-- roll up your windows." I was scared because I was never exposed to that culture, and my father always made it something for me to fear. Um, I ended up meeting Edward and Shawn's dad and learned it was okay to love somebody that wasn't of my skin color. It just made me feel like what my father taught, taught me was ignorant, disgusting, and stupid. I'm just glad that, uh, I didn't follow in his footsteps. I wouldn't have Shawn, Edward, or Dior. (chuckles) Their dad isn't an active part in their life. I was with him 11 years, but,

uh, ended up separating. >> No racist police, no justice, no peace! No racist police... >> Black lives matter! Black lives matter! >> My boys prove that I broke the chains. It's a scary world for them to live in right now, because that racism does exist. I want them to know that, that they can stick up for themselves. When I was their age, I wouldn't even be allowed at a place like this. It was a very, very different world that I live in today. >> I can't breathe! >> I can feel why people are sad, especially when they said, "I can't breathe." To think that that's the last words that he said before he died. (voice trembling): How cruel that is. It makes me feel good that I broke, broken that cycle. I think if I can do it, anybody can do it.

>> (laughing) >> My mom, she says my A.D.D. kicks in because I don't get to see anyone. My A.D.D., AGGHD, same potato- tahto. A.D.D. It's A.D., E.D., E.D. Cats and boots, cats and boots, cats and boots. Just listen, okay? Everything will be okay, even if you feel... Oh, that's my... >> Ow! I worry about her. I really hope she gets everything done and grows to be a little bit more responsible. She's gonna be behind, 'cause she hasn't done her work at the end of this school year. Some of her friends could be in, like, higher classes, and she'll be in lower classes and it could separate her from her friends or other stuff like that. >> Oh hangry. My mommy, I need food. (yawns) I don't even think I had a drink today. >> Hopefully she grows up a little bit and realizes, you know, I have to do this and this to make it through.

>> I'm hungry! >> There is no way I could pay for extra schooling for that child, not even tutoring. I have received extra food stamps because of COVID. Um, that stimulus, that paid half my bills, but now it's getting down to the nitty gritty again. I get disconnects every month. I just got a disconnect on my electric today. Get a disconnect, you either pay it or it gets shut off. That ain't getting paid right now. This is our new normal. (machine whirring) (machine thuds, stops) I might need a washer now. (laughs): By the sounds of it. What do you want to move away from me for? >> Because. >> Because why? >> I want to leave here, explore the world. >> Are you gonna take me with you? >> No. >> Thanks. >> I need some time without my my mother. Mom, I, I need time to be free, be myself. >> Well, you're yourself now. >> No, away from you.

>> Thanks. I've lived here my whole life. I mean, you can only get up out of it if you want up out of it, want a better life for yourself, and that is something Miracle does. She does want a better life for herself. >> Um, the biggest barrier would definitely be money, going to college, because I'm gonna be a first generation. >> Them little hood rats busted out the windows and stuff. >> It was an antique shop, too. >> After the Harmer grocery, yes, yes, it was. >> See, I know stuff. A perfect picture of my future would be to live in a suburb-type area and be teaching at an elementary school with, you know, a big, happy family. (chuckles) If it all went wrong, um, well, I'd probably be poor. >> 'Cause Miracle-- I know Miracle. She'll become a teacher, not even think about her mom, maybe call her once in a while. Move to New York or California. Because Miracle will just leave her, and... So when Mom needs me, I'll be there. I'll be the good daughter.

Because I want to live a very good life with my very good children I hope to have one day. But yeah. Meow. >> Breaking tonight, signs the economy may be recovering, as consumer confidence is up. Businesses are reopening across the country. >> The hope is, though, that the worst might be behind us. >> Recently, my mom just started doing nails at some girl's shop, and she's the only nail tech in there. So what services they get determine how much money she makes. >> Things were closed. When we opened back up, salons opened back up, right? I called a salon and they were looking for a nail tech, and it just worked out. I've been here for about, what, three weeks, and I'm just excited about being able to start making, making a little bit of money. >> She is really good at doing nails. She's doing good. She's doing really good. I just love her. >> With being back, just kind of nervous and hope, hoping and praying that we don't get shut back down because of this pandemic. For right now, I'm taking it one day at a time, and just saving, you know, as much as I can.

>> There's way more kids like this that's going through the same thing as we are. Because sometimes, life just happen and things go the wrong way, and maybe you end up losing a job or something, and it just doesn't go right. I just want us to be good, and, and in a house. Just, just happy. >> Ten count. >> Ten, nine, eight, seven, six five four three, two... >> Two, one. >> Well, you keep chewing your fingernails, you're gonna get the coronavirus. >> I hope I don't get it. I hope so, too, but... >> 'Cause if I get it, you'll be emotional, and if I die, you'll be emotional. >> I'll be a mess. I'd rather have it than you have it. >> When I get older, I wouldn't want to live here. I'd want to get a good, stable job.

I want to live somewhere where there's a beach. To climb out of poverty, it's probably a really hard struggle, but I think it is possible, and and that I'm going to try my best to. >> ♪ You are my sunshine, my only sunshine ♪ >> I don't think nobody would choose to be poor. Sometimes it may look like that, 'cause sometimes people can just give up and accept it. But I don't think nobody would choose to be poor. >> I'm gonna be a first generation. So I'm gonna show that it's okay to get out of this. So, yeah. >> It's not gonna be easy at all, trying to make my dreams. I feel like I'm gonna have to work very hard and stay focused and be determined, so I can get there. Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org

>> For more on this and other "Frontline" programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline. ♪ ♪ FRONTLINE's, "Growing Up Poor In America" is available on Amazon Prime Video. ♪ ♪ Hi, I'm Raney Aronson-Rath from FRONTLINE. Deep dive investigative reporting takes months of hard work. But we believe the truth should always be free and accessible to everyone.

No paywalls, no agendas. Our independence depends on viewers who believe in fearless, fact-based journalism. Please chip in today to help keep FRONTLINE free and independent for all. Thank you. >> This election is close everyone knows that. >> The race is heating up for the oval office. >> NARRATOR: On the eve of an historic election. A deeply divided country. >> The clock is ticking for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump to try to win those voters over. >> NARRATOR: Over the past four years, a team of filmmakers across the United States documented the views and experiences of Americans. From the earliest days of the pandemic. >> I love you so much. >> NARRATOR: To a summer of protest. >> We are the free people of America >> As long as they catch one dirty cop at a time, I'm happy. One at a time.

>> NARRATOR: And economic woes. >> We tried putting in for the small business loan, unfortunately, we weren't approved. >> NARRATOR: The hopes and fears about the last election. And the current one. >> The next few years might be rough. There's going to be ups and downs. >> There's so much division and polarization. >> NARRATOR: Now, a FRONTLINE special presentation: American Voices 2024 ♪ ♪ >> How can I love America? I can't-- I don't think I can love America. I can't put that into words. >> We don't know when it's gonna pass. >> I feel a revolution coming. It's getting closer every day. >> I have learnt to love being alone. ♪ ♪ >> NARRATOR: These are the voices of Americans... ♪ ♪ >> People are getting angrier and angrier. >> I want to be in charge of my own life! >> NARRATOR: ...gathered from across a divided nation.

>> We're just going too far in opposite directions. >> NARRATOR: In this film, Americans reflect on the past four tumultuous years. >> Can you clap twice? >> This ain't the American dream I thought about when I was in middle school. >> I wish there wasn't as much hate in this world as what we have. >> Absolutely doubted the integrity of the final count. >> I don't have enough faith in any of 'em. >> NARRATOR: A pastor, a barber, a pair of activists, a mother, a retiree, the owners of a nail salon, and of a construction company, and a flower shop, a doctor and a patient. ♪ ♪ Their stories begin in March 2020, as COVID was spreading and the country was shutting down. >> CDC says there are now more than 4,200 cases of coronavirus.

>> In Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds has recommended... >> Mass gatherings are restricted to less than ten people. Senior citizen centers and adult day cares... >> "Whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour "be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. "All the people, the nations, and the languages fell down "and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up." (bible slams shut) My name is Cary Gordon. I'm the senior pastor of Cornerstone World Outreach in Sioux City, Iowa. How do I water-baptize someone in a virtual service? How do I bury the dead? How do I have a wedding? How are people supposed to have me lay my hands upon them and anoint them with oil and pray over them to be healed in the midst of a pandemic when I'm told that I can't have physical contact? ♪ ♪ Last Sunday morning, I drove past Menards.

Menards is a lumberyard. Hundreds of cars. And only a quarter-mile away, my church, in contrast, I know, is empty, because they've said, "The church is not essential." "The church is not essential." In a time of crisis with imminent death and a pandemic, the church is not essential, but Menards can stay open. Someone might need to buy a screwdriver. It's offensive. >> New numbers show the damage coronavirus has inflicted upon Oregon's economy. 266,000 Oregonians are without a job. >> Unemployment is at a record high in Oregon. >> People are spooked because of COVID. They're scared to death of this thing, and nobody wants to die going out the house getting a haircut. ♪ ♪ My name is Bryant Moore. I'm a barber from Portland, Oregon. ♪ ♪ The bills keep stacking up, with no money coming in.

Scared to look at the bills from our business, 'cause we can't pay. So I'll survive by just doing what I have to do to make it, man, you know, it's... If I would go to a senior's house or go to a bus stop, I couldn't do anything else-- I had to make do. >> So I'm having a get-together at my house. So I escaped, came here. I gotta get my hair done. He got to get his money. Gonna go back looking fly. >> My business is one of those things where it makes you feel good. Which we really all need to be feeling good right now. (chuckles): You know? It's just a common human thing that you... It's human to make people feel good. >> Oh, yeah, gold for a queen. That part. >> I'm hopeful. This may be the right thing to stop all this fighting among each other. You know, Democrat, Republican, independent Black white yellow, whatever. So this might be the right thing. Because what I've been seeing is, folks been sticking together. It doesn't matter what color they are. I mean, seeing it in person.

>> ♪ Back and forth, and in and out ♪ ♪ And back and forth again ♪ ♪ For we are strong people, and we will come out of this ♪ ♪ And be on top again ♪ I do believe. >> The coronavirus pandemic is putting an end to the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. >> We are going into a global recession. >> Entire parts of the U.S. economy are at a complete standstill. >> People are afraid to go out. People are afraid even to call and have something delivered. It's just a total different... >> Half the businesses are broke or they're out of business. >> When I started my flower shop, I started with two used cooler boxes and a piece of plyboard across the top of the boxes in our yard. That's how I started. Do you need a receipt? >> Um, sure, 'cause I... >> Thank you so much.

Keep me posted on that wedding. >> I will for sure. >> All right-- bye-bye! >> Bye! >> I've been here in this one probably 24 years, in this one spot, so I'm kind of a staple here. But it's kind of sad to only see this many orders on my board. Because normally should be about 50 to 60 orders on my board for Easter. And I have one, two, three... (quietly): ...four, five... (aloud): Six. So I better do a pray dance tonight. (chuckles) Oh, I don't know. It is what it is. It is what it is. Okay, it's done. >> Which one's this? >> This is your last one to Auburn. >> Where's Sharon's? >> I haven't done it yet, but it's too early to take hers.

>> Oh, I thought you said I was gonna take it now. >> No, uh-uh. >> I didn't see you had this one out here. >> My husband does my deliveries as much as he can do. We're just a two-man team just trying to survive. >> We got married when we were 18. We dated in high school. From the first time we met, we were each other's best friends, because everybody knows Rosie. She's a pretty special woman. I personally have a problem with a mask at times. Because of my congestive heart failure, there's times I'm fighting for air. Hello, delivery for Pat. "But you don't want to wear a mask because it's not going to save you." Well, no, it's not going to save you, but you might save somebody else's life. >> Governor Ralph Northam and his COVID-19 response team... >> ...see another spike in cases... >> ...repeal the state's stay-at-home order. >> Social distancing guidelines are going to be with us... >> My immune system is weakened. So I have learnt to love being alone. I have learnt to be pretty darn comfortable.

♪ ♪ (humming) Oh, Lord, technology. Just not my thing. My name is Carran Lewis. I live in North Chesterfield, Virginia. (tablet chirps) Yeah, good morning, Second Baptist. Praise the Lord, everybody. I drive close to an hour from my home to church. I got a heavy foot, but if I followed the law, it would be clearly an hour drive. >> Welcome to the Second Baptist Church of South Richmond, a caring and sharing church bringing you the word of God. >> I have enjoyed the comfort of waking up and listening to it online. >> We're now going to have a virtual musical selection from the masked choir. >> I miss the environment of the building. But that is what it is, a building, because the people, we are the church. The physical human beings are the church. >> What's going on in the White House, or the State House, or the mayor's house oftentimes is not based on... >> I've still helped people, even in this virus. I've picked up groceries for a couple of friends, older people that could not go out, didn't have the means to go out. And they know my number. >> Our seniors, amen, because of COVID-19, should not be out and about like some of us are.

>> That's right. That's part of what God wants you to do. You know, just help people. (singing along): ♪ For all you've done ♪ ♪ For me ♪ This is the part that's scary. I think some people are getting too comfortable being at home watching the service. ♪ They all belong to you ♪ ♪ Thank you, Jesus ♪ ♪ For blessing me ♪ >> President Trump appears to be stoking unrest in states around the U.S. where... >> Long-term damage from a shuttered economy... >> ...public signs urging leaders to re-open Utah. >> You can't do one-size-fits-all. You can't shut everybody in. You can't make healthy people wear masks. Oh, that's looking nice. You look so happy about it. I am Amy Garner, and I am a mom of six kids. Okay, where did you want the bow? We say, like, the economy, sometimes we just think of finances as a whole of society, but instead, I see my brother, whose business was going down.

That triggered the stress, which triggered his health issues, which triggered his mental health issues, and he was gone in 60 days. Three years ago, he took his life. This is my brother Brian. Yeah. (sighs) I wanted to save other families from going through what we went through. (voice cracking): Sorry. So that's why I became so passionate about not shutting things down, letting people choose. >> Are we sheep or are we people? >> People! >> Let's go to work! >> That doesn't mean that we don't believe there are people at extra risk, or that we don't love them or accept their concerns. I'm, like, mine says, "My, our definition," oh, "Your definition of essential is not the same as mine." So, I'm, like, they really are missing out on the hardworking people who can't earn money for their family, like, I think the rate of suicide is going to go way higher.

You take away people's connections, their hobbies, their friends, their worship, their work, and everyone's gonna be depressed! And I am so blessed to have a family of children and a husband. What about the people who don't? It's heartbreaking. >> Small business is the lifeblood of this country, and we cannot kill it any longer. We are open for business today! >> This is my first rally, so I'm really happy to be here with all of you guys, all of you patriots, all of you activists! >> I really hope people will let go of what we're stuck in, what we're stressed out about right now, and take into consideration the long-term impact of what's going on. >> ♪ God bless America ♪ ♪ My home sweet home ♪ (cheering and applauding) >> Mr. Trump is now insisting the states have to step up their testing. >> Fewer than one percent of all Texans have been tested. >> Testing will be a big factor in making sure Texans are healthy enough to fully reopen the economy.

>> Clearly, we're in the middle of a pandemic, and we're suffering much worse than we would have had we had a competent, science-based head of state. My name is Dr. Christine Edy Mann. I am a family practice doctor in Cedar Park. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, we were left without any guidance. Individual clinics like mine, doctors like me, weren't really given any information about how to manage the pandemic, and so we kind of all had to make it up on the fly. We didn't know the processes that we needed to use to be able to manage patients as they came in. It takes between one and three days to get a result. Sorry. >> (coughing) >> I'm one of the COVID-19 testers at my workplace. This is a deep nasal swab-- it's very uncomfortable.

Pull your mask down. I think you've had this before, so you know what's coming. We didn't have equipment, we didn't have test kits, and it was very stressful. This is annoying me. It was just a mess for months and months and months. ♪ ♪ >> The number of deaths in the United States has now reached a stunning 50,000. >> ...had at least one underlying health issue... >> A new effort to keep Chicagoans safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. >> In early April was when I started feeling lightheaded, dizzy, um, I was coughing. I lost my sense of taste and smell. Because I have an underlying condition, I thought my symptoms were related to that. You're wearing your mask wrong. You have to cover your nose. My name is Mayra Ramirez. I am 28 years old. (chuckling) One day I woke up, I was so weak, I just fell over.

(breathing deeply and rapidly) >> Give me your arm. >> Everything was, like, dark. And I remember calling out for my boyfriend, I was, like, "George, George," like, and he would, like, run and, like, help me, and I was, like, "Okay, I really need to go to the emergency room." So they, like, immediately, like, put me in a room, didn't even ask me my name or anything. (devices beeping) I remember a doctor came in and told me that, "We're pretty sure we're gonna have to intubate you. Do you have someone that can make medical decisions for you?" Then, um... It's just kind of a blur, what happened after I got intubated. ♪ ♪ (devices beeping) >> The day they told us that Mayra, um, it was her last day, we're all on the trampoline, just... My mom was crying, um, my sisters, all my aunts were there, they were crying. They didn't know what to do. And we were just planning, um, to go pick up a corpse. I was trying to avoid it. >> I love you so much. Uh-oh. >> (chuckles) ♪ ♪ >> Medical people are wonderful people, they're heroes. But they're not omniscient. And they make mistakes and they

contradict one another. Everyone's going to die at some point. As a Christian, we believe that we're set free from the fear of death. >> Do you have any hand sanitizer? >> We do. >> We're spiritual beings and we require fellowship. >> It's a beautiful day! >> I know, it's gorgeous! >> If it's okay to take a risk and go to stores, I think it's okay to take a risk and go to church. >> 99.6. >> Whew! (exhales) >> Phew! >> Try to keep families together, okay? (people talking in background) >> Welcome back into the church building! (congregation cheers and applauds) (chuckles): Whoo-hoo! (congregation cheering and applauding) Praise the Lord! We're going to teach you a new song this morning as we re-enter the church-- you can stand with us. (piano playing) ♪ Oh, Christ be magnified ♪ ♪ Just let his prayers arise ♪ ♪ Christ be magnified in me, yeah ♪ Hallelujah! I said, "Hallelujah!"

(people talking in background) >> The attempted arrest was caught on camera. The video of last night's confrontation shows a white police officer with his knee pinning down the neck... >> His name was George Floyd. He's on video saying, "Please, please, I can't breathe," as a Minneapolis police officer... >> We're just, like, "Man, this is crazy. "We're already fighting a common terror, which is COVID, and now this now?" You know? People were just pissed off, like, this is just ridiculous-- how can you kill this man? >> No justice, no peace, prosecute the police! >> The outrage began with a video showing an officer kneeling on Floyd's neck. >> Many people have gathered in front of the third precinct... >> Sitting here in front of officers who are complicit in the murder of George Floyd. >> Thousands packed the area... >> ...protesting the death of George Floyd. >> How many times have we watched police officers murder people? (crowd cheering) >> You're numb to it after so many of them. It's been happening for so long. >> Don't shoot! >> Hands up!

>> Don't shoot! >> But then it's a little different, you're, like, "Wow, that just happened right here on 38th." The fact that it happened in my neighborhood was what really pulled me into it. (people talking and yelling in background) People are getting angrier, and angrier, and angrier, and then hold up. We have a whole bunch of police with helmets right in front of us. (glass shattering) >> Crowds of protesters facing off with officers in riot gear. (weapons firing) >> (exclaims) (weapons firing) >> My friend! My friend! >> (chanting): I can't breathe! >> ...protest turned violent last night. >> Overnight protests left parts of downtown in ruins. >> Multiple fires were set, windows smashed, and stores looted. >> As far as volunteering efforts go, so far, you're our go-to volunteer coordinator, right? >> Yeah. >> So we really have to get her engaged with... >> Them. >> Them. My name is Tayo Daniel. I'm from South Minneapolis, Minnesota, co-founder of 10K.

You know, we were listening to the news, and the narrative that they were spreading was, like, "Oh, these looters and rioters, people from Minneapolis, just burning down their own city," and all that kind of stuff, and I was, like, man... I'm from here and I know everybody that lives here. We're not like that. So a lot of guys from the neighborhood had decided to get together and create the 10K Foundation. And we want to show that we can have a peaceful protest. >> 10K is about, it's about mobilizing 10,000 people and the power in that, the sovereignty in being able to mobilize 10,000 people. I'm Royce White, I grew up here in the Twin Cities. I was an athlete, was drafted to the NBA back in 2013, and had a huge fight with the NBA regarding mental health policy. You know, when all the protests broke out, my first thought was, I'm headed down there. I'm not gonna claim to have a crystal ball as to what's gonna happen-- I really have no clue. I'm just going off of pure opinion.

The four officers were arrested, and, temporarily, that's enough justice until we wait and see what happens with the court process. I know people are still very unhappy. They're not in the uproar that they were in, obviously, when the city was burning down, or even a few days ago, when we marched. Every day we get away from it, our energy's gonna go down a little bit. I think it's spiking up in other places around the country. I want the goal of this march to, to be, how can we re-grab some of that energy? ♪ ♪ >> The reason why we're here is because the history has been misconstrued, because every Fourth of July, I used to go out and party, and I used to just really scream independence. Not realizing that my ancestors with the same color skin as mine were not independent. They were in chains, they were being whipped, they were being tortured.

People, the time is right now. >> It's right now! >> Can everybody say that one time? On the count of three, say, "The time is now." One, two, three! >> The time is now! >> Say it again! >> The time is now! >> Louder! >> The time is now! >> The time is right now. ♪ ♪ >> Look, we did our best to think through how the protests would put people at risk for COVID-19 transmission. But, at the end of the day, there's no way that we could allow the state to tell us, "Hey, we're going to kill Black men out on the streets, "and, and also, stay in your house, because we also... You know, because of COVID-19." ♪ ♪ When you think about the historical context of Black men, Black people in this country in general, we have no reason to trust the state. In general, when we wake up in the morning, there's no good reason for us to have any faith in the state.

And maybe in times where there needs to be a trust, it falls through. Yeah, maybe Black people should have more trust in the state when it comes to COVID-19, but it's a tough sell. >> The reason why we're doing this silent march is because when you take a moment of silence, you're taking a moment of silence for the dead. For the Eric Garners, for the Breonna Taylors, for the George Floyds. >> Hey, it is what it is-- this is a war. This is a war. And so the only other option is to, you know, board up in your house and wait for the next George Floyd to be murdered. I mean, that's just the reality. ♪ ♪ >> Protesters have been on the streets of Richmond for several weeks now. >> The one-time capital of the Confederacy is in the throes of change as statues commemorating Confederate leaders come down... >> I am grateful to this generation of Black youth and white youth that are not rioting, they're protesting, and they're smart, and they're doing it right. I'm going in from over here.

I decided one Sunday, I said, you know what, I'm stepping out on faith-- I'm going down to see what it's about. >> Black Lives Matter! >> I kept seeing it on the news, and I just did not believe the way media was portraying it, that it was that bad. >> ...understand you are a spirit being that lives in a body. Your body will die, but the soul endures. >> Understand, I'm 63-- I'm deadly afraid of COVID, but it's worth it to come out and show my support. >> Black Lives Matter, may all lives matter. I'mma stand for something. >> I met some terrific people, had great conversations with people. (laughing) The diversity is what makes me feel good about it. The Black and the whites are coming out here. And long as they catch one dirty cop at a time... >> Yeah. >> ...one dirty racist, dirty politician, dirty lawyer, I'm happy-- one at a time. 'Cause this is 400 years of this (bleep). (people talking in background) >> We are out here to end systematic racism. We're out here to defund the police. >> I grew up in rural Virginia. The closest town was Bowling Green.

There were some whites that we talked with, but I didn't play with any. It was no white kids up the street that I played with or anything, they didn't do-- we didn't do that in my era. (drums playing, people laughing) That's where I grew up as a child. Yeah. I'm at the monument right now, as we speak. Having big fun, man. (fireworks crackling, whistling) Each experience I had out here has been different. >> We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history. >> I come early and I leave before it gets too late. >> (shouting indistinctly) >> One evening, I didn't understand what was happening when I saw, like, 14 police cars coming up in front of the area. (crowd shouting) And I just begged them to allow me to go to my car and leave.

I just want to go home, please. I just want to go home. My car's (indistinct)... (people shouting in background) >> You can go wait in your car. We'll be out of here in just a second. We'll be out of here in just a second. You can go wait in your car. >> (speaking softly) >> And they were very kind. They even helped me get out and I was gone. ♪ ♪ Caucasian people, white people, that I have known for years are very decent people on the surface. I don't understand why they can't see what we're seeing. All I can do is just shake my head. ♪ ♪ >> Another intense night here in the city of Richmond as protesters took to the streets... >> A peaceful protest in Virginia also turned violent on Saturday night. People in Richmond marched during... >> I don't think our country could be any more divided than we are right now. The country is, is horribly divided right now, and, and more divided than we ever have been.

And for what? For what gain? My name is Mark Curtis. I'm a father of four young kids. I'm also a business owner. I own a construction company. I'm a huge rights activist. I believe in our constitution. I believe in the way our constitution was intended to be read and not interpreted. If anybody had told us this was gonna end up happening, nobody would have believed it. >> No-- like I say, racism is out there. That's what it is. (bleep), I got more Black friends than I could ever imagine. I got one Black friend, and I specifically tell people that that's my brother. (both laughing) And we talk about it all the time. It's ridiculous, man. >> People that are doing all this are just out just to wreck stuff. >> My same buddy that I call my brother, he said it, too. He said, "Man, it's crazy," because they say it's a Black Lives Matter thing, but yet they're going in and destroying old Black people's businesses that live in Richmond. >> Yeah. >> You know what I mean? >> I don't know how everything got so race-oriented all of a sudden, here within the past year, honestly. Um, that, that kind of blows my mind. ♪ ♪ So as far as the platform or the cause that the Black Lives Matter rallies are for, I think raising awareness for police brutality, sure.

If you want to focus on any aspect of it that could have a positive effect on the American people, you could bring up that one aspect of it. But it doesn't just happen to Black folks. Happens to white folks, happens to Asian folks. It happens across all walks of life, no matter what color you are, no matter what race you are. >> Are we jumping? >> We all need to work together in a common cause to defend our freedoms. Not to fight against each other and empower more regulation against us. (people talking in background) >> Two crises have converged: protests over the death of George Floyd and the pandemic, U.S. death toll now topping 104,000, the most in any country... >> Right now we have a situation where Black Americans die out of proportion to any kind of parameter that you can think of. >> All lives do matter, but they won't until Black lives matter first.

(crowd cheering, applauding) Sometimes when you have specific type of community that's hurting, it is okay to focus on them for a little while until things get better. And then when they do get better, then all lives will matter. (crowd cheers and applauds) >> When the George Floyd murder occurred, it was in the middle of this pandemic. And so, for me as a healthcare provider, I really felt that it was my responsibility to not expose myself to the potential for getting the disease and spreading it on to my patients. (crowd chanting) But I was happy that so many people were coming out of their homes and out of their workplaces to be involved in those protests. >> Black Lives Matter! >> We were there, you know, in in solidarity. We have a very long history of systemic racism in this country that persists today. You have to look at the lives that are most at risk in our country, the ones that are being lost out of proportion to every other category of American. >> Black Lives Matter! >> Black Lives Matter!

>> Protests turned violent after demonstrators clashed with Oakland police officers. There is significant property damage to businesses in the downtown area of Oakland after these protests last night. >> My understanding is, it's actually a good movement, in my opinion, but there's just a bunch of other protesters, a small percentage of it, that are... They're giving it a bad name. ♪ ♪ My name is Jason Tolentino and I own a nail salon. >> Well, actually, I'm the one who wanted to open a shop. My name is Jaime, I'm from Vietnam. >> No way! >> Oh, no! >> Really?! >> Oh! >> It's all closed. >> I told myself, before I'm 30, I will own something. So when I'm 28, just take all the money for our wedding, just to go buy a shop and start a business. (hinges squeak) >> We've been open for about three years, and so far, everything's great. Besides this, of course.

The pandemic has taken a huge toll. We're just trying to get by doing whatever we can to survive. Then now when we have this going on, which made it even worse. It's mainly just for insurance purposes, if it did get vandalized or looted. It's not fair for someone like me, who's trying to make this community better, and next thing you know, someone just takes it away and ruins the whole business itself. There is the racism in America. And, at the moment, I think it's just getting worse. African Americans, they just want to not be harassed by the law. There's nothing wrong with protesting. You can protest all you want-- we live in America. But when you start vandalizing small businesses, that part is wrong. ♪ ♪ >> Now, amidst all this chaos and turmoil in the country right now, it could be easy to forget that we are still in a pandemic. >> One of the first known American COVID-19 survivors to receive a double lung transplant is now recovering.

28-year-old Mayra Ramirez received the lung transplant at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. >> When I first woke up from my lung transplant, I was a vegetable-- I couldn't move a finger, I couldn't, you know, I could barely wiggle my toes. I couldn't talk. I was in a lot of pain, I was uncomfortable. I was, like, really disoriented at the time. I felt like I had only been there for, like, three days or so. And I didn't realize that I was intubated, sedated for six weeks. (crowd shouting, firecracker booms and crackles) (firecracker explodes and crackles) The TV would be on, and, you know, they would talk about all these riots that were happening, and George Floyd, and protests. And I was, like, "Can I just go back to being sedated?" Like, "Can I wake up when this is over?" The world was so ugly. Literally, cities are burning. I, I just couldn't take it. >> The radical Dems are pushing as many left-wing activists and anarchists as they can into the streets of America.

I understand the president is on the phone now. >> Well, maybe the point of great success, you know... >> My feelings with the Black Lives Matter is, all lives matter. Not just Black, not pink, white, or purple. It's not just one race. I think it's wrong, basically, what the officer did. I think he should pay a price for what he did. But I look back in history. I had a great-great-grandfather that helped with the slaves. He helped run the Underground Railroad. He was ambushed by white people who felt the slaves should stay slaves. So, you know, when they sit there and say every white person is racist or bad, I'm not racist, I'm not bad. I'm a human being. I respect them. I expect to be respected back. >> George Floyd's name is on a list now, a very long list, a centuries-old history... >> People told me that these protests had become about more than George Floyd. That they're about this long history of police brutality. >> All you have to do is look at history. If you flip the pages back from history, it speaks for itself.

>> There is another vigil for George Floyd that is getting underway right now at Peninsula Park. >> I just keep seeing African American people get killed by cops all across the nation... >> Justice! >> ...and nothing's happening. >> No peace! >> You look at American history, and it's ugly. (crowd cheers and applauds) People are hurt, people are tired of... We're tired of being tired. >> They're sworn to protect this country... >> When I look at history, we protest. Nothing changed. We protest now. Nothing's really changing. And that's hurtful. >> From day one, America has been based off of the subjugation of Black and Indigenous people. (crowd cheers and applauds) >> Yes! Yes! Speak it, sister! How can I love America? I can't-- I don't think I can love America. America hasn't loved me, that's for damn sure.

>> Power to the people! >> Power to the people! >> Power to the people! >> Black Power! >> Black Power! >> Black Power! >> Black Power! >> All power to the people! >> Power to the people! >> All power to the people! >> All power to the people! The fight is real. But it's always been here. Now it's to the surface in 2020. Now where do we go from here? >> You need to get off your damn phones and recording (bleep) and (bleep) start getting active! (crowd cheers and applauds) >> Millions of people all across America are casting their votes on who they want to lead the country for the next... >> It has been a campaign year unlike any other. >> More than 90 million ballots have been cast... >> Record-breaking early voting continues. Massive early vote total includes more than seven million Californians who have already returned their mail-in ballots. >> I wish there wasn't as much hate in this world as what we have. I don't care if you're a Dem, I don't care if you're Republican, I don't care if you're in the middle. There's so much hate.

I hope President Trump wins. Vice President Biden, I feel, is-- and I hate to say the age thing, because he's probably my age, maybe? Or am I his? I don't know how old he is. Um... I think he's too old. I think he's too feeble in his mind. I just wish it was over. Yay! (chuckling) >> Illinois election officials reporting seeing early voting numbers they have not seen in prior elections. >> Recovery is pretty slow and really hard. I have someone else's lungs, and be like a slap in the face if I didn't try my hardest. >> You're here to vote? >> Mm-hmm. >> Okay, so you're going to go through the revolving doors. >> I avoid going anywhere. So I requested the mail-in ballot, but it never arrived. Hi. >> Hello. >> Um, Mayra Ramirez.

I saw one person who, like, didn't have their mask on properly, and that upset me a little bit. My number-one topic of interest during this election is, you know, healthcare reform. I think this is the first time that during an election that we've actually expected, like, riots and violence and protests. Regardless of how the results go, I think we're all still expecting it. ♪ ♪ >> So far, this election is on track to set a record. >> California's top election official assuring folks there are safe ways to vote during a pandemic. All ballots will be protected. >> All right, everything's... >> Did I put my name here? >> No! You gotta sign... (sighs): Jeez, well, I got no pen. Now we gotta walk back again. You have a pen? You gotta put your address... It literally says on the top it's gonna invalidate it if you don't sign it. >> Whoa! (both laughing) >> Um, I would rather not say who I voted for. I just want everything to come back to normal. That's all.

That's all I'm praying for, really. People will be surprised, but I don't want to say who I voted for. >> I just vote for myself or I vote for the lady. No, I vote for the lady! >> You voted for that lady. >> I don't know who... >> We don't know her name. >> I don't know who she is, but it seemed like she's the only lady, so I vote for the lady. >> (chuckles) >> I vote for the woman! >> Well, you have a right to do that. ♪ ♪ >> It's been a while since I voted, you know, due to my situation. Here at the polling station. I'm here with my dad, the O.G. I made a lot of bad decision when I was younger. Getting in fights, had an assault charge, things like that. Trying to do the right thing. It's never too late to do the right thing, that's for sure. I made a vow to myself that I'll never do nothing illegal again. You know, I'll never go to jail again. I need to register. >> Do you have an I.D. with... >> So I just felt privileged to be able to get out and vote. >> Here's your ballot.

>> There are a lot of people that are not allowed to vote or can't vote, so it's important that the people who have the privilege of voting take that step and make that initiative. >> The polls in Iowa are open until 9:00 tonight for anyone who chooses to vote in person. Across the state, there are about 1,200 locations. >> Gonna have to put this on now. You're supposed to find people that represent you. Donald Trump cannot represent me. He does not represent my beliefs. Of course, I can't vote for Joe Biden for the very same reason. >> Thank you for voting. >> Everything was recorded. Thank you very much. I will sleep good tonight, because someday, as a Christian, I believe Christ will return and all wrongs will be righted and justice will prevail. And my job is to keep speaking the truth as a minister. >> Big race, big electoral vote fight tonight, too early to call. >> We will be getting some results, actually, we think, this hour from Kentucky, from Indiana, all the polls not closed there, but some... >> I'm equally excited and nervous. I've been thinking about how, four years ago, I didn't think I was going to make it four years. Joe Biden was not my first choice. My first choice was Kamala Harris, who, thankfully, is the vice presidential candidate, soon to be vice president.

>> In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts... >> Yay! Joe Biden wins Massachusetts! >> ...Joe Biden the projected winner tonight. >> My gut is telling me Biden's gonna win. But I'm so nervous about the possibility of a contested election. But I think that it's unlikely. I think that we're going to have a good win tonight. >> We are still in the thick of a very heated contest. >> Right, it is closer than the Democrats wanted it to be. It is closer than any Democrat is comfortable with right now. We'll have to wait and see how that comes in. >> I anticipate some very uneasy people on either or both sides angry about not getting their way. (percussion playing, people singing in background) Whoever wins, which I hope it is not Trump, we should come together. >> Ain't no power like the power of the people, 'cause the power of the people don't stop! >> This week I felt kind of, like, a sigh of relief, like, I was feeling, like, things are changing, things are shifting in, in a different direction.

>> Ain't no power like the power of the people, 'cause the power of the people don't stop! >> Ain't no power like the power of the people... >> You know, it was, it was an invigorating space to see a lot of people that not necessarily look like me, but wanted the same types of things that I want in America. >> Vice President Joe Biden will win Pennsylvania and Nevada, putting him over the 270... >> Across the country, pro-Trump protesters gathering at state capitols, echoing the president that the election was stolen. (engine revving loudly, crowd cheering) (tires squeal) >> Because I was really just so sick of politics, I wanted to write in "Jesus." (laughs) But that doesn't do anything. So, I was surprised, I felt prompted to vote for Trump. >> We are very much in a spiritual battle right now. We are invoking Christ, because Christ is the way, and Christ is the only way that we're going to triumph over evil. (crowd cheers and applauds) We have tried time and time again to try...

>> I really hope representatives will get the voice of the people, and that there will be a middle ground. Biden probably can't accomplish everything he wants, but a part of me feels devastated, because I feel like it's taking society in a completely different direction. >> "Stand by, stand down." No, we're not standing down. We're here, we're gonna stand, we're gonna stand fast. We're gonna wait for orders. >> Cheers and celebrations in the streets of Minneapolis. >> Celebrations by Joe Biden supporters have been going on all day, including here in the metro. (horns honking) >> Hey! I'm just excited that overall, that more people got involved in the voting process. Because that way, we're going to be able to hold these elected officials more accountable. (horns honking) So I think a lot of people are going to be looking at Joe Biden like, "Okay, you were talking that talk. Now you're gonna walk the walk." What do you guys think of the election? >> Oh, yeah! >> We're good. We're good. >> I was relieved to the point where it's, like, "Okay, this step has been handled. Now, what's the next step?" You know, it's not over, this is just the beginning. (horns honking) That's just one man. The president doesn't make the world a better place, the people make the world a better place. The people living in it. (car horns honking) >> So let's talk about what exactly happened and what this vote says about the country.

Joe Biden got a record number of votes. >> We have half the nation that believes that we had an unfair election. We have another half of the nation that thinks everything is just great and wonderful. I hope it's wrong, but I see too many comments by too many people, I feel a revolution coming. It's getting closer every day. Somebody is going to be dumb enough to fire the first shot. And we're gonna have some serious problems. I hope I'm wrong. >> I hope you're wrong, too. >> And I hope I'm not here to see it. ♪ ♪ >> I'm ready for your (indistinct)... >> Okay, I'll be right there. I think the immediate future holds turmoil and fear and concern about where we go next. We are ready to do some COVID testing now. I actually fear that people are going to say, "Whew, Joe Biden won, we're done, we can go back to doing and living our normal lives." All right, this is a nasal swab. Both sides of your nose. Anyone who thinks that the election getting called is the end of the work that needs to be done is mistaken.

And we'll have results for you within 24 hours. ♪ ♪ >> I have no regrets about voting for the Libertarian candidate. I'm tired of people voting for the lesser of two evils. You know, voting Democrat because it's not Trump. Or voting Republican because it's not Biden. Wouldn't've really mattered who got in office, I feel like they're one and the same. I think our culture is going to stay divided. The division that has been created here recently is, is something that we've regressed to that's going to take generations to recover. I think our culture is going to be horribly scarred by this. And I don't know what it's going to be blamed on in the end, or how it's going to be spun, but I think our culture in a whole has gone down a deep, deep, dark hole. ♪ ♪ >> Whoo-hoo! President Biden! Yay! That was for you.

We have a president. ♪ Let there be peace on Earth ♪ ♪ And let it begin with me ♪ He can't fix this mess overnight. He can't fix it in a week, a month. But it's over. Thank goodness, it's over. ♪ Let peace begin with me ♪ ♪ Let this be the moment now ♪ But now we worry about what's going to happen next. Let there be peace. (crickets chirping) (crowd shouting, glass breaking) >> Stop the steal! Stop the steal! >> Thousands of supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol Building... >> We need backup. >> The will of the people has been heard. (crowd cheering) >> ...that a federal grand jury has voted to indict the former president. >> ...second impeachment trial is set to start tomorrow. >> ...Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts. >> The state of Virginia... >> ...bringing down the symbols of a hateful past... >> ...General Robert E. Lee... >> ...horrific mass shooting at an elementary school. >> Mass shootings are becoming as American as apple pie.

♪ ♪ >> Roe vs. Wade is overruled. >> Thousands of people today turned out to take a stand for abortion rights. >> ...the end of 472 days of COVID restrictions. >> ...warning, however, that the virus is here to stay. ♪ ♪ >> Rising costs and recession fears... >> ...small businesses struggling to stay afloat... >> A bus filled with migrants... >> Dropped off outside the Vice President's D.C. residence. >> Donald Trump will be running for president again in 2024. Protests against Israel's war in Gaza continue... >> It's another wedge in America's political divide. >> (chanting): Guilty, guilty! >> Shots have apparently been fired. (crowd exclaims) >> ...failed assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump. >> President Biden takes himself out of the run for the White House. >> I accept your nomination... >> Kamala Harris became the first woman of color to accept the presidential nomination. ♪ ♪ >> A lot of negative things happening. >> Tough times right now with all that's going on in the world. >> Am I hopeful or optimistic? It all depends on who wins the election.

>> I don't think the country has improved in the last four years. It's become more divided than ever. There's a saying in a lot of Black Baptist churches: "A church is nothing but a hospital for the sick." It, it revives you. It's your vitamins to give you the strength to make it one more week. Good to be in the house of the Lord one more time. (congregation clapping) >> Amen. >> I missed everyone last weekend. That old COVID hit me, and put me down for a few days, so the love I have for everybody, I wasn't coming last Sunday, because I was afraid if anybody got sick, I gave it to them. (chuckles) And so, I feel great now. I've been diagnosed with diabetes, so I'm down 49 pounds now. I work with the election now, local and presidential. Now we're gonna have announcements. My life has improved because I got off of my you-know-what and went to work. That's why my life has improved. >> ♪ Welcome to the Mount Oni ♪ >> The little improvements that I get is from my blood, sweat, and tears. >> ♪ We welcome you ♪ ♪ To Mount Oni ♪ (congregation applauding and exclaiming) ♪ ♪

>> My faith in the government has grown further and further apart. I honestly have withdrawn myself from paying as much attention to our politics and policies and things that are trying to be pushed through government just because I'm sick of it. Honestly, I'm sick of it. I don't have enough faith in any of 'em to do what they say or to support my values or the beliefs of others that are going to be beneficial to myself or my family. Yep, you got 66. All right, keep going. >> 99. >> Yep. >> Like your whole belt, just because it looks floppy. Scoot this thing around. Hudson, we got to get pictures with you this morning. It's your first time wearing it. How do you feel? >> Good. (mumbles) >> He's taller than you. >> Stop! >> Yeah, because he's wearing heels. >> He's wearing heels. >> I know, these belts... >> I know, I know, it's aggravating. >> (laughs) >> Will you just take the photo? >> He is so much taller. >> (laughs) >> One, two, three. >> (laughs) >> You're so much shorter, Mark. >> That's awesome. There's a bit of inner turmoil with Hudson being in the JROTC program, as well as my distrust in the government. I love the values that he's going to learn going through this program, as well as the values that he could be taught in the military.

I think he wants to follow in the footsteps of people who've done great things for our country, for our freedoms. I very much worry that he has great potential of being in the military and being pulled into a endless war that cost American lives, cost billions of American dollars, and to what gain? (engine humming) ♪ ♪ >> Maybe some of you guys know me, some of you don't. I'm Tayo Daniel, I'm one of the founders of this organization, Smart North. When I was growing up, I didn't have access to all these different types of cool technology and things like that. I learned it, you know, more recently than ever. So, I just keep thinking to myself, like, what if I would've learned this stuff when I was younger, right? Where could I be? (talking in background) I kind of wanted to get away from all that political stuff.

Especially when there's so much division and polarization. And it, it affects us all, I mean, especially people at the bottom the most. >> The purpose of all this is that we're trying to figure out what are the things in the neighborhood, what do we have within this community, within this neighborhood, that's worth putting on a map? >> The system will chew you up and spit you out, especially being a Black man. If you're not confident in yourself and if you're not self-determined as a young Black man, this system will eat you up alive. She's in the VR space right now, doing her thing. >> Yeah, I can't see anything in the real world right now. >> Whether that means getting extra training and figuring out your talents and your skills and how to apply that to a business you want to start, or towards a career that you want to walk down that path. Who are the people that you're hanging out with? And the most important of all is, how can you add value to your community? Once you figure that out, it doesn't matter who's in office, you're always going to be successful, because you yourself are valuable, and you're adding value to your community. Kataya won these Nike Dunks. So give her a round of applause. (others applauding) Here you go.

(animals bleating, birds chirping) ♪ ♪ (exclaiming, talking in background) >> In 2021, my family moved 1,000 miles away, to the country. To northwest Missouri. >> Hey, can we play the game? >> Jump, Erica! >> The splash... >> (blowing out) You're just chilling? >> Mm-hmm. >> It looks like you figured it out. >> (laughs) >> One of the biggest reasons we moved out here is the freedom to choose to do what we want without affecting others. Did you girls see the yellow coming up on these trees? >> Yep. >> Can't wait till it's fall. >> It's also yellow... >> It is fall. Doesn't it feel like fall? Living out here, it does allow me to check out when I want, and not be bombarded by all the noise that's in the city of the billboards and the signs and people knocking on your door about candidates. So it's not like I want to check out and be disconnected and not involved or even apathetic. But it is nice to constantly not have higher blood pressure and be completely occupied all the time.

Hi. We still need to live life. So I do like going out and petting a goat and forgetting the cares of the world now and then. Why are you trying to eat my hand? ♪ ♪ >> Hard work pays off. Promotions, promotions, promotions. ♪ ♪ Well, I've worked seven days a week for 14 years. Independent business. ♪ ♪ During our pandemic, I was losing it. I was coming unglued because the future was very grim. I had to just keep myself motivated to be positive. When you look at the past four years up to this present, has our America gotten better? You decide, because I know it hasn't been better.

I pay my bill for my chair, it's a weekly bill. Booth rent. Just accumulated a sciatic nerve in my back. Usually when you get in this industry of barbering, you... You do it until you can't do it anymore. How you been? >> Good. >> It's hard on your back, it's hard on your knees. But I just find so much joy in making people smile. (razor buzzing) >> Portland, Portland was good to me, man, I... You know? >> Mm-hmm. >> I paid my due. >> Right. >> And all that (bleep). I paid more taxes than Trump paid up here, man. >> (laughs): So where's that tax money go to? >> I guess the city. >> City? Okay. >> And the city, you know, supposed to keep the roads repaired and... >> Well, the roads ain't been repaired around here. (bleep), so many potholes and stuff around here. >> Yep.

>> I love the barbershop. We get all those great old stories, and there's no filter when you communicate, because what, what goes on at the barbershop stays at the barbershop. >> Yep. >> And then they go out there and just go fight the world again. >> Thank you, have a good day. >> Thank you. >> All right, thank you. >> ♪ You are worthy of our praise ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ >> ♪ Hallelujah ♪ >> ♪ I said Hallelujah ♪ >> ♪ Hallelujah ♪ >> ♪ God is good ♪ Hallelujah. Welcome to Homecoming. (congregation cheers) Shake hands with somebody. Homecoming is our biggest event that we have as a church every year. The constitution limits government. It tells government what they cannot do. And if you're a utopian Marxist, that's a problem, because government ought to be able to do everything. We bring all the leaders together from around the nation and talk about what we're all facing. >> Don't diminish the voice that you have. Don't be overwhelmed in your thinking.

We give our voice, God gives it the amplifier. >> And we come together once a year for that fellowship. Helping each other, getting an education, and learning how to do things and how to approach the new obstacles that we're dealing with now. Where does the jurisdiction of the state end and my self-government begin, and who gets to draw that line? >> We're going to talk about a girl today who had a backbone to fight: Esther. >> Our instinct is just "leave me alone." "I just want to be left alone, I want to raise my children. "I want to live in my home, I want to be a Christian. "I want to be able to attend my church, "and I don't want the government to interfere "with anything that I'm doing. Just leave me alone." The philosophy of "leave me alone" ironically requires that we not leave the government alone. That's the reality. >> Use the voice that God has given you in whatever measure, and it does make a difference to call, to write... >> So a Christian living in modern America does not have an option to not be involved in politics, because politics has invaded our jurisdiction and forced itself upon us.

♪ ♪ >> (inaudible) 2020, it was more of a blur. Before 2020, we knew our customers. You know, we had our regulars. But after COVID, it's like we, we had this whole new set of different customers, who were, like, new. >> One thing that is harder to find employees. >> She is right on that one-- we can't find good people. >> We can't find anyone at all. Nobody want to work. >> And it's also not about the pay. No one's just applying. (both laugh) >> Yes. >> That is the thing, like, we don't... You know, even for them to come in or even respond to an ad. >> Is it nice? >> See, that's crazy. That's crazy to me. A lot of the problems that I've seen here is, it's not the actual business that the person's running, it's more the crime. We got broken into. Some guy, he broke the window, stole a credit card machine, and left. That was it, and caused, like...

I think it was, like, $2,500 worth of damage, and all he stole was the credit card machine. But it was just a hassle. >> In a big surprise, delegates overwhelmingly endorsed Royce White. >> White won the party's endorsement for Senate and supports former President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement. >> White has quickly become a controversial figure. >> White considers longtime Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as close friends of his. >> ♪ O'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ And the home of the brave ♪ (crowd cheers and applauds) >> Can you hear me? Can you hear me? All right, good. Good, good morning, good afternoon. It's good to see everybody out here. It's always good to see some, some Trump supporters. I'm one myself, yep. (crowd cheering) If I win, I'll be the youngest United States senator in the Senate, and I'll be the first one born in the 1990s. We don't like socialists, we don't like communists, we don't like Marxists.

It's an unacceptable and incompatible form of government and ideology. The mainstream media says, "Royce White represents "a dangerous evolution and movement of the Republican Party nationally." So a lot of people who just read those headlines would think, "Yeah, I mean, you know, Royce has nothing important to say or nothing of value to say." You know, "Even though we love Black men, "we want to protect them, their lives matter, but this Black man doesn't have anything important to say." >> These are patriots here, man. >> I love it, I love it. >> ...drinking beer, rock and roll music, and cooking food. >> I love it, I love it. >> That's America right there, man. >> That's right. ♪ ♪ >> The destination is on your left. Arrived. >> (softly): Okay. So yeah, see, you can see right across here all the Trump signs.

Block walking involves going and knocking on doors and talking face-to-face with people. And not a lot of people want to do it, because it can be uncomfortable. That, and it's been 100 degrees in Texas. Okay, so that way, I gotta go down a couple of houses, and start down there. But I decided that that is my role, that I need to be the one doing that hard work. Hi, I'm Christine. I'm with the Williamson County Democratic Party out talking to voters today. >> Uh-huh. >> Are you planning on voting for Kamala Harris and Colin Allred all the way down the ticket? >> Yes, I am. >> All right, perfect. The fall of Roe v. Wade was devastating. We already had very restricted access to abortion care in Texas. (doorbell rings) When the ban came down, everyone was scrambling to try and decide what to do to help women who were going to be in trouble. >> Hi there-- is your mom here? >> Yup. >> Thanks. ♪ ♪ >> We're just eight weeks away from election day... >> Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will face off on the debate stage... >> ...polling suggests this race is as close as ever.

>> The stakes here are incredibly high. >> Should, can I move this couch over here? Donald Trump and Kamala are about to debate each other. My cousin brought a bunch of food. Dude, can I make this table right here? >> And I really learned this from my dad, you know? My dad didn't never hold a meeting and not have food. Because really, that's African culture. (doorbell rings) >> Hello! Hello! Hi! >> How are you doing? >> Good, how are you? >> I'm all right. >> Straight up beef, yeah. (television playing) >> Here, hold it. >> Kamala Harris is doing better than President Trump with Latino voters... >> Hazel said that Kennedy should dress up like Trump, and then they would let him on stage. >> (chuckles): That's a good idea, Hazel. Hurry up, because I want y'all to be a part of this. Hudson, you realize that the next time there's a presidential election, you'll be 18 years old, and you'll be voting. >> Here it comes. >> Oh, dear.

>> Get ready to be annoyed. In my opinion, presidential debates don't determine who's going to be the next president. I already know that I'm not going to be able to support major parties on the ticket. So I kind of just endure the political process. >> My plan is to give a $50,000 tax deduction to startup small businesses, knowing they are part of the backbone of America's economy. >> So we're giving away more money. >> $6,000 credit, $50,000 small business credit. >> When do I get that $50,000 credit for having a small business? >> Never. >> Why don't you ask her that question? >> Why don't you answer the question? >> That's the problem, because under Roe v. Wade, you could, you could do abortions in the seventh month, the eighth month, the ninth month, and probably after birth! >> Why is he such a liar? >> Just look at the governor, former governor of Virginia. >> People start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom. >> (laughing): That's rich for her to say that. >> Because people leave her rallies early? >> The only reason they show up to hers is because of the concerts. >> They're eating the dogs, the people that came in.

>> (laughing) >> This is wild business. >> They're eating the pets of the people that live there. >> Now, that's bull(bleep). (all laughing) >> What the hell? >> She's destroying this country. >> I just can't believe he said the thing about the dogs. (chuckling): They're eating dogs. I don't know what to believe, honestly, on that one. >> How would you deport 11 million undocumented immigrants? >> Whew, that'd be brilliant. >> I know you believe that amount is much higher. >> I think every American would agree with me on this, that we should control what's happening in the border. That, I think that's a big thing. >> Take us through this, what does this look like? >> You know, my auntie, she's, has her paperwork. Like, my mom's sister. She waited 18 years already. >> She's still not here. >> We all have the same dreams and aspirations and want a president who invests in those, not in hate and division. >> See, I disagree with that-- we don't, though. >> We don't what? >> We don't have the same aspirations and dreams. >> Who doesn't? >> All American people. >> No, I'm saying, what I think she's saying is that... >> Okay, I disagree. >> ...you could find people in every race that have the same dreams and aspirations. >> But that's not what she's saying. She says, "We all." Not, "There are some in every group."

"We all," and I'm saying we all don't. >> We can't sit there and look at Republican or Democratic, we got to look at ourselves. >> Agreed. >> And be, like, what are we doing in our community, in our internal community? >> Agreed. >> And support those people who are starting a Block Builders Foundation... >> Agreed, absolutely! >> ...a Smart North, and all that kind of stuff. And then from there... >> And fight for them. >> Yeah, and fight for them. >> Right. >> Right, so... >> Whichever color. >> Whichever color. Yeah, I agree with that. >> Absolutely, absolutely. >> Well, I know for the last four years, nothing's changed-- it's gotten downhill. >> And who was running the show? >> It's still been downhill-- it's the lesser of both evils. I would rather, I would rather have her as president than him. We know what he's going to do. >> You just said it, I'm glad you said it on record. You've been downhill for the last four years. >> Look, look, we're listening to your guy. >> No, she was in the White House. >> She wasn't president. >> She was part of the whole cabinet. >> I said, "She wasn't president." >> Thank you for watching here in the U.S. and all over the world, and from all of us here... >> I hope the world wasn't watching. >> (chuckles) ♪ ♪ >> What? >> Must you? >> Must I what? >> Make it all obvious out in here? You folded flags just fine back in your office.

>> I usually fold them in here. >> Uh-huh. When I look at the choices that I feel Kamala versus Trump would make... >> How about we... (indistinct) >> ...I do feel like the choices Trump would make are more aligned with the hope that I have of America, the hope that I have in my children's future living in this country. That's why I am leaning more towards Trump. ♪ ♪ >> Hello! How are you? >> I'm good, how are you? >> On a scale of one to ten, how likely are you to vote? >> Ten. >> Perfect. The idea that we have the opportunity to elect a progressive Black woman as the first female president in the United States is a dream come true for me. Lion Heart Drive, here we go. I'm really hopeful that in five years from now, we will have reversed this... (doorbell rings) ...and create a constitutional right that is not ambiguous that gives women a right to abortion. I've already taken days off after the election, because I want to be able to mourn or celebrate, whichever way it goes.

(knocks) (dog barking) ♪ ♪ (people talking in background) >> I'mma walk straight through the crowd. Yeah. Running for U.S. Senate. >> Are you really? >> Royce White, yup. >> Good luck, man. >> Everything's at stake in this election. Nice to meet you. Freedom. The idea of America, what it is, fundamentally. >> Go, Vikings huh? >> Yes, sir, go, Vikings. >> Go, Vikes! >> Go, Vikings, yes, sir. >> I don't know who you are. >> I'm running for U.S. Senate. Vikings doing well, beautiful day-- can't complain. Running as an America First or MAGA candidate supporting Donald Trump has not caused me any significant change in my personal relationships. What's your name? >> Christine. >> Nice to meet you. >> Nice to meet you, too! >> Enjoy the game, enjoy the game. In fact, if anything, I've found out how many people agree with some of the things that I otherwise wouldn't have known that they thought. Hello! Hello!

>> Hi, Royce! How're you doing, man? >> Royce White. >> Good luck! >> Nice to meet you, man-- thank you, enjoy the game, man! How're you doing? >> So this is the community garden. I'm a firm believer of funding and community centers, so usually politicians that align with that, I'm all for it, because it takes a village to raise a child. So a lot of my politics are more about, how do we help the youth? >> Our green beans, I don't think, are coming, are gonna come in. >> This is the green beans right here, right? Oh, here go some tomatoes, over here. I'd also like to see a Black woman become president, too, you know? (chuckles): I'd like to see that milestone, too. (children calling in distance) >> Father, we just love you. We thank you for the fellowship that we have, for all of these godly men and women that are leading in their communities. Here's the thing-- I can't vote in good conscience for Donald Trump, and I can't vote in good conscience for Kamala Harris. So what am I going to do?

I'll probably pick a third-party candidate, probably won't win, but at least I will have stayed true to what I believe. You know, tough times are coming. Tough times are coming. The next few years might be rough. There's going to be ups and downs. There's going to be turmoil. But he will hold me fast. >> Amen. >> And he will hold you fast. And if we get a chance, we'll hold each other fast. Glory to God. >> Overall, I've had a good life in Portland. My old neighborhood, very gentrified. There was a house right here. And now it's a square building. As I get older, I wonder about the American dream, and from rags to riches. I haven't seen anybody in my neighborhood come from rags to riches. (phone ringing out) >> Your call has been forwarded to voicemail. (voicemail beeps) >> This is Grandpa. I was wondering if I could get to see my grandbaby for a little bit today. Please call me back.

Thank you. What does America have in store for my grandkids and my great-grand? Ready? >> No! >> Let's stay up! Then down. >> (squealing) >> Up, down, up. Keep going! Ah, ah, ah! Kamala Harris has been there. She's a minority woman and she's been in the trenches with her own people. And all we need to do is go out there and vote. You know I love you? >> No! >> You don't know I love you? >> (giggles) >> That's a secret? Like, nobody knows? You want to go on the swing or what? ♪ ♪ >> It's not going to be long before you're going to be voting. People should not let the outcome of this election rule their life. I should hope that we can find the good in whoever does win.

I should hope that we can have civil conversation over the things that we don't agree with and continue living life. Accept it, move on. >> I do believe the statue of Robert E. Lee was sitting right here in this area. And it's gone now, so... I'm glad. Too many ancestors of mine put their lives on the line for me to have the right to vote. My mother personally, Marion Bryant Lewis, when we became of age, she took us to say, "You will be registered and you will vote. "I will not tell you who to vote for, "but you do your homework and learn and make a decision. 'Cause you're going to the polls the next election." Looking back on 2020, when they were burning and tearing down things, I have a few pictures specifically, where a young man is painting the sidewalk, and he was a Caucasian young man, and he was painting on the sidewalk "Black Lives Matter."

So I think our future youth, I think they made a big impact. What matters is that you go out there and make your voice be heard, and voting is one way you do that. ♪ Whether I'm right or whether I'm wrong ♪ ♪ Whether I find a place in this world or never belong ♪ ♪ I've gotta be me ♪ ♪ I've gotta be me ♪ Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org

>> For more on this and other "FRONTLINE" programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline. ♪ ♪ FRONTLINE's "American Voices 2024" is available on Amazon Prime Video. ♪ ♪ Hi, I'm Raney Aronson-Rath from FRONTLINE. Deep dive investigative reporting takes months of hard work. But we believe the truth should always be free and accessible to everyone.

No paywalls, no agendas. Our independence depends on viewers who believe in fearless, fact-based journalism. Please chip in today to help keep FRONTLINE free and independent for all. Thank you. ♪ ♪ >> When we can't afford to pay our bills, like our house bills and stuff. You never know what'll happen in your life. >> NARRATOR: We first met them 14 years ago in Illinois and Iowa. Johnny, Kaylie, Brittany, and their families. The experience of growing up poor as seen through their eyes. >> And we lost our whole house and everything. >> Life is going to be hard because there is hardly going to be any jobs left, even rich people will be poor, like you, you might get poor in the last few months. You never know. >> NARRATOR: From childhood... >> If I don't have the opportunity to show somebody to play football, football won't exist. >> NARRATOR: Then, as teenagers...

>> No matter what I go through, I'll still want to try and try and try to be better. >> I know people have it worse than me and I wish no one had that. >> Everybody knows the American dream, "Oh, go to college and go live your life." That's all I wanna do. >> NARRATOR: And now, young adults. >> The last thing that I want is for my kids to worry about what we're going to have for dinner, or worry about where we're gonna stay. >> Being born poor, it can start off rough. It can be a difficult process because you-- limited opportunities. But them opportunities will come. >> Oh nice job man. >> What can I do today to make myself better for tomorrow? >> Life has lessons. People make mistakes. You know, life goes on no matter what happens. >> Changing the cycle that you were born into is very hard. I'm still learning to this day. It's a long, lengthy process. >> NARRATOR: Now on FRONTLINE, Born Poor. ♪ ♪ >> My name is Johnny Davis.

I am 13 years old, fitting to be 14 in three months. We are in the Salvation Army homeless shelter. Jasmine, no! My dad had got a, a business, he was making about a good $5,000 a month. We had good and fancy things then. We had a three-bedroom house, a living room, had a 32-inch flat-screen TV in there. My mom's and dad room had a, a 42-inch flat-screen TV in their room, and that's what TV we watched the Super Bowl on. >> Oh, here's one of Tom's old business cards. >> Oh, oh, yeah, I remember T&C. >> Yeah. >> T&C-- Tom and Classy. >> Yeah. >> (laughs) >> When it was good, it was good. I can remember having five or six jobs a month that were lined up, back to back, and I mean decent-paying jobs, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000-- whatever it was. And all of a sudden, just right about the time when everybody was saying, you know, the recession is coming about, the recession is coming about, people just plain-old stopped fixing on their houses, stopped making repairs.

>> The payment on the house was due in two weeks. And I guess my parents just didn't have the money at the time. 'Cause he was explaining to us, business was slow. And we lost our whole house and everything. So we was back to ground zero. Then we moved to a homeless shelter. Anything that can fit in a bookbag or a suitcase, you can take it. Whatever you-- like this TV, the yellow one in the living room? That only made it because it could fit in my bag. If it couldn't fit in my bag, that would have been left behind, too. All my life, I've been wanting to play for a football team, and every time we had a chance to get on a team, I never got the opportunity. It was just there, and I would've went to the training, but it was time for us to go. >> We have to go-- hurry up and let's go. >> Hurry, hurry, hurry! >> My father works at Grain Processing Corporation. In the mornings, we get up around 4:30. We get there, we come straight back to go to school. >> In, in, in, in, in. >> Assigned seats, assigned seats, let's go. >> The journey takes about two hours, there and back. We have to go with our mom, because the rules say that we couldn't be left in the shelter by ourself because we weren't old enough.

>> I thank God that he still has a chance and an ability to still go out and get different jobs. >> It's not a career or something that I want to spend the rest of my, uh, working years doing, but it's something that will provide for us to have some food. >> (speaks softly) >> It seem like he gets further away every day. I know this is tough, driving out here every day, there and back, there and back. There and back, there and back. It would be so much easier if you could go ahead and just grab us a place out here, so you don't have to make the trip back and forth. >> I look at that little house every time I ride by, past-- oh. That's a nice one there. >> You turn around, look back at the house, you might look at it for a while, and go on with the rest of your life. (door closes) Hey, Mom, guess what I got on my grades. >> What? >> Oh! Oh! >> That's good. (chuckles) Let's see it. >> One for the Willis team. >> (laughs) >> That's good. (chuckles) >> I got two As, two Bs, and two Cs. >> Ooh, wow. >> That's what's up, Johnny. >> I have to get you a skateboard. >> Grades is my only way out of here. If my grades are not good, I know I can't go to universities like my dream is to go. I know if my grades are not good, I can't play football like I want to. If I don't succeed doing what I have to do in school and making good grades, I will fail. I am gonna live this life. Life of shelters,

going through hard times, can't feed my kids, um, trying to figure out where I'm gonna lay my head every night. ♪ ♪ My name is Brittany Smith and I am nine years old. It's tough, because my mom and dad are poor. My dad just lost his job. The other day, I tried getting in the shower, and it was cold. I, I put the hot on all the way, and no cold, and it was freezing. It felt like shoving your face in a bunch of snow. It was freezing! The hot water shut off because we didn't pay the bill in time. It was overdue. >> Sucks. >> So, what's the next bill due? >> Electricity. That'll be $318.

We just need to put Roger's ass to work. >> (laughing): Yeah. >> You see, the, the flat-screen TV and the computers and our PS3 and stuff, that's just things we've acquired over the years before all this happened. Like when we were not this poor. >> Sink's broke. (laughs) I don't know how or why, but it broke. And the cheapest plumber is, like, $65 an hour. I can't even afford $20. >> Oh, we lived in a farmhouse. My dad lost his job from Picture Perfect. He got laid off, and we got kicked out of there. We moved here. It's not very big. We didn't have enough room, so we had to put it all in storage, and we lost it all because we couldn't pay it. >> How storage works is, you put all your stuff in there when you move, but you have to pay the bill, or else it gets thrown out on the street, 'cause they have a spare key. I don't think it's right, because people shouldn't throw other people's stuff in the street. 'Cause that's just plain-up rude. I got a big makeup thing, and I lost it in storage. I lost my favorite teddy bear. I lost my DS.

It was gray, and it was awesome. I am bummed out, because like that was my favorite thing in the world. Besides my family. (laughs) Mm. >> Yeah. Caliper's shot. Got to get new pistons, at least, on it. >> My dad's brakes on the truck isn't working. One time, we almost got in a wreck. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. I hate that sound. (chuckles) When is the cable being shut off? >> Soon. We owe 'em almost $200. The cable, the internet, all that. We don't have the money to pay it. >> Oh. What're you doing? >> Applying for a job. >> Have you applied to many places? >> This will be the third Menards store I've applied at, uh, Walmart, the anchor place-- quite a few. >> I hope that my dad will somehow miracle-y get his truck working, and get a good job, and so we'll be able to get money, to keep this house, hopefully, and not get kicked out. ♪ ♪ >> My name is Kaylie Hegwood and I live in Stockton, Iowa.

And I am ten years old. Oh, yay! That one was good! That one was good! I don't think we're a rich family, but, like, I think we're kind of a poor family. I'm hungry. >> (chuckles) I knew you were going to say that as soon as you... You're gonna have to wait now, sis. >> I'm just starving. We don't get the three meals a day, like, breakfast, lunch, and then dinner. When I feel just, like, hungry, I will, just, like, I'll feel, like, like, I'm so, like, sad, and all droopy, and then I'll be, I'll feel, like, weak, and then, some in the mornings, I'll be, like, so starving, but then I'll, like, be, like, "Ah! I need some food!" But then, like, I'll get, like, but then I don't think of food, and then I'll just think of something else, and then, I'll, I'll not be hungry anymore. Ow!

>> I asked if you were ready. Combs are hard. >> One more time. >> You can't pull at Mom when I am doing this. >> (gasps) Stop pulling. >> I'm sorry. >> How do you think you have customers? >> (chuckles): Customers. >> I don't want you to freaking cut me. >> I am not gonna cut you! >> You better not. >> I've been in school long enough, I won't cut you. >> Or you're dead, I mean it. My mom, she has very little in her bank. And, like, she can't pay all of her bills at the same time. >> My income is $1,480. And the total of my bills is $1,326. (dog barking) And that does not leave me money for food or gas. I have never seen it this bad. >> Cans! Okay, put them in here. >> (speaks softly) >> Don't want beer. (chuckles) (voiceover): My best friend is Jordan, and we grew up together. We like to go canning to make money. With canning, the non-squished ones are five cents. >> Five, and the squished are two, so that's...

>> Yeah. Some people come over here for gas, and it's not here anymore. The dance hall, that's broken. Train station, it's all rotted. Didn't that use to be a movie theater? >> No. >> What did it use to be? >> It was the old bank. >> Huh. I bet there's old money in there. >> I'm not going in there! The floor fell in. That would be awesome if there was, like, thousands and thousands of dollars. When we can't afford to pay our bills, like, our house bills and stuff, I'm afraid, like, we'll get homeless. Me and my brother will starve. You never know what'll happen in your life. So, yeah. (signal ringing, train horn blowing) ♪ ♪ >> Kaylie, what are you looking at? >> It's loud!

I would just like to go explore the world, but I'm never going to be able to do this. 'Cause these days, everything is expensive. I watched this one show where it said they're raising the gas prices, and my mom can't even afford gas. We have to be careful how we use our gas, how we use everything. >> The bills here at the house is just too much for me to handle. Right now, there doesn't seem to be a way out. So, my only options are to give up my house and move my stuff into storage and move into the motel room. >> We won't get to keep our dog Nala. It's extra money and we're gonna get rid of her. (barking) I don't want to move. Like, I want to just stay put here. ♪ ♪ >> I think there's a lot of people in America that need help with food.

Because they are poor or they are either homeless. Or they're both. We need food for our family. I'm hitting my growth spurt, and I'm really hungry. (chuckles) My favorite food is Chinese food. I am craving that right now! Know what makes me mad? We can't afford it. Huh. ♪ ♪ >> You know, I've seen a lot of things in my life... (intercom beeps) >> Mr. Jaquin? >> Yes. >> If this is a good time for you, would you like to send your students down for the nutrition club? >> I'll have them down there shortly. >> Nutrition club is a bag of food that you get every Friday, and you have to make last the whole weekend. They announce in class that you have to go down for nutrition club if you're in it.

You have to go to the office, and you have to sign your name in for it. And then, um, you go put it in your locker and then you go back to class. >> Hi, good morning, Brittany. >> I'm surprised by how things can change so fast. You can go from doing okay, not having to go hungry, to this. Going hungry and having to pay all your bills, and not being able to. On the verge of being homeless again. (birds chirping) (people talking in background) >> We just found out my mom is pregnant. She's like a whale. (makes explosion sound effect) My dad's been working. He's been working for a week, and he has $64 total. (sniffs) >> Having a baby is probably not the best idea right now, considering that we're going through money problems. >> Definitely not a good time to have a baby, but I don't believe in abortion and... >> Mm-mm.

Or adoption. Financially, we're gonna be in a lot more trouble. >> Yeah, financially, we'll be strapped. >> (laughs): Dogs. >> (imitates dog barking) The thing I miss the most from having all this happen is the internet. I mean, people don't realize what they have until it's gone. And... (exhales) Serious "World of Warcraft" withdrawals, man. (laughs) 'Cause, say, in "World of Warcraft," I'm awesome, I'm a level-85 paladin. (chuckles): Tank and healer. And in real life, I'm a 14-year-old boy with nothing going for him. (chuckles) ♪ ♪ (whistle blows) >> The good news is, I have made it on the football team. I'm starting quarterback of every game of the season.

Church, left. Muscle, screen pass to Isaiah. Ready? >> Play! >> All I want is to play football. But football is expensive. And I can name a few of the, the items that I need and want for my sports. Hut! Go! My gloves ripped, my football glove. Asked my mom and dad, "Can I get some?" And my dad was, like, "Well, "well, how're you going to get it? I ain't got no money." >> Take time and money, Johnny. Then a helmet costs, cleats cost. The pads cost. >> I believe when there's a will, there's a way. You want something, if, if you want to, and if you want to do something, fight for it till you can get it. That's what I believe. >> You getting too big. You always want something extra. >> I don't want nothing extra. >> Yes, you do. You want a phone, you want shoes. >> I got a phone! I'm not wearing no earth walkers outside, no, sir. Jordans and Nikes. >> Johnny, Nikes is, and Jordans are expensive. >> I know. >> Just for a name-- that makes no sense. Now, you need a job. (chuckles) >> Nike's not expensive.

>> Look, I been buying Josh shoes, after shoes, after shoes. I can't afford it. Now what? Walmart? He gotta take Walmart. What else can I do? At least his feet not dragging the ground. >> There were some Jordan flip-flops in there for $30. Now, that's a great deal. You cannot find no Jordan flip-flops, the brand-new kind, for no $30. They're probably not real, but guess what. >> Is that a great deal? When I can go to Walmart and buy my... The shoes I'm wearing I got from Walmart for five dollars. >> I'm talking about name-brand stuff. >> They... >> That's a good deal, Mama. >> My sandals are nice, right? >> If you closely, if you listen to it, it's a good deal! >> Five dollars-- you want some of those, right? >> Ma. >> See, that's why I like y'all when y'all small. They, like, they accept stuff. You getting too big. Your feet growing. You in grown people shoes now. (exhales) Please stop growing! (laughing) As a mother, you always got different thoughts going through your head and mind, and wishing that you could change things, and wishing things was different, but what are you to do? You can't keep beating yourself up about it. But at the same time...

It's just hard. Having a family is hard. Maintaining a family is hard. Keeping us indoors is hard. (sniffs) (chirps) >> I want to be an NFL player. My dad say it takes lots of hard work. >> Ooh! Good one, good one! (clapping) What do I tell you to do every day? >> Push-ups and sit-ups. >> Push-ups and sit-ups. >> I'm 14. My life is almost over until I'm a grown man. And if I don't have the opportunity to show somebody, to play football, football won't exist in four years from now. That dream is going to slowly start fading away. That's what happened to some of the dreams of kids. They pertain to something and they can't afford it. ♪ ♪ >> (fussing) >> There's a little chin thing. (clicking tongue) >> It's a boy! Baby's a boy.

I was really hoping for a little sister, but, you know, you get what you get. >> Went back to work for the company that I used to work for, and they're not doing the greatest, either. So, I got maybe a week's worth of work, and then, they're going to be closing up shop from this local office, and only keeping one of the three branches open, you know? So, it's just temporary. Temporary fix to a long-term problem. Yep. Battery on that one's dead. >> How much does a new battery for this thing cost? >> About $30. >> Think it pretty much sucks that we can't really fend for ourselves that well. We might lose this house, and if we can't, like, move in with somebody, we're gonna be, like, literally living on the streets. (chuckles) (engine starts) I'm scared of me growing up, having kids, and kinda going through the same stuff. Not being able to feed them and not being able to clothe them or whatever. Oh, I ran over poop! That sucks.

(engine stops) Dad! I let it die! Oops, I let it die. >> Only thing I told him not to do: don't let it die. >> I don't think my chances of getting a good job when I grow up are that good, because the economy is screwed up. Oh, this thing's heavy. (panting) It sucks. (voiceover): I'm trying in school and stuff, but I'm not really doing that good. (engine sputtering) I may be big, but I never said I was strong. (sputters, chuckles) Ow! Just hit my face. If you don't get a good education, you're not going to be able to get a good job, and if you don't get a good job, you could end up like us. >> (crying) >> Oh, come here, oh, aw. >> (whimpering) >> (voiceover): No more babies. I got my tubes tied after I had him. I love him, and I wouldn't, wouldn't mind having more, but we can't afford it. >> The baby's futures are gonna be weird and messed up. Life is going to be hard, because there's hardly going to be any jobs left in the future, or any money, even rich people will be poor, like this. (snaps) Like you. You might get poor in the last few months.

You never know. ♪ ♪ (train horn blowing) >> We're not keeping Nala. She was, like, my dog. She was, like, my favorite dog, and now we have to go take her to the pound. We have to get rid of Nala, but not Tanner. Nala was so adorable. If you had her, she would sleep on your bed and she would sleep on you. She was, like, your little guard dog. We're getting rid of my perfect little lovely dog. (Nala snuffling) Yes, Nala, I hear you stressing out. ♪ ♪ "I love you, Nala."

♪ ♪ >> Does she have any favorite toys or games? >> Lots-- she needs lots and lots of bones. >> Okay. >> Yeah. She chews up bones like... >> She'll chew one in, like, an hour or so. >> Okay. >> (whispering): She hates baths. >> Aw. >> Oh, yeah. >> Doesn't like baths. >> No. This is my animal lover. (chuckles) >> She'll have to go into our isolation room, since she hasn't gotten any vaccinations yet. >> Yeah. >> So, she'll be in an isolated area right now. >> Mm-hmm. >> All right, sweetie. (talking in background) Do you want the leash and collar back at all? >> Just the leash. >> Okay. >> And the collar! >> Why the collar? >> 'Cause! >> She's gonna need it. >> Mom! Fine. Meanie. (huffs) (whimpers) (crying) >> (speaking indistinctly) >> (sobbing) (whimpering) (gasping tearfully) (barks) ♪ ♪ I got him!

>> There you go. >> I thought we were getting a double bed. >> And there's no mini fridge. Dang it. And there's no microwave. Okay, we have to ask him about that. >> Yeah. I thought we were getting a double bed. This is small. >> It's gonna be small. >> It's all crunched up, and there's not much space, see? Oh. >> (wails) >> See? He takes up the hallway to go to the bathroom. (chuckles) Be right back. (voiceover): All the cold stuff that needs to be freezed is in the sink. (ice rattling) We don't have a fridge. Just the sink is our fridge. We have to get ice mostly every day, because it melts during night.

My mom can't sign us up for school. My mom says that we're gonna go, we're gonna get in school when we move into the trailer that we are getting. If I keep missing school, then I see my future poor or on the streets, in a box. Asking for money, stealing stuff from stores, and, you know. I don't want to steal stuff. (chuckles) I don't want to do any of that stuff. I want to get an education and a good job. I believe that I'm gonna get a perfect job that I like, and that I want to do. People can't stop you from believing in your own dreams. ♪ ♪ I'm Kaylie, and I'm now 15. I've moved to a trailer, then I moved to a duplex, and then I moved here.

And we've been here for almost a year and a half, two years. Bella, oh, my God. I'm so happy I got her. She cuddles with me, actually cuddles. She'll sit there and lay on my chest all night. Bella, can I get underneath your chin? Are you gonna let me? (voiceover): It's important for me to have a dog, because it's kind of like therapy. My grandma was diagnosed with mucosal melanoma cancer. >> So, Grandma went for her PET scan today. >> Mm-hmm. >> And her thing's getting big again. >> It's getting bigger? >> No, well, you know it was small, and they got it all, like, contained. >> Mm-hmm. >> Okay, well, I think it's getting... Like, the thing that's all like a deflated balloon? >> Yeah? >> Is now starting to inflate again. >> Again? >> Yeah. >> They're probably gonna have to do radiation again. >> Yeah. >> My grandma, she gives a lot.

Without her, we wouldn't have this house. My mom wouldn't have her car. And, like, I wouldn't have a phone. We wouldn't have anything without her. >> Our electric will probably be shut off by, in the morning. >> Why? >> We owe them $179, and they won't wait. >> Being poor, it sucks. It affects, like, not being able to do stuff. If you want to go hang out with your friends, like, go to the movies, you can't do that all the time, because you don't have the money for it. >> I don't want my phone to die. >> I don't even care about my phone, like, how are we gonna eat? >> We can get things like lunch meat and bread and chips. I'm going to go to energy assistance on Thursday, and they're going to be able to help me, but I can't get there till Thursday, and the electric company will not wait. >> But our freaking stove is electric! We're going to be living with, like a third-world country again, with no power. >> We won't have hot water. It's a little depressing. It's really hard, and I know people have it worse than me, and I wish no one had that. (chuckles) >> (laughing) >> That's it.

>> Transportation's hard because of my mom. Can't afford gas. Whenever I go to tae kwon do, the instructor, he takes me back and forth. (kick lands) >> Foul! >> Did it! (laughs) I like doing tae kwon do because it gets a lot of anger out, and stress and stuff, so it helps relieve some of that. There's probably been many children who've grown up in a poor household, became rich in the future, which, I believe I can, um, but it's a 50-50 chance. I wanted to get a nap in, but that's not happening. >> You can go do your homework. >> Good, 'cause I'm buried in it. >> (laughing): "Good, 'cause I'm buried in it." Well, if you do it the first time... >> It's not from something I don't do. >> It's something from... >> Okay. >> ...when I miss school. >> Okay. >> I know I'm not supposed to miss school, but I've missed about six days already. That's a lot. That's why I think my grades are kind of iffy.

I can't rely on my mom. She can't even get herself up in the morning, you know? I have to. Your schooling is probably the most important thing ever. Like, your schooling is what gets you somewhere. It's what takes you places. Are you gonna go to the bathroom? (voiceover): I cannot wait to get out of Iowa. I know many people say that, but I have a passion of getting out of Iowa. (laughs) The most thing I'm afraid of is becoming like my mom. No offense, she's tried her best, but I'm scared to death of becoming like her. Her financial situation and things that's happened to her that affects how she acts. If I become like her, I don't know. (sucks in breath) I'll cross that bridge when I get there. (laughs) No. ♪ ♪ Maybe someday, in my future, I will graduate from college and push through life. ♪ ♪ >> Good morning, Grandma. >> Good morning, Johnny, what's going on? >> Not much. >> How was work? >> I'm really tired from it. You know what I'm saying?

They had me working real good last night. It wasn't that long. I'm Johnny, I'm 19 now. I moved with my grandmother to Chicago. South Side of Chicago, so, that's where I'm located in now, until I go venture off for, for college or whatever. (dog barking) My parents, they couldn't stay stable, moving around a lot of places. And I knew it was gonna be a problem for me academically, as far as my life situation. I guess I started hanging out with the wrong people. I ended up going to jail. We were all making stupid decisions on a consistent basis, every single day. They decided that day that they wanted to shoplift. We ended up getting arrested for it. I didn't run, 'cause I didn't want to get shot. It was a minor misdemeanor-- I got locked up for a day. When I went to jail that day, it was, like, "You really falling off." "You let yourself fall off. "You went from all this good stuff happen to you. You gonna be," you know what I'm saying, "a good football player." Scouts was coming to see me at practices and asking about me, and wanting me to play on their team, to, "Now you smoking weed, and you got locked up," and all that. It was just, it just, like a reality check to myself, like, "You really falling off. You need to get back on track." And this was my wake-up call, I guess.

I came up here to start over. The route I was taking down south, it wasn't going good. I was going to be a dropout or something like that. And I had to do it, I had to graduate. It's something my parents didn't do. I had to make that opportunity and graduate from college. >> How do you make 'em move over? >> Just... (voiceover): Me and my grandma got a real close-knit relationship. >> Oh, wow, that's beautiful. All four of y'all together, too. It's a blessing. Look at Josh. Wow. Y'all coming up so nicely. Growing up-- no more babies. I worry about them. Them going place to place to place, different places, and not being stable. That's what worries me. I just hope that they can be able to stay stable somewhere, so they all can graduate out of school. Stability is everything. >> (voiceover): I don't worry about my brothers and sisters. Everybody doing good, getting good grades, graduating, going to their next grade, doing something positive. I think they're gonna be fine. I work for HMR Designs.

It's a party and wedding designing company. Just working to this point, till I enroll in school this spring. I just know that the money is needed, so I gotta go get it. I work my job gradually and just to save my money until, when spring come around, I can enroll in school and start playing, and that's all I'm worried about. But now, I'm just going to work and, I guess, keep myself in some good shape and save my money, that's all I can do right now. If you fall, you gotta get up, dust it off, and keep on going. That's the only thing you can do, till you get to the top. There we go. Go on, get off him. Oh, yeah. Oh, gonna go... (voiceover): If you come check on me five years from now, probably be somewhere, playing for somebody team. Everybody knows the American dream, "Oh, go to college and go live your life." That's all I want to do. Living my dream and take care of my family, that's it. ♪ ♪ >> I'm Brittany, and I'm now 15 years old. My hair isn't blonde anymore, because I dye it, which is one of my hobbies, I guess.

I like to do different stuff with my hair, and I like it. And I'm probably not going to stop until all of my hair is gone. (chuckles) >> Here, give me one of these ones. (voiceover): I'm Roger, and I'm now 19. Graduated high school a year and a half early and got a job. Gotten a few different jobs. Uh, just been working. Working and sleeping. (chuckles) >> Zachary, one... >> I'm gonna... >> No, Mommy. I'm just playing. >> It's not a toy. You see that? That's germs. That's gross. Put your chair back. >> My little brother, Zach, turned five. Zach is autistic. To help him, we'll help count with him and we'll him try to read and stuff like that. >> B is for... >> Ball and bee. >> (chuckles): Yeah. >> Oh, I love that little guy. He's so awesome. He's helped pull the family together, and definitely takes a lot of stress out of the day. >> (coughs) >> Here's your dragon.

I think my monster could kick your monster's butt, dude. (laughs) >> (laughing) >> Well, dang. >> Will we... >> Middle school was filled with drama, and I hated it so much. People would bully me because I was poor. It distracted me focusing on my grades, 'cause they were, like, passing notes and everything saying that I was ugly. My lowest point was getting expelled and getting held back. The highest point was, you know, finally, like, graduating middle school, and I felt, like, super-proud of myself. I like art and creativity, because you get away from the real world. It just helps me a lot. >> It's definitely gone up and down over the past five years. It'll be going good for, you know, a week or two, a month, and then out of nowhere, all the bills pile up, and just, we can't seem to find any money any way. >> I know that my parents try to make it less stressful for us, but Dad'll come home with a really bad paycheck, and then I'll just, like, start doubting everything. We won't be able to pay bills is what I keep thinking, and I'm thinking, like, we're not gonna be able to pay rent, we're gonna be sitting on the streets or something like that, and... Just, every time that happens, it pops up in my head.

Being stressed out and everything is part of life. >> Wonderful. What can I do for you? >> I just need to pick up these. Two shower doors and a storm door. >> (indistinct) >> My dad, he just recently got his job back at Lowe's, and that's when I started with him, too. I think I've gotten myself into the business to where it's always going to be there. You know, people are always going to need sidings, and I always figured if this didn't work out, I'll build toilets. Everybody's always gonna need to take a crap. (laughs) Yeah, I never really thought that I'd still be at home, but I don't make enough money to make it on my own. I just think, at this point in my life, I don't need to be happy right now. >> When I grow up, if I have kids, I would not want them to be growing up like this. No matter what I go through, I'll still, like, you know, want to try and try and try to be better. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> I am in Bettendorf now, and I am 22, almost 23 years old. ♪ ♪

I got my own house. I put $1,000 from working at a retail store in the mall into marijuana stock. I made around $60,000. I moved out of my mom's, and then a week later, I found my first house, bought that one for around $20,000. A very close friend of the family gave me a little bit of a loan, along with the money I had. So, fixed it up a bit, and then resold that one, and then did that another time. Now I'm here. Got my G.E.D., and then, automatically enrolled in college. I'll have my criminal justice associate's, and then I plan on going for my bachelor's, majoring in psychology and minoring in criminal justice. I got a job as a 911 dispatcher. A straight month, we were doing classroom work. And then, past three weeks, call-taking, actually on the floor, live. Dispatcher to five, copy, en route Jackson Ave., medical alarm for a fall-- hot response. (voiceover): I am nervous about messing up, especially when I'm live call-taking, 'cause these are real people and real-life emergencies they're going through. ♪ ♪ >> Overall, he looks great. He looks to be a happy, healthy puppy. (laughs) >> He is a very-- he's a scaredy cat, for sure. >> Yeah, yeah, just a little

nervous. ♪ ♪ Let's see. >> Oh! (laughs) >> I know, I'm here-- you forgot, you... (laughing) >> (voiceover): I'm still a dog lover. Bella was put down two-and-a-half years ago. I miss her every day. I have her ashes, I got her cremated. Come on, go play. Go play! Go play! Now I have Sadie and Blue. I like to stay in my house, hang with my dogs. I'm a pretty boring 23-year-old. I, I really just sit at home, read. Every now and then, I'll pull up a TV show, play with my dogs. I'm very much a homebody here in Iowa. (timer beeps) I do, on free time, love to bake. I've been trying to make the animals food, because they're amazing taste testers. I tried making them sweet potato chicken nuggets. Not exactly the prettiest, but they taste good, 'cause they love them. Sit.

Blue. Well, I think they like it. (laughs) ♪ ♪ When you're growing up poor, like, that's your norm. You don't have the best situation, but, like, that's just what you're used to. Me and my mom, we don't really talk as often. We have two separate paths in life. We don't really get along the best. You know, holidays are enough time. Sadie, sit. (Sadie whines) Sit. (voiceover): I've been working really hard to get my life together, and it's starting to point in a direction. But believe me, there's days, like, where it just feels like there is no direction. There was a time where I thought I didn't even want to be alive. Trying to build success is a very lonely life.

I've been seeing a therapist for two-and-a-half, three years. With my appointments with my therapist, I've learned, as a defense mechanism for your brain, PTSD can kind of block out memories. And unfortunately, most of my childhood is kind of blocked out. Like when I took Nala to the pound, I don't remember anything that had entailed that day. It is very sad to have the gaps, and not being able to remember because unfortunately you know it's because you didn't grow up in the best situation, and your, your brain has to protect you. It's a fight every day, and I am sure those with mental health struggles, they know, like, it's a fight every day. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> I'm Johnny. I'm a college football player that plays at the University of Shorter.

♪ ♪ Right now, we located in Rome, Georgia. It's north of Atlanta. (grunts) Shorter University. It's a D-II in North Georgia. Coach Morrison was a blessing in disguise, gave me an opportunity out of nowhere. He just told me, "I like what I see, and we can use you over here." (people talking in background) >> (shouts) >> (cheering, exclaiming) >> I am a father of three, a husband to Leah Davis. >> Sick? >> Dad, taste. >> Okay, here. (voiceover): We actually met at the college that I attended in Chicago. I went to National Louis University there. We were very young, so, um, I'd say attraction at first sight. >> I'm so glad I took pictures of these plays, 'cause they took this book from us and we have to write notes. >> When we first met, he wasn't playing. And I remember pushing him to get back in school... >> (indistinct) Every day. >> ...and try to figure it out, like... >> "Go chase your dream." >> All right, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go! We're taking it, we're taking it. >> Whoo! >> It's my time. >> Let's go, let's go! >> (voiceover): I'm not in the starting lineup because I took a devastating hit to my ankle during camp. >> Defense!

Defense! Defense! Defense! >> Let's go! >> (voiceover): I wasn't happy. It was irritating. I hate being hurt. It don't let me be that little kid having fun playing this game. Watch the run! Watch the run! (voiceover): When I'm there on a game day, it is tough to be on the sideline and watch. But I worked my way back up the depth chart, so I could play again. >> Let's go. (whistle blows) >> Come on! >> (shouting indistinctly) >> (voiceover): I'm on special teams. You waiting on the sideline patiently. You get your name called and you go out there, and it's, like, "Okay, all right, it's time to make a play." >> (shouting indistinctly) >> "Let me go make this happen." >> Get down there! >> (shouting indistinctly) >> The job on kickoff is, run your lane and make a play, whether that's a tackle or whether that's a strip fumble, or whatever it might be. You focus on your assignment at hand, and you go get it done. >> (talking in background) >> Finally, boy-- no, that ain't my first one, though. It's just been a minute. I got that, though, let's keep going. I'm doing good! Let's keep doing it, though! I don't need one, I need more.

Let's keep doing it, though. >> Yo! >> Yeah, yeah! ♪ ♪ We'll start in Proverbs and we're gonna read to the end of this chapter. We're gonna stop each verse to get a understanding and make sure that we know exactly what's going on. >> In order for you to gain understanding and knowledge, you have to be willing to find people that are going to help give you advice to lead you in the right direction. >> Right. >> And not those that are gonna lead you astray. (baby cooing) ♪ ♪ (voiceover): We tend to lean on each other when things get really difficult. We've been through quite a bit of things, like, especially with one of our sons passing-- our second son, he was a twin. >> Yes. >> It was a mono-mono pregnancy, and they were in the same sac together. >> They both were fighting for their life, 'cause they both were strangled by the umbilical cord. They both had it around their neck, apparently. But one had more of a heartbeat than the other, which is the one that's living. The oldest one realized that he was kind of passing, so they kept, like, swapping blood. You know? >> Trying to save each other. >> Trying to save each other's lives, yes. And, finally, he, I guess the oldest one gave off more of the blood to my son that's alive now, and he was trying to do the same, but they got him out before he could give off any more. So, it put him in a bad situation when he came out, 'cause he was, like, drained of

blood. He had to have a lot of blood-- what was... >> Transfusions. >> Yeah, blood transfusions, because he didn't really have much in his body, 'cause they was trying to save each other. I didn't even know children could do stuff like that, like... >> Yeah, I don't want to do the waterworks. I'm sorry. (laughs) >> No, you're fine. >> I'm sorry, um... >> It's okay. (kids calling in background) Yeah, I don't know. It is crazy, but... ♪ ♪ >> This is our son Jaycee. This is the one that passed-- this is the second twin. These are just some little keepsakes that we got. It's my baby boy. This is one of the hats that he wore in the photos. (voiceover): It was really difficult, just wondering, "What could I have done to prevent this?" (voice trembling): I couldn't help but think, what if I would've pressed the doctor a little bit more about letting them be born, born early? They both could've been in the NICU. And Jair is fine. He's three. So, he's doing great. It just makes me wonder, like, we could've had both here, doing great. (crying) ♪ ♪ Life is going to come with trials, and life is going to come with tragedy, but even through all of those things, you

can still have joy. ♪ ♪ >> Go run! >> Like this. >> Don't fall-- don't fall. >> Yeah, be careful, Elena. Don't fall again. (voiceover): My name is Brittany Smith. A lot of stuff has happened. (laughing): A lot. Um, I have two kids now. Run! (voiceover): I have a son and a daughter. My daughter is three, about to turn four, and then my son is five, about to be six. I've changed a lot since becoming a mother. Teaching two humans how to live, you definitely learn how to be patient. They're very good kids, very sweet, they're smart. Oh, you want one now? Oh, you want that one? Oh! Just to put in the water. (voiceover): I love being a mom. They both have brought so much light and happiness into my life. I didn't think that anybody could love me that much. I'm really glad that I have those two in my life. I don't know what I would do without them. They're both my rocks-- they're my everything. Isn't that pretty? >> Pretty. >> That is so pretty-- don't put it in the water.

It's not going to be fuzzy no more. (voiceover): I just want her to have somebody else who understands the things that she dealt with when she was growing up, 'cause that's how I felt when I had Roger with me. I felt protected. I felt like I could go to him with anything, you know? ♪ ♪ He's very missed. I wish my kids would've gotten a chance to meet him. ♪ ♪ >> Roger was working with Josh. He was saving up money. He had a, a girlfriend. They were talking about starting a life together. It was April 15, 2018. And Roger got in a severe car accident. (clears throat) And he passed away. The wreck was so bad that it crushed more or less every bone in his body. He was a donor, but they couldn't use anything. He's missed, tremendously, every day, all day. (chuckles, sniffs) A big part of our lives is gone. A lot of people came to his funeral. The very first person that showed up was the lunch lady at his high school. "Forever in our hearts."

That's Roger's urn. That's where he's at. I almost gave up. I, I starved myself. I ended up in the hospital. That's when I guess I hit rock bottom. And I had to pull myself out of it, because I still had children that needed me. >> Mm. >> And we all grieve differently. It's still too painful for Josh. Brittany went through a severe depression. She lost her best friend and her brother. ♪ ♪ >> (grunts) >> Yeah! >> (laughs) >> Oh, crap. Roger, that's ice! (voiceover): He died at 19, and I went down a really bad path. I was addicted to Adderall for a while. That was the darkest point I've ever had in my life. I didn't expect to live to 18.

I was just gonna do Adderall and drink till I died. That was my plan. >> I'm sorry. (laughs) Are you okay? (cries out) >> (laughs) >> (laughing): You almost got me. >> (panting, laughing) >> It's not cool. >> (voiceover): I definitely lost a lot of myself when he left. A lot. Way too much than I want to admit. I promised myself I wasn't going to cry. (chuckles) (breathes deeply) I lost pretty much all that I knew of myself when he left. >> I'm sitting on the arm of the couch. My legs are on your leg. >> When he was four... >> And I know my legs aren't that fat. >> ...he was too big to sit on me. >> (voiceover): This definitely feels, definitely feels very empty without him. >> You better not fart. Oh! Oh! (laughs) >> (voiceover): Life just doesn't feel real anymore. >> (laughs) >> (voiceover): I miss having my best friend around all the time. When I was at the point where I was at my lowest, that's when I found out that I was pregnant with Odin. >> All right, let's draw...

Mm, let's draw a mushroom. >> Mushroom? >> Mushroom? >> Easy. >> (voiceover): I was ready for it to just be over. I didn't want to be here anymore. And then feeling that heartbeat, and him kicking and moving inside me, just made me feel I had a purpose. And then, I finally had him, and looking at him for the first time, you just feel all that love just, just melt into that baby. That was the second I knew, like, I was meant to be his mom. Like, I was... I wasn't supposed to do the things that I was doing. Like, I was not supposed to die. I was supposed to stay here. And then when I had Elena, it was the same feeling all over again, except she pooped all over me when I held her for the first time. (laughs) Since Roger passed, the only real mental health support that I got was a grieving journal. Looking at it was just a painful reminder, and I didn't like it, so I ended up throwing it away. Ooh, pick the prettiest one. >> The prettiest one? >> The prettiest one. >> Look at this chunky guy. >> (voiceover): I haven't really dealt with that fully yet.

But I'm getting to the point where I realize I really need to talk about it, 'cause it's getting to me. Like psychologically, mentally. And I don't-- I want to be healthier mentally, for my kids. Roger's death made me realize that life is very short. ♪ ♪ >> We're expecting. >> We got a little munchkin on the way. >> I'm excited, because we're getting our girl. A little nervous, too. I'm just glad that she's healthy. I'm excited to meet her when she finally gets here. Even if we have to really buckle down and budget, we're still able to do that. We find different ways to make ends meet. Johnny does different things. He used to work with his dad contracting. He's done day labor services, he's had other jobs. And I do hair babysit things of that sort-- we make it work. We definitely make it work.

Right now, times are hard. I'm still in school. I'm in the tech field. I'm going to be studying cloud design. We live off the Social Security benefits that we have, and I have WIC right now. And those are the only things that we have currently. (baby wailing) The benefits that people receive, they're taxpayers' dollars. It's not like we haven't worked ever. I've been working since I was in high school. I was in banking. (laughing): Needless to say, I was paying taxes. That's what this is for. Everybody has a moment where they have to lean on someone, whether that's the government or their family. You never know when that could be you. We're gonna have nachos tonight, okay? And movie night, before Daddy leave. >> (indistinct) >> Yeah, I, I know. I don't want Daddy to leave, either. Oh, don't be sad. >> Doody's sad. >> I know Doody's sad. Mommy's sad, too. >> (indistinct) ...Daddy go bye-bye. >> Yeah, your daddy's gonna go bye-bye.

Just for little bit, okay? >> Okay. >> (voiceover): I just got an invite to go play at an all-star bowl game. It's for collegiate guys that are trying to make that next jump to the next level. (car door closes, engine starts) ♪ ♪ Just another way to, you know, put guys on the map, and let guys, let coaches and organizations see that, even though we come from smaller programs, whatever the case might be, we still have the ability to play at the next level. ♪ ♪ This life is about living, and you only get one of them. ♪ ♪ >> Let's go! >> Oh, good, good. Oh, you stay right with him-- go grab him! >> (cheering) >> Oh, that's good. Good work, man. >> What I want to gain out of this, for one, I came to have fun. Definitely gain some quality film that I could put on a, a highlight tape, and somebody could be, like, "Wow, this big guy can run, move, he plays the ball well," and all those things. >> Get hands on him right away.

>> (grunts) >> Oh, good punch, good punch. Oh, you're good, you're good. Oh, stay right-- oh, there you go. (crowd exclaims) Oh, nice job, man. >> Oh, my God! >> Oh, my God! I couldn't even see the (bleep) ball, brother. (people talking in background) (cellphone calling out) >> Hello? Goodness. >> Jair, Jair. >> Hi. >> Where's your baby sister? >> That's right here, it's my baby sister. >> Oh, okay. >> Daddy, can you see it? >> Right there. It says right there, "It's a girl." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> No, Blue. (snaps fingers) Blue, down. (voiceover): Unfortunately, I was fired due to an incident of a 911 call I took for an abandoned dog.

It was around 30 degrees with wind chill, so, it was pretty cold. Um... Nothing-- I could see that nothing was being done about it. So, then after work, I went and, to check on the dog, 'cause, I mean, it was 33 degrees outside, with wind chill. I mean, it was, it was cold outside. They said, like, you're not allowed to respond to calls, but that dog was abandoned-- it was cold outside. No one would leave a baby outside in the cold. Why should someone leave a dog? They fired me because I broke protocol for going to help the dog. I'm making it now, but job stability, losing that, is scary. I have a savings. I'm not going to let my account get too low. (cat meows, Blue whimpers) I have a certain number, and if it gets to that number, then I'll just get a dead-end job. ♪ ♪ I want to move out of Iowa.

I'm applying at jobs kind of around the Dallas area in Texas. It's a little bit more affordable there. Housing is affordable. There's no state tax there. I've applied to 14 different places. And I believe three or four of them said no already. I want to get away from Iowa because it just feels like a dead-end road for me here, like there's nothing left. I plan on selling this house, and then buying a house there. I can't really rent, because I have two dogs and two cats, so, it's pretty hard to find. I tried to build a life here, and I just can't. I'm very scared. So much can go wrong. (marker writing) I'm not gonna expect me moving to a different state be a cure for everything I'm suffering here.

Changing the cycle that you were born into is very hard. 'Cause it's like your brain is trained that way. I mean, a lot of toxic behaviors I had to unlearn, um... It was a... (chuckling) It's a hard process. I'm still learning to this day, so... It's, you know, it's a long, lengthy process. ♪ ♪ >> Right now, we are located in Jacksonville, Florida. I'm here visiting my parents. My father's a contractor. He got it back up and going over the last couple of years. And it's been extremely successful. >> It's raining, so you got some work to do, Johnny. >> My favorite co-workers. >> Oh. >> (laughs) >> I would rather work for my parents than a random person.

He's ten times harder than a normal boss would be, but I'm cool with that, you know? That's your father. (voiceover): I will stay with my parents during the draft training process to get ready for my pro day, where my skills are officially tested. ♪ ♪ I have a, a good friend that, he's letting me borrow his car that he's not in town. I wake up at 4:50, drive 30 minutes over to Gym Jax. (breathing deeply) >> Drive, drive, drive, drive. Yes. >> (voiceover): So far, I haven't made any money off of football, but I hope that in the future, I will. It's the recruiting game all over again, but now it's just at, at the professional level, you know? Somebody gotta like what they see for them to give you a chance. >> Good. Drop. Yeah, boom, good, but you saw how you came up? >> Uh-huh. >> Straight, straight out. There's no need to go up. >> Eventually, this will turn over.

You know? This will become a point to, in my life, to where all this hard work that I'm putting in, it won't go in vain. Because, you know, that's just how this process go. The more hard work and the, the more consistent you stay, you will see the results that you're looking for. ♪ ♪ Jacksonville Florida's gonna forever be, like, a spot, my other son, his burial plaque is there. I go see it on my own, and in a sense, a part of my, my life, a part of me is in Jacksonville. Do I ever get tired of the struggle? Absolutely. (blows) But I feel like, if you get another day to breathe and wake up and make something happen, you got to get off your butt and make it happen. My son didn't get a chance at life to really see what was going on, but if he would've lived, he would've had this. He would've have had a chance to be able to get up every day and fight for life. When I look at his brother, I just see how he would have been, you know? Feel like they would've just been two firecrackers, full of knowledge and learning.

You know what I'm saying? We all must return back to the ground right? One day, yeah, we all gotta return to the dirt. I still have days where I feel like crying. If I don't, probably shed a tear on my own. Tear drop, and I remind myself, "Be tough." ♪ ♪ Today is the last thing in my control. The Podyum Bowl Pro Day event that's being hosted today. >> Yes, sir! Nice stick! >> (voiceover): Teams look at the pro day results to see if they're gonna give you a chance. >> Bam! >> I feel like 13-year-old self would be, like, "Okay, this what you been, this what everything came, come down to, you know what I'm saying?" I need good results on the 40 today. It's, it's the benchmark for, you know, all the scouts and the teams. I done ran 40s over the last two months, maybe over 200 times. ♪ ♪ >> 4.96, 4.81.

>> Real bad. Yeah. (voiceover): 4.81 is not a good time. So that wasn't good enough-- I needed under a 4.6, at least, for a team to be able to pay attention to me. That's crazy. That's crazy. That's too, too bad. 4.9? That's offensive linemen movements. And I've, it's crazy, 'cause in training, I never ran... Like, the slowest I ever ran, 4.5. Man, that's major. I don't know what the hell's fitting to happen now. ♪ ♪ You're gonna run, you're gonna stop, and you're going to catch the ball. Let's go. You ready? Don't mess this up. >> Okay. >> All right? >> All right. >> All right, let's go-- say it. Stop! >> Stop! >> Catch the ball! >> Catch the ball! >> There you go! >> There you go. >> Good job. >> Good job.

>> All right, come on, yes, sir. >> It's been especially difficult for Johnny, because of his upbringing, with how he had to move around so much. And so, the fact that he still has that childlike passion, it's amazing. >> You gotta keep going till I say stop. Come back, come back. Set. Go! Stop! Yes, sir! (voiceover): Chasing my dream is not easy. 'Cause I kind of had that feeling. You're, like, damn, is this over? Is this... Did I... Is this how it ends? All this time and work just to run a, a time that I know I'm not even close to running, and it ends like this? I felt like that, I did. But at the same time, I was, like, "No, you, just, that don't even make logical sense," right? That's not how life work-- life's keeps going. ♪ ♪ >> Right now, I'm surviving on my paycheck from McDonald's, the food pantry, and food stamps. It's hard to money-manage when you're struggling. Thankfully, I got the food bank to help with that.

>> Uh, tilapia, salmon... >> Ooh, salmon! >> Yes, and we have ground beef. >> (voiceover): They definitely have very healthy things, and those are super-expensive at supermarkets and stuff like that, like, insanely expensive. Like, a thing of raspberries is five dollars. That's, that's a lot to me, 'cause it adds up, you know? If I want to buy a bunch of stuff to make a fruit salad, it's gonna cost me over $30. Ooh, lookit! They got fruit and stuff in here. >> Yeah, that just arrived today, so it's pretty fresh. >> Nice! They had, like, fruit salad bowls ready, and they had kiwis strawberries raspberries blueberries, orange slices. Like, they had all that stuff just jam-packed in a giant bowl and we got it for free. You can pick one toy, okay? Right now it is, it's pretty important that we get food from here, 'cause I live at my cousin's house, and I only make $300 each paycheck, and I have to give my cousin basically my entire paycheck to make sure that we can pay for everything. I'm gonna grab you some socks, too, 'cause you run through socks like it's nobody's business.

(voiceover): It just feels like I always end up in the same boat, all the time. And it's sinking. (laughs) I did it to myself-- I dropped out of school. Went down a really bad path, I got pregnant. (clears throat) And then, I just wasn't able to really do anything further with my life other than work and raise my children. >> My pajamas-- look at this. >> That's too small, baby. >> It's... >> You are a six, this is a three. >> Look at this. >> (voiceover): Losing my brother definitely knocked some stuff out of whack in my brain. I feel like I have a lot of anger held in towards that. And it definitely clouds my better judgment on the decisions that I make. So, it is my fault that I'm in this situation. But it's also not from lack of trying. It's lack of ability, if that makes sense.

It's... It's just difficult. I'm just tired of the struggle. It's exhausting. (sizzling) (sizzling) It is really nice to be able to have salmon. I like it, but I don't really know how to prepare it. (voiceover): I just wish I would've made better choices in my life, and I wouldn't have followed in my parents' footsteps. 'Cause now my kids are going through the same stuff that I went through when I was little. And that tears me apart. (clears throat) (breathes deeply) (indistinct) All right, it's hot. >> I don't know who texted you. Smells good.

>> If you don't like it, it's fine. I mean, not, it's not for everybody. Mom's never really made salmon before. >> What is the sauce? >> It's tartar, it's tartar sauce. It's for fish. >> I kind of like it. >> It grows on you. Once you get in the hole, it's extremely hard to find your way out, and I got myself deep in that hole, and I'm, feel like I'm just clawing, trying my hardest, grabbing sticks, grabbing tree roots and stuff, trying to find my way out, and everything's just slipping and breaking, and I just keep falling back in the pit. (inhales) It's extremely hard to get out once you're in. ♪ ♪ >> (voiceover): I am currently in Gainesville, Texas, now.

I am pregnant. It was a bit of a surprise, that is for sure. (dog toy squeaking) Was not the plan, but, you know, there's never a full plan in life. You just kinda gotta roll with it. I am five months-- I'm having a girl. And then right there's her leg, her thigh, her knee. (voiceover): The baby's father, who I'm with, his family's amazing-- anytime I need help, you know, I just give them a call and they're there. Go. (voiceover): Of course I worry about being a mom, 'cause it's scary. Everything you do, you might repeat the cycle. Every hard decision affects the little life you created. Ma'am. (kisses, whistles) (voiceover): It's, like, a mix of emotions. Like, of course I'm happy, I'm excited, you know? But also, it's, like, "Oh, wow, I'm gonna be a mom." (laughs) I'm just glad that kid me had dreams, and I wanted to overachieve.

No matter what situation I was put in, I, I still had those dreams, because at the end of the day, it's easier to imagine a life out of your current situation than what you're really living in. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ Happy birthday, dear Odin ♪ ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ >> Blow them out! >> (applauding) >> (laughing) >> Good... Yay! Odin has just turned six, um, he started kindergarten. So he's very excited about that. (laughs) Elena, she starts pre-school. They're just super-excited to go to school, to learn, to play with all the other kids. This way, baby! >> I'm trying to!

The ground is too hot! >> That's why I told you to bring your Crocs, dude. (voiceover): I feel like if I tried a lot harder in school, I would have my high school diploma, I would have a better shot at getting a good job. The last thing that I want is for my kids to worry about what we're going to have for dinner, or worry about where we're gonna stay. >> Yummy, yummy. Mom, it's all done. >> (voiceover): If my dream came true, I would have my little pastry shop, little puff pastries. That's what it would be called, Puff's Pastries. It's my thing, I really like to make things look pretty. It's relaxing, it makes me feel good about myself, 'cause other people like what I've done for them, you know. Gives me the validation, affirmation that I want, so... (laughs) The chances of that happening probably aren't very high, but I'm gonna stay positive about it, and try my hardest. ♪ ♪ (baby squawks) (people talking in background) >> (voiceover): Newest added member to the family is my daughter Jaelle Jacola Davis. She came here May 30.

Crazy, I got another one right around my birthday. I'm just blessed to have another healthy child, that's what I'm happy for. Happy I got a family-- it's the only thing that's been... Truth be told, only thing keeping me afloat, for real, for real. >> Which one do you like, Doody? >> Um, hmm. How about the blue one? >> The blue one? That's your favorite color, huh? >> (voiceover): Being born poor, it can start off rough. It can be a difficult process, because you-- limited opportunities. But them opportunities will come. Catch that. Good catch, boy. (voiceover): Sometimes you get, you get dealt a bad hand. I've been getting bad deck of cards all my life. You gonna sit there and cry about it? Or you're gonna play through it? I'm just at home working a regular job, waiting for my opportunity. >> Is the dream over? >> Hell, no. You know the dream ain't over, man. What kind of question is that? Come on, it's our last chance. Stop! There we go! Stay there, stay... (laughs) Y'all gonna see me at 40. If he's, if he's still filming this when I'm 45, 50, y'all gonna see him, like, he gonna ask me that same question with some wrinkles in his voice, 'cause he going to be super-old by then. (laughs) And I'm, and you're going to ask me the same question, and I'm going to tell you, as a old man, "Nah, the dream ain't over.

I can still get out there and run with them young'uns." Watch. I ain't letting this go, man, this was... My mama used to tell me, like, people, certain people was born to do certain things, you know what I'm saying? This is what I was born to do. Go. (grunts softly) (indistinct, laughing) Yeah, boy! (laughing) That's what I'm talking about-- have faith in that, boy. See it? That's the new truth, man. ♪ ♪ Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org >> For more on this and other "FRONTLINE" programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline.

♪ ♪ FRONTLINE's "Born Poor" is available on Amazon Prime Video. ♪ ♪ Hi, I'm Raney Aronson-Rath from FRONTLINE. Deep dive investigative reporting takes months of hard work. But we believe the truth should always be free and accessible to everyone. No paywalls, no agendas. Our independence depends on viewers who believe in fearless, fact-based journalism.

Please chip in today to help keep FRONTLINE free and independent for all. Thank you. >> The countdown to the midterm elections is on... >> At stake, control of Congress. >> NARRATOR: On the eve of the midterm elections, a deeply divided country. >> President Trump is helping to give Republicans a boost... >> Can Democrats flip the House and Senate? >> NARRATOR: Over the past six years, a team of filmmakers across the United States has been documenting the views and experiences of Americans. >> When they step outside their jurisdiction... >> (crowd chants): Renée Good! >> What is your take on all this stuff going on? >> (crowd chants): Power! >> NARRATOR: From the earliest days of the pandemic. >> I love you so much. >> NARRATOR: To a summer of protest. >> We are the free people of America. >> As long as they catch one dirty cop at a time, I'm happy. One at a time... >> NARRATOR: And economic woes. >> Groceries are skyrocketing. Healthcare is out the roof. >> NARRATOR: The hopes and fears about the last elections.

>> I want the values to be what the people are voting for, not the person. >> NARRATOR: And the current one. >> The state of this country now, it's messy. People are angry. I think I am, too. >> NARRATOR: Now, a FRONTLINE special presentation: American Voices 2026. >> How can I love America? I can't, I don't think I can love America, I can't put that into words. >> Are we any more safe now than we were before? >> The cost of living, it's gone up. >> I'm fearful that people will forget how to work with people that you don't agree with. >> NARRATOR: These are the voices of Americans. >> People are getting angrier and angrier. >> I want to be in charge of my own life! >> NARRATOR: Gathered from across a divided nation. >> If America doesn't repent, America will be doomed.

>> NARRATOR: In this film, Americans reflect on the past six tumultuous years. >> Can someone clap once for me? (claps) >> This ain't the American dream I thought about when I was in middle school. >> I wish there wasn't as much hate in this world as what we have. >> The midterms are definitely gonna be very polarizing. >> NARRATOR: A pastor, a barber, an aspiring politician, an activist, a mother, a retiree, the owners of a nail salon... ...and of a construction company. A doctor... ...and a patient. Each experiencing changes happening in the country and in their own lives. (dog barks) >> So we're new to Missouri. I'm seeing all the signs about, like, no on four and five, you know? Do you have an opinion on those?

>> Um... ...not enough to be able to speak one way or the other. >> It's, it's tomorrow. >> Is it tomorrow? >> Yeah! (laughs) >> All right, well. >> Go and take a look, but I will, too. It's good to be informed. Awesome, thank you. (voiceover): I'm trying to talk to locals about the issues that are on the ballot, but so far, nobody near me knows what they even are. Okay, so look there. Objective versus subjective. My kids sometimes will just blurt something out that they got from a meme. I would be like, "Okay, why do you feel that way? What are the facts?" And they can't even explain it. Opinions versus facts. And this is why I hate the mainstream news now. (voiceover): My name is Amy Garner. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I am a mom of six kids. I don't trust any news source. All these people are getting a lot of money from advertisers. I would never say that I blindly, or fully trust any of them.

>> (on cellphone): Go bag is exactly what it sounds like, it's a backpack or a duffle bag designed to have everything you need, so in case of an emergency you can easily and quickly grab it. >> My name is Dr. Christine Edy Mann, I am a family practice physician in the central Texas area. Politics in 2020, COVID in 2020, Kamala Harris in 2024, it has led to me more thinking, take care of myself, take care of my friends, take of my family. This is our solar crank radio, so if the grid goes down, you can use solar or you can crank it. Sewing kit, antibiotic ointment. This kind of prepping makes me... ...have to think about the idea that some of my fears could come to fruition. >> Our men have been emasculated. American men are soft.

I mean, honestly, if we do not hold the line in 2026 and 2028, Minnesota is gonna be ground zero for rounding some of you people up. (voiceover): My name is Royce White. I didn't get into politics for it to be a job. I only got into politics to speak a truth that I thought wouldn't be spoken unless I got into politics. Our political reality in this country is, the future of this nation rests upon the edge of a blade. Good to see you guys. >> (on TV): Oh no, so close, but no... >> I don't even look at the news anymore, because I don't want to see him. I'm just so tired of seeing the president. >> Okay, I have the answer. >> And it is? >> Frank Sinatra. >> Ah! I got it right! Tell you, I get lucky every now and then. My name is Carran Lewis, I live in North Chesterfield Virginia. I'm retired. And I'm a homeowner.

>> ♪ Praising my savior ♪ ♪ All the day long ♪ >> Amen. (applause) My pastor even said, he said, even if we're not happy with the person running the country, we still have to love him. >> Say it! Say it. >> I guess I, I still have a lot more spiritual guidance to have to do, because I'm not there. (indistinct chatter) >> My name is Mark Curtis, I am a father, I'm also a business owner. I own a construction company. My political leanings today are very much conservative libertarian. As an American that has no ties to Israel, and I don't mean for this to come across as being insensitive, but... I don't like how much money or the involvement America has in the foreign war. What is your take on all this stuff going on? Because I don't feel like I have an educated, a true, full sense of what's happening. >> October 7, and the fact that, you know, we had people that invaded, the images... >> Coming from Palestine.

>> ...coming from Gaza. >> Yeah, which is, which is horrible. >> And Israel had to stabilize itself. >> (voiceover): I am not sure how everything shifted from being America first, and our economics improving, to needing the support of a foreign nation. >> Tough times are coming. The next few years might be rough. There's going to be ups and downs. There's gonna be turmoil. (voiceover): Our culture has drifted so far away from Christian ethics. But he will hold me fast. And he will hold you fast. You got two choices in American politics. You can have bad or you can have worse. Republicans are bad, Democrats are worse. You get evil or you get more evil. My name is Cary Gordon. I'm the senior pastor of Cornerstone World Outreach. I've told my kids at home that this world is cruel. You have to maintain compassion for other people and want to help other people.

And at the same time, keep a defensive posture so that you can survive it. ♪ ♪ >> ♪ I'm staying on that time they thought they was ♪ ♪ Like it was déjà vu ♪ ♪ Draco 7.62 with some green dip, that's my favorite round ♪ ♪ Said catch her on the chop, crowd raps support ♪ ♪ The shells were never found, 100 about the ounce ♪ ♪ I never lied, they music really whack ♪ ♪ I said we be slicing through the app ♪ ♪ And we don't even got a deli. ♪ >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now you got bars, man, you can rap. Just make sure you mean what you say, you know? Music and like art and stuff like that is just self-reflection. And if, you know, if you're mad at the time, get it out on the music. If, you know, feel heartbroken at the time, get it out on the music. (voiceover): My name is Tayo Daniel, I'm from South Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am a human first and a community member. You know, I don't really like to get into politics even though politics gets into all of us, right? All right, my man? All right, for sure, y'all be smooth, man. I'm contributing as much as I can to the people that I love and the community I love. ♪ ♪ >> When I was in high school, I always tell my friend, like, later on in life, I'm gonna do some kind of business. Like, I am gonna open a business. I don't know what it is, but something, something.

My name is Jamie Dinh. >> My name is Jason Tolentino. >> When I tell Jason I'm going to get a nail salon, and then he was like, oh my God, you know how much you have to pay for rent, insurance, and then how many pedicure you have to do? I was like, "Jason, I don't know, but I know that I have to get that." The government have their job to do, and me, I'm just a follower. We work hard to keep the life, the life that we are right now. (clippers buzzing) >> Just don't seem like... ...something in the air. >> This is the year with a whole lot wrong to it. >> Hm. My name is Bryant Moore, I'm a barber from Portland, Oregon. Gotcha, you can have a seat and we'll be right with you. Peter, you are on the wait list as well. My business, it's not like it used to be.

There's not really regulars anymore, and that's why I chose to do a part-time position at a franchise. I keep reiterating to myself that it's gonna get better, because the economy's gonna get better, it's going to go back to where it should be. I don't think we're coming out of this. I don't think that we're gonna come out of this one unscathed. >> If you asked me in 2020 if any of these things would've happened, I would've not believed you. >> I guess I am very different than I was back then. >> There's been a lot of things that changed from 2020, but I don't think nearly enough has changed. >> My heart hasn't changed. But my political views have changed. >> How did we get to this point? >> The CDC says there are now more than 4,200 cases of coronavirus. >> Mass gatherings are restricted to less than ten people. >> All the people, the nations, and the languages fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

(book shuts) My father pioneered this church in 1982. This is my 25th year of pastoring myself. How do I water-baptize someone in a virtual service? How do I bury the dead? How do I have a wedding? How are people supposed to have me lay my hands upon them and anoint them with oil and pray over them to be healed in the midst of a pandemic when I'm told that I can't have physical contact? They've said the church is not essential. In a time of crisis with imminent death and a pandemic, the church is not essential. It's offensive. (bottle uncapping) >> ♪ Back and forth, and in and out ♪ ♪ And back and forth again ♪ ♪ For we are strong people and we will come out of this ♪ ♪ And be on top again ♪ I do believe.

The bills keep stacking up. With no money coming in. (music playing) >> I've got to get my hair done. He's gotta get his money. Gotta go back looking fly. >> I'm just looking for the future. I'm not gonna stop doing what I'm doing because I'm a provider so, my mind is set on what I have to do. Be a grandpa. You know, be a dad, be an uncle. (clangs shut) >> The coronavirus pandemic is putting an end to the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. >> We are going into a global recession. >> There we go, that's looking nice. You look so happy about it. Turn around so I can see the back. (chuckles) Look as grumpy as you possibly can. (singing) >> When we say economy, sometimes we just think of finances as a whole, of society. But instead, I see my brother.

His business was going down. That triggered the stress which triggered his health issues, which triggered his mental health issues, and he was gone in 60 days. This is my brother, Brian. Yeah. (sighs) I wanted to save other families (voice breaking): from going through what we went through-- sorry. So that's why I became so passionate about not shutting things down. Letting people choose. (car horn honking) >> Are we sheep, or are we people? >> People! >> Let's go to work! (cheers) >> You take away people's connections, their hobbies, their friends, their worship, their work, and everyone's going to be depressed! And I am so blessed to have a family of children and a husband. But what about the people who don't? It's heartbreaking. >> ♪ God bless America ♪ ♪ My home sweet home ♪ (cheers and applause) >> Yeah, good morning, Second Baptist. Praise the Lord, everybody. >> Our seniors, amen, because of COVID-19 should not be out and about like some of us are. >> That's right! My immune system is weakened, so I have learnt to love being alone. I have learnt to be pretty darn comfortable. ♪ And ever ♪

♪ For all you've done for me ♪ I'm one of these people that still walk around wondering, do I have COVID? One person that passed, I knew her very, very, very, very, very, very well. And she was healthy as she could be. Words just can't describe how this makes me feel. >> (on iPad): Real reconciliation, uh, because they did this... >> Ammo. Head to ammo. Back right. Do you want one of those targets? >> Sure. >> We're going to shoot later today. >> Those targets look nice. >> No, we're not getting that target. How about each of you get to pick one target? Um, here, let's check out here. See if we can. >> I don't need a mask, ma'am. Thanks, I've already said it twice.

>> Who was that? >> That lady, she mentioned masks when she walked by me and then she just mentioned masks again as we walked by her. >> An employee? >> No, a customer. >> (voiceover): I want my kids to start looking at the facts across the board, and let them make their own decisions, even starting at a young age. (gunshot) (gunshot) (gunshot) Wow. I think overall freedoms are majorly at risk. We should all have the right to make our own decisions for ourselves. A good, firm grip. Squeeze the trigger. (gunshot) (indistinct chatter) >> Okay, I really hope this internet thing works. Hey, Irene, can you hear us? >> Yeah. >> The freaking cat jumped right in the middle. (laughs) I saw her picture on MySpace.

I don't know, we just started talking from there. All right, one second, we've got to turn the table. >> So, welcome Jason, welcome Nhung Tuyet. We're gonna be sharing in the joy and the celebration of a very special occasion. >> When I proposed, I asked her if she was going to marry me, and then she slapped me. (laughs) >> You know, I always think, like, "Oh, if someone proposed to me "I will slap, like, him in the face," just to make sure that he, like, you know, he know what he's doing. But then he got kind of scared a little bit, and then I was like, "Oh, yes." >> And just look into each other's eyes. Please welcome your marriage with a kiss. (giggling, laughing) You can remove your masks if you want. (coughing laughing) >> I'm hoping that this whole pandemic, it goes away, then we'll be able to open up a shop normally again, and maybe we'll get a kid.

(chuckles) (sniffs) (exhales) >> When the COVID-19 pandemic started, we were left without any guidance. Doctors like me, we kind of all had to make it up on the fly. My hands are sweaty, I can't get the gloves on. It took weeks looking at studies and data from other countries to figure out the processes to manage patients. This takes between one and three days to get a result. >> (coughing) >> Sorry. Man, this is annoying. We're suffering much worse than we would have had we had a competent, science-based head of state. >> The number of death in the United States has now reached a stunning 50,000. >> Had at least one underlying health issue. >> A new effort to keep Chicagoans safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(glasses clatter) >> Come on, guys. (dog panting) (coughs) You're wearing your mask wrong. Cover your nose. (voiceover): In early April, was when I started feeling lightheaded, dizzy, um, I was coughing. I lost my sense of taste and smell. One day I woke up, I was so weak, I just fell over. (breathing deeply) I was like, "Okay, I really need to go to the emergency room." (breathing deeply) They, like, immediately put me in a room. Didn't even ask me my name or anything. I remember a doctor came in and told me, "We're pretty sure we're "going to have to intubate you. Do you have someone that can make medical decisions for you?"

Then, um, it's just kind of a blur, what happened after I got intubated. ♪ ♪ >> The day they told us that Mayra, um, it was her last day, we were all in the trampoline, just-- my mom was crying. My sisters, all my aunts were there, they were crying. They didn't know what to do. And we were just planning to go pick up a corpse. I was trying to avoid it. >> I love you so much. Uh-oh. (chuckles) My name is Mayra Ramirez. I'm 28 years old. And I am the first, um, lung-- double lung transplant patient due to COVID-19 in the U.S. (radio static) >> The attempted arrest was caught on camera. The video of last night's confrontation shows a white police officer with his knee pinning down the neck...

>> His name was George Floyd. He's on video saying, "Please, please, I can't breathe," as a Minneapolis police officer holds him down... >> No justice, no peace! Prosecute the police! >> The outrage began with a video showing an officer kneeling on Floyd's neck... >> How many times have we watched police officers murder people? (glass shattering) >> Crowds of protesters facing off with officers in riot gear. (canisters exploding) >> Overnight protests left parts of downtown in ruins. (people shouting) >> If just one of these oppressive pillars were to crack, the entire system will crumble. (cheers and applause) >> We're already fighting a common terror, which is COVID, and now this now, you know? People are just pissed off, like, this is just ridiculous. How can you kill this man? The fact that it happened in my neighborhood was what really pulled me into it.

As far as the volunteering efforts go, so far you're our go-to volunteer coordinator, right? >> Yeah. >> So we really have to get her engaged with... >> Them. >> ...them. (voiceover): A lot of guys from the neighborhood decided to get together and create the 10K Foundation. We wanted to show that we could have a peaceful protest. >> 10K is about mobilizing 10,000 people and the power in that, the sovereignty in being able to mobilize 10,000 people. I grew up here in the Twin Cities. I felt ashamed that this happened in Minnesota. All at once I started to see, you know, the state as a real tyrannical entity, with corporations and state government and the police. I was like, oh, these, we're-- it's us versus them. This is kind of going to be, like, our pillars for 10K right now. Safety. It's really police and prisons. >> Public health, we have the prison system. >> Prisons, you have policing. Um... >> I made a lot of bad decisions when I was younger. Getting in fights, had an assault charge. Um, things like that. There was a moment where, you know, some guys broke into my house and tried to rob me, and they ended up shooting me.

I got shot three times, twice in my stomach, one in my back. And I remember sitting there waiting for the ambulance to come, I'm sitting there bleeding out. It still hits me to this day, thinking about that kind of stuff, you know? Um... yeah. I'm getting teary-eyed a little bit, thinking about it. >> Every single day, I've been waiting for this moment, a time where we can stand up for what is right. And for so long, many of us were always waiting for somebody else to do it. People, the time is right now. Can everybody say that one time? On the count of three, say the time is now. One, two, three. >> The time is now! >> Say it again! >> The time is now! >> Louder! >> The time is now! >> The time is right now! ♪ ♪ (chains rattling) >> If you think about the historical context of Black men, Black people in this country in general, when we wake up in the morning, there's no good reason for us to have any faith in the state.

(cheers and applause) Let's start the die-in right now, 46 seconds. ♪ ♪ >> Protesters have been on the streets of Richmond for several weeks now. >> One-time capital of the Confederacy is in the throes of change. The statues commemorating Confederate leaders come down. >> I'm going in from over here. You know, they really did these streets. (laughs) I'm deadly afraid of COVID. But I decided one Sunday and said, you know what? I'm stepping out on faith. I'm going down to see what it's about. (drumming) I'm at the monument right now as we speak. Having big fun, man. (fireworks exploding) (whistling) Each experience I had out here has been different. I come early, and I leave before it gets too late. >> Get the (bleep) out of here!

>> (bleep) (people arguing) >> Relax, relax. (people arguing) >> One evening, I didn't understand what was happening when I saw, like, 14 police cars coming up in front of the area. (people shouting) And I just begged them to allow me to go to my car and leave. I just want to go home, please. I just want to go home. My car-- how am I going to drive, I can't get over here. >> You can go wait in your car. We'll be out of here in just a second. >> Okay. (voiceover): And they were very kind. They even helped me get out and I was gone. Caucasian people, white people that I've known for years are very decent people on the surface. I don't understand why they can't see... ...what we're seeing. >> If anybody had told us this was gonna end up happening, nobody would have believed it.

>> No-- like I say, racism's out there. That's what it is. (bleep), I got more Black friends than I can ever imagine. I got one Black friend that I specifically tell people that that's my brother. (laughs) And we talk about it all the time, it's ridiculous man. >> People that are doing all this are just out just to wreck stuff. >> My same buddy that I call my brother, he said it too, he said, "Man, "it's crazy cause they say it's a 'Black Lives Matter' thing, "but yet they're going in and destroying old Black peoples' businesses that live in Richmond." >> Yup. >> You know what I mean? >> I don't know how everything got so race-oriented all of a sudden here within the past year, honestly. That kind of blows my mind. So far as the platform or the cause that the Black Lives Matter rallies are for, I think raising awareness for police brutality, sure. If you want to focus on any aspect of it that could have a positive effect on the American people, you could bring up that one aspect of it. But, it doesn't just happen to Black folks, it happens to white folks, it happens to Asian folks.

It happens across all walks of life, no matter what color you are, no matter what race you are. >> Are we jumping? >> We're jumping. >> We all need to work together on a common cause to defend our freedoms. (water splashes) Not to fight against each other. And empower more regulation against us. >> Black power! >> Black power! >> Black power! >> Black power! >> All power to the people! >> Power to the people! (voiceover): The fight is real. But it's always been here. Now it's to the surface in 2020. Now where do we go from here? (sawing) >> It's mainly to just, for insurance purposes if it did get vandalized or looted. It's not fair for someone like me who is trying to make this community better, and next thing you know, someone just takes it away and ruins the whole business itself. There is still racism in America. And at the moment I think it's just getting worse.

There's nothing wrong with protesting. You can protest all you want if you live in America. But when you start vandalizing small businesses, that part is wrong. >> Overnight, chaos in the streets of Chicago. Looting taking place around the city. Store windows broken, intense police presence, and fires. >> Officers now asking for the public to take a step back and work with police before more people get hurt. >> When I first woke up from my lung transplant, I was a vegetable. I couldn't move a finger, I couldn't, you know, I could barely wiggle my toes, I couldn't talk. I was, like, really disoriented at the time. And I didn't realize that I was intubated sedated for six weeks. (police, protestors yelling) The TV would be on, and you know, they would talk about all these riots that were happening. And George Floyd and protest.

The world was so ugly. >> Millions of people all across America are casting their votes... >> It has been a campaign year unlike any other. And now, 100 million people have voted on record... >> Record-breaking early voting continues. >> I have someone else's lungs and it'd be like a slap in the face if I didn't try my hardest. >> You're here to vote? >> Mm-hm. >> Okay, so you're going to go through the revolving door. >> My number one topic of interest during this election is healthcare reform. I started working one month after my lung transplant. Now I shouldn't have to have felt obligated to do so, because, just because I needed my health insurance to recover. >> I'm gonna have to put this on now. You're supposed to find people that represent you, Donald Trump cannot represent me.

He does not represent my beliefs. Of course, I can't vote for Joe Biden for the very same reason. >> Okay, thank you for voting. >> I will sleep good tonight, because some day, as a Christian, I believe Christ will return and all wrongs will be righted, and justice will prevail. My job is to keep speaking the truth as a minister. >> You have a pen? You got to put your address, it literally says on the top. It's going to invalidate if you don't sign it. >> Oh! (laughs) >> I would rather not say who I voted for. I just want it to come back to normal. That's all, that's all I'm praying for, really. >> I just vote for myself. Or I vote for the lady-- no, I vote for the lady! >> You voted for that lady, you don't even know her name. >> I don't know who she is, but it seems like she's the only lady, so I vote for the lady. I vote for the woman! (Jason chuckles) >> Well... you have a right to do that. >> Joe Biden now in the lead in Pennsylvania, in the lead in Georgia... >> Putting him over the 270 electoral votes he needs.

>> Joe Biden has been elected the 46th president of the United States. >> The people of this nation have spoken. (cheers and applause) They've delivered us a clear victory. A convincing victory. (cheers and applause) (car horns honking) >> Hey! I was relieved to the point where it's like, "Okay, "this step has been handled. Now what's the next step?" you know? It's not over, this is just the beginning. What do you guys think of the election? >> Oh, yeah! We're good, we're good! >> Meantime, the Trump campaign is promising a new round of lawsuits today. >> Trump tonight again falsely claiming victory. >> Stil fueling his supporters, pledging it isn't over yet. >> Across the country, pro-Trump protesters gathering at state capitals... (engine revving) (cheers) >> I really was just so sick of politics. I wanted to write in "Jesus." (laughs) But that doesn't do anything. So I was surprised, I felt prompted to vote for Trump. (cheers and applause) >> No, we're not standing down.

We're here, we're going to stand. We're going to stand fast, we're going to wait for orders. >> (groans) I have no regrets about voting for the Libertarian candidate. I'm tired of people voting for the lesser of two evils. Wouldn't really matter who got into office, I feel like they're one and the same. I think our culture is going to stay divided. The division that has been created here recently is, it's something that we've regressed to. That's going to take generations to recover, I think our culture is going to be horribly scarred by this. >> Our country is deeply divided. We have class divisions, we have racial divisions. It's like there's two completely different realities. Anyone who thinks that the election getting called is the end of the work that needs to be done... (on-screen): All right, this is a nasal swab... (voiceover): ...is mistaken.

>> Kenny? Look at me. "Mírame." (voiceover): I had to undergo this other procedure. (on-screen): Oh, and this is what it looked like after. Sometimes before, when I used to feel so bad, I would have these fevers and these night chills and it just feels so bad. And I'm like, "What if I don't wake up in the morning?" I'm grateful that I have my family, but I also want to have some sort of quality of life. I don't want to live a life where it hurts to laugh. There's just so much I want to do. >> ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ (cheers) >> The White House says one million people have now died from COVID-19 here in the U.S. >> The death toll is more than the number of American deaths from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined.

(people clamoring, shouting) >> Thousands of supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building. >> We need backup! >> I will faithfully execute. >> The office of President of the United States. >> The office of President of the United States. >> A federal grand jury has voted to indict the former president. >> Second impeachment trial is set to start tomorrow. >> Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts. (cheers and applause) >> The state of Virginia... >> Bringing down the symbols of a hateful past... >> General Robert E. Lee... >> Roe v. Wade is overruled. >> Thousands of people today turned out to take a stand for abortion rights. >> The end of 472 days of COVID restrictions. >> Warning, however, that the virus is here to stay. >> Rising costs and recession fears. >> Small businesses struggling to stay afloat. >> Protests against Israel's war in Gaza continue... >> It's another wedge in America's political divide. >> Donald Trump will be running for president again in 2024. >> Shots have apparently been fired.

>> Failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. >> President Biden takes himself out of the run for the White House. >> Kamala Harris became the first woman of color to accept the presidential nomination. (explosion) (static) >> Has our America gotten better? You decide. Because I know it hasn't been better. >> Polling was good to me, man. I, you know, I paid my due. >> Right. >> And all that (bleep). I pay more taxes than Trump paid up here, man. >> Where does that tax money go to? >> I guess the city. >> City. >> And the city, you know, supposed to keep the road repaired. >> Well, the roads ain't been repaired around here. (bleep) so many potholes and stuff around here. >> Yup.

>> All right. You coat it everywhere? (voiceover): I think it's very likely that Hudson will end up in the military. >> I think he's taller than you. >> Yeah, 'cause he's wearing heels. (voiceover): There's a bit of inner turmoil with Hudson being in the JROTC program as well as my distrust in the government. (chuckling) >> You're so much shorter, Mark. >> That's awesome. I want to continue encouraging, not discouraging. But there might be things that we don't agree with. (door shuts) (insects buzzing) (indistinct chatter) >> Must you? >> Must I what? >> Make it all obvious out here? You folded flags just fine back in your office. >> I usually fold them in here. >> Uh-huh. >> (on TV): Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump... >> I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America. (cheers and applause) >> Maybe some of you guys know me, some of you don't. I'm Tayo Daniel, one of the founders of this organization, Smart North. And one of the reasons why I really am passionate about... (voiceover): How can you add value to your community? Once you figure that out, it doesn't matter who's in office, you're always going to be successful,

because you yourself are valuable and you're adding value to your community. She's in the VR space right now, doing her thing. >> Yeah, I can't see anything in the real world right now. >> One of my solutions was creating a non-profit to help inner-city youth. The 10K Foundation... had its time, and it ran its course. And we went our separate ways. I was more forward on helping the youth, I believe Royce was more on political moves. >> ♪ And the home of the brave ♪ (cheers and applause) >> Good morning, good afternoon. It's good to see everybody out here. It's always good to see some, uh, some Trump supporters. I'm one myself. Yeah, good. We don't like socialists, we don't like communists. We don't like Marxists. It's an unacceptable and incompatible form of government and ideology. We gotta protect our borders first. We can't defend everybody else's borders. (voiceover): I'm running for United States Senate here in the state of Minnesota against Amy Klobuchar, and I'm the Republican Party nominee. The mainstream media says, "Royce White represents "a dangerous evolution and movement of the Republican Party nationally."

So a lot of people who just read those headlines would think, "Yeah, I mean, you know, "Royce has nothing important to say or nothing "of value to say. "You know, even though we love Black men, "we want to protect them, their lives matter, but this Black man doesn't have anything important to say." The Second Amendment? >> Yes. >> I'm an absolutist. >> Absolutist? >> Yep. No Second Amendment laws. AR-15s, you should have them. >> Nice to meet you. You got my vote. >> Nice to meet you, sir, thank you, sir, appreciate it. Thank you. >> I was, uh... ...I was not surprised, you know, that he would decide to pursue office. I was kind of shocked that he went so hard on the Republican side because, you know, a lot of the Republicans are against whatever we were protesting about. >> These are patriots here, man. >> I love it, I love it. >> People that like drinking beer, rock and roll music, and cooking food. >> I love it, I love it. >> That's America right there. >> That's right. >> For the Kamala Harris campaign, I got involved right away. Are you planning on voting for Kamala Harris and Colin Allred all the way down the ticket? >> Yes. Yes, I am. >> All right, perfect. Can we count on you to vote for Democrats all the way down the ticket? >> Yes, I-- you can count on me for that. Yes.

(laughing) >> (chuckling): Amazing. Amazing. We have the opportunity to elect a progressive Black woman as the first female president of the United States. It's a dream come true for me. You can see right across here all the Trump signs. >> In what is going to be the biggest political, phoenix from the ashes story... >> Former President Donald Trump has won the 2024 election. >> This is a huge historic moment. >> We will engage in a peaceful transfer of power. >> Republicans will pull off a political trifecta, >> And now we prepare for the second coming, if you will, of a Trump administration. >> America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before. >> Trump administration's beginning mass layoffs of federal workers. >> A record number of executive orders. >> He's raising tariffs on some Canadian goods by another 10%. >> The administration wants up to $175 billion to arrest, detain and remove more people.

(birds chirping) >> This is a, um, grapefruit tree, lemon tree and lime tree. These are both for fun and for our health, post-apocalypse. There is really a thing called scurvy. It really does happen to people. So having citrus is super important to that. I'm still the same person who always wanted to be there and help, but I'm much more cynical about my ability to do those things. There was a time where I was very hopeful that we could continue a path towards justice for everybody. That part of me is pretty beaten down. (door sliding open) >> No muddy boots.

What'd you see? >> I had one squirrel, but I didn't... I shot it, but I didn't get it. >> Really, you shot at it? Good, I mean is your gun open? Open chamber? >> Yeah. >> All right. You don't have your finger on that trigger, do you? >> No. >> Oh, Ada. How did school go? >> Good. Pops took us to school. >> (laughs) What was that face for? >> Dad, you know how he is, he's... a liberal and he knows that we're... Republicans. >> Not Republicans. We're-- we are just conservative-minded. (voiceover): As far as my liking for Trump, since he's been elected the second term. I'd say for the first six months, eight months, he really came in, stayed focused on policy. With DOGE coming in, trying to actually clean up government waste. I'm like, this is actually really cool. >> Chainsaw for bureaucracy! (cheers and applause) >> ...Barreling into vast swaths of the federal government and promising to divide and conquer what he sees as "the deep state." >> To have an actual efficient government is the goal.

>> All righty, if you're ready, take card or cash? >> It's gonna be cash. >> Cash? >> Have a good night. >> Yeah, you too, all right. >> Okay. Jason, you want to get your nails done? Yeah? >> All right. Our supplies got expensive, but what we did was we bought extra supplies before we knew the tariffs were gonna go up. I mean, everything went up 20%, 30%, 40%. The suppliers were just like, "We don't care how much the actual tariffs is. It just went up." Yeah, we're just trying not to raise any prices. >> Because like our client usually are, most of them are senior, so they on their retirement. The bigger nail shop, like they say that their customer is, like, stop spending money on, like, stuff like this. >> Short term... ...it's not a good move because everything just goes up overnight. Long term... ...it's supposed to help with the American manufacturing, it's supposed to...

...improve local economies. But what we don't know if... will it actually work? >> Are you going towards the trunk like we talked about? Okay, okay. Okay, you put it on, so we can see how far we need it to reach. >> Why's there pine cones? >> Do not fall. >> It's a tree. Ooh! >> Julia, it's on wave. >> Oh, I wanted to... >> And then does it just cycle through the colors? >> Yeah. >> Oh, my goodness. How are we doing with rationing the frosting? Do we have enough? >> Yeah. >> Okay. (voiceover): Around this time last year, I started the process of leaving my husband. And that involved moving a couple of times. I had no clue what our long-term situation was going to be. And then a very kind family rented really cheap to us month-to-month until we ended up here at a home. >> Out there. >> Oh, okay. He's here!

Do you have everything you need? >> Yeah. >> Okay. I love you, and I'll see you Sunday. >> See you. >> I got married one day after I turned 19. And so I was married more of my life than not married. I basically went from obeying my parents to "obeying" or "submitting" to a husband. People hate those words now, they're, like, trigger words, but you know, just being the wife that I thought I was supposed to be. And I did not get to experience what life is like as an independent adult. >> Everything seems to be falling apart. I've been battling the house issue for a few years. (grunts) All of this, what you're seeing now is mold.

So all of that has to be replaced. This is a result of a leaky roof. Water got in the attic, and once it dried, this is where it came out at, at the other end. And now the consequences are very, very, very expensive. My parents always stressed independence is home ownership. My mother, she said, "I don't care if it's a box with one bedroom." She said, "It's something that's yours." I'm slowly getting on top of it, but it's definitely not easy. You get down and out and you feel like the walls are closing in on you. It's a quick thought, then you just shake it off, and keep it moving. It's, it's rough out here. It breaks my heart that people that genuinely need the help, they can't even get the help.

(clippers buzzing) >> What high school did you go to? >> I dropped out of high school. >> You mind me asking why? >> Drugs and alcohol. >> You said drugs and alcohol? >> Yeah. >> My son's on, I don't, he's, I guess, meth. (clippers buzzing) But I hadn't heard from him in, like, a couple weeks. Last time I seen him, I was right here. Gave him some food. Trell! >> I just want to talk! >> You're trying to shove that in my face. I don't have to say anything to you! (indistinct chatter) >> Not gonna get into that. You know Lytrell? I'm looking for my son.

♪ ♪ I'm not going to give up, but it is awfully hard... to know that my kid... is, is down here. You know Lytrell? Huh? He ain't, he don't-- he ain't been around here? I'm his dad. >> If I see him I'll tell him you're looking. >> Okay, all right, thank you, thank you. This is what my grandkids have to look forward to? Groceries are skyrocketing. Healthcare is out the roof. (honks horn) (cheers) We gotta be supportive! >> Thank you! (honking horn) >> You gotta be supportive! Yes, yes, I support you! (horn honking) Everybody deserves a good life, you know?

(sniffs sighs) >> My community center has taken a big hit. There's youth that has reached out to me and said, "I'm scared to come there," because some of their parents may have a problem with immigration statuses. It's just been a lot of divisiveness and I think that type of trauma just makes a whole community unsure and feel unsafe. >> What about mass deportations? Are they, is anybody considering mass deportation? And do you believe that has to happen in Minneapolis? >> 1,000% with no equivocations. Now I shouldn't even be able to say that because I'm running for U.S. Senate. >> This is Royce White's second time running for U.S. Senate. >> White was the G.O.P. nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024 as well, losing that election to Senator Amy Klobuchar. >> I'm going to run until I, until I die. Because it would be dishonest if I didn't give the American people this message, and this option when they go to cast their ballot.

>> You gave an interview with Steve Bannon. And you said, you said Somalis must be... you're in support of mass deportation of Somalis. >> Yeah, I think the deportations must begin. What the MAGA movement is saying is we don't trust the process by which Somalians have immigrated to this country. We don't trust the paperwork. We don't trust the legitimacy of the process because we can't even trust our own elections. >> But that's all allegations, though! >> You're triggered. No, you're triggered because when you hear the word Somalian, it does something to you personally. And I get that, and all of us will have those things that we feel personal about, but it doesn't change the facts if you're here illegally you're going the (bleep) back. Bottom line. (scattered applause) That's it. >> (chuckling) That was, that was classic! Holy cow. >> My stepmother was calling me, and I'm on the phone, and she's like, "Tayo." She's Nigerian, so she has this accent, you know? "Tayo, be careful, be careful." I'm, like, "What's going on?"

She's like, "They just killed somebody. They just killed a woman, they just killed a woman." I'm like, "Who?" She's like, "ICE." (video audio playing) >> (on cellphone): No! No! (bleep) (gunshots) (bleep) Oh, my (bleep) God! What the (bleep)? What the (bleep)? You just (bleep), what the (bleep) did you do? >> Minneapolis is about to go crazy. Here we go again. >> (chanting) Say her name! Renée Good! >> There are currently about 2,000 ICE agents in the Minneapolis area. >> Get ICE off our streets. >> The Trump administration says it's sending an additional 100 to the region this weekend. >> Get the (bleep) out! (blowing whistle) >> (chanting) Shame! Shame! Shame! >> Get the (bleep) out of here! (chanting): Whose street? Our street! >> My community center is actually right around the corner from where Renée Good was killed.

I probably should have brought some flowers. Next time I'll bring some. >> (chanting): Renée Good! >> What's her name? >> Renée Good! >> My dad came from the slums, man. He was born in Nigeria. He came over here for the same reason everybody else is trying to come over here, for an opportunity and a better life for his future children. >> Broad daylight, dog! >> I was born here in America. Otherwise, I might be in one of those trucks right now. And it's just like a wake-up call, because everybody thought, you know, it started to die down and the whole George Floyd situation. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> It's sad, man. >> It's exhausting. >> All right, so your table leader has got specific questions that they're gonna ask. There's actually a biblical principle, and we want to talk about that, and it's called the natural law of jurisdiction. (indistinct chatter) >> What would you do? >> How is the idea of jurisdiction connected to the issue of legitimate authority? Think about, like, in our world, legitimate authority that has been misused.

>> When the government tried to shut down churches during COVID. >> Exactly, Jana. They did not have the authority to do that, did they? (voiceover): I don't know a ton about politics. I... I don't care that much. I mean, it's important. It's very important, but it's not my forte. It's my dad's thing. >> Just a few days ago, the president of the United States ordered a combination of law enforcement and military to strike, in an act of war, the nation of Venezuela. Missiles were launched, rockets exploded, between 80 and 100 people died. And then our soldiers, in combination with law enforcement apparently went in, and they captured the president and his wife. You have to think about that. You have to know how to tell when someone is using authority in a righteous and legitimate way, but when someone misuses authority, and some authority is going outside their jurisdiction, and when they step outside their jurisdiction, you have to say, "Okay, hold on a minute. All due respect, I'm not gonna be doing that." This brings us to the concept of a big, fancy word called imperialism. You stop respecting the boundaries and jurisdictions of all other

nations, and you start forcing the world to comply with your national will. And it's wrong. And when you flip the table, and have that happen to your city, in your nation, you say, "Hey, this is America! You don't have a right to--" that's, we would call that a what? An act of... war. (missile firing) >> The United States has unleashed Operation Epic Fury on several targets in Iran. (chanting) >> Tonight, Israeli and American missile strikes lighting up the skies over Iran for a ninth straight day. >> When you go into the Air Force, obviously you wanna go in and fly. >> Yeah. >> Everybody that's going into the Air Force wants to fly.

Like, have you given it any thought to what your backup thing would be? >> Hm... Not necessarily... I mean, flying is really fun to do. I mean, it's something peaceful, especially on the simulator. It's very peaceful to do and, like, you get to go out. >> Won't be that peaceful if you're being shot at while you're flying. >> It's just more adrenaline. >> (scoffs) So, now you're just an adrenaline junkie. >> Mm-hm. >> (voiceover): My wife and I have talked about this. We've talked about it with him. We don't like the idea of him going to fight a war, as a political pawn... ...you know, for what gain? Let's just say you get sent to war tomorrow, in Iran. And you're tasked with something that... maybe you don't necessarily agree with. There's been stories about bombs being dropped on schools, you now, known civilian-- known civilian targets that are, you know, wiping out... masses of kids. And I don't care on what side, I'm just saying in general. >> Yeah, I've never really thought about that.

Yeah. For me, going into the military, it's more about, like, the experience and what I can get from it. I want to know that I can be there for my parents and my family. Now, most of the times, all the guys that I see, they're scrawny, honestly, like, they look like they couldn't put up a fight, and I feel like, if you're going to be a man of a house one day, like, that is not how you should be. Being masculine is taking your own path, and following in what you believe is right and what you want to do, yes. >> I love seeing him proud. >> (exhales) >> My boy looks good all dressed up in a uniform, you know? He's confident, I mean, he's... ...I'm proud of him. Very proud, and I'm... ...I'm not going to tell him he can't do something, but I also want him to be fully informed.

>> We're going to get dropped off at 9:18, is that going to give you enough...? >> That's fine. >> Okay, I'm going to message the guy that we're meeting. Edmundo? Hi! Christine. Okay. (voiceover): Right now, my husband and I are pursuing residency in Mexico. Okay, bye. >> Good luck. >> (kisses) Good luck. We need a place to go if things just don't go the way we want them to go. We are constantly looking and reassessing and watching and want to be ready, should that time come. Yay! Where's your card? >> In my pocket. >> Okay, awesome. So excited. >> Dear Heavenly Father, please be with the kids while they are away, that they will be protected and have a good time and feel thy love and guidance. (voiceover): I have totally new compassion and understanding for the people I've spoke with that say they stopped going to church because they've lost trust in institutions. I sought help from religious leaders in regards to struggles in my marriage. And there was a lot of pain and bitterness involved when I was processing um sorry.

Just looking back at how much I was suffering and hurting. And, um... ...it was minimized and not fully understood. So when we talk about faith, I don't think about religion. Religion has failed me. Are you excited? You know where we're going? My former spouse, he hated dogs, so I love having a dog in the house. I wanted one ever since I was a kid. I'm going to school. I now have a degree in mind that I want to get having to do with family services to help families that are going through tough times. Okay, do you want me to throw it? Get it! I'm now Amy Kelly and officially divorced. Mom of six kids. Loving life. (chuckles) >> Good morning. >> How are you? >> I'm good. ♪ ♪ (beeping) My dad hired me to oversee our educational operations at our church. >> Class begins on Friday, November the 6, and then I'm going to hit "okay." >> I love sitting with my dad and getting to learn from him.

He's so wise in so many areas. I don't have a lot of experience with this, but... ...what needs to be done needs to be done. (humming) I had wanted to be a doctor when I graduated. (shuts door) At the end of the day, I would rather be in the will of God than... be selfish and do what I would prefer. 'Cause I would really be miserable if I was just only doing what I wanted, so. >> Ella exhibits leadership and courage and confidence. I think she would make a wonderful pastor's wife, and I think that probably, that's going to be her role. >> ♪ Amazing grace ♪ ♪ How sweet ♪ ♪ The sound ♪ ♪ That saved a wretch ♪ ♪ Like me ♪ ♪ I once was lost ♪ ♪ But now I am found ♪ ♪ I was blind ♪ ♪ But now I see ♪ I'm supposed to serve my dad, and I think I'm supposed to marry a pastor and that is an honorable role. I don't, I don't see that as lesser in any way. >> Look at this.

>> Oh, my gosh. >> My granddaughter, Coriel. I want to be able to, you know, spend time with her and, you know, do ice cream. >> Okay, I go, I go run. >> Okay, well, go put on some socks and some sneakers. >> (roars) >> It's just hard, man. I never thought that, you know, life would be hard, but it really is. And the people that think it's not... ...they got given some stuff, they got a head start. I got... a second job. (chuckles) Just to be able to be in position to help. I'm praying for a break. >> Yeah, there it is. >> But at least it didn't get down... I'll go back to this photo. It doesn't look like all that black mold on the ceiling, it doesn't look like it came down into the walls. >> Yeah.

>> Look at all the mold in the insulation. >> I saw a gentleman named Mark on the film. >> (recording): My name is Mark Curtis. I own a construction company. >> And then I've discovered that he was from the outskirts of Richmond. >> Oh, yeah, look at this all washed out over here. >> Yeah, oh, yeah. That washed out before. >> Oh, good grief. >> Huh? >> That's bad. >> Yeah. >> You want to have stairs rebuilt in this thing? >> What you think? >> I mean, it'd probably be nice if you're trying to come down in the yard from up there. >> I say yes, then. I saw you in an interview. >> Which one? >> I don't know what one I saw, but, you know, (laughing): we don't agree on a lot of things. >> It don't matter. >> But at the end of the day... >> It's human nature. >> At the end of the day, life is life. I just personally have this mindset that anybody really wants Trump, wants America white again. I said, but trust me, it ain't going to never be white again. >> Yeah, see, I don't, and I don't see that, and I don't think that that's the case.

I choose... >> It's an undertone message sent to the white folks saying... >> You think so? >> I clearly do. "Make America great again," is clearly that. (voiceover): I clearly, strongly believe, and I didn't budge from it, that "make America great again," it's make it white again. We didn't agree. My father served his country, and the best job he could get was a janitor. It was that era where Black people just couldn't, you know? We weren't on the spectrum to be much more than what they wanted us to be. >> I think that still happens today. >> Oh, hell yeah it happens. >> No, no, I'm just talking about our service members, our service members, I don't care, you know, white, Black, different, whatever. I think so many people... >> We agree that race relations is a problem, and it's been existing for a long time. At least, I agree to that, that it was. >> Well, it was supposed to be about controlling our border, getting fuel prices lowered, getting our interest rates down. That's how he advertised it. >> That's how he fed us. >> Yes, but the real deal...

>> That's how he advertised it. Where is that going now? How much does it cost you to fill up your car now? >> (bleep). $60, $70, depend. >> It took me over an hour to drive here this morning. Talk about the fuel I'm using up every day. All right, Ms. Lewis, I'm going. I'm off to my next appointment. I'll see you. >> Bye. >> Bye. (door shuts) I would say, I am surprised at how... ...devoted she is, I guess you could say, um, to... ...the racial, um... the racial divide. Um... you know, perhaps she... ...has a very different perspective of that, just based on her experience. And people who do have differing opinions should be able to talk and listen, um, not just talk. So I thought it was a good meeting.

>> 100 days until the midterm election. >> Re-districting could bolster Republicans. >> Democrats are pursuing five extra seats. >> Rising support for democratic socialism. >> Americans no longer trust the very industries and institutions that keep the country afloat. >> I'm weighing out Republican, Democrat and Libertarian because those are the three options for the primaries, and going to select them according to which individual I feel is best, not the label. Almost couldn't find it today. (laughs) Our founding fathers built this country on independence, and they didn't just want independence as far as they agreed. They wanted everybody to have their own beliefs, opinions and thoughts. Freedom means being able to think, act, speak, wish, dream, breathe, anything as you want. Uninhibited. Thank you. >> Thank you very much.

(seagulls squawking) >> Ooh! Ooh! (seagulls squawking) >> Uh-oh, I think you caught the whole, uh. Oh, they're all coming for us now. (voiceover): I haven't really paid attention to the midterms, really, like, because we have a lot of stuff going on. Mm. Thanks, Evie. Mm. Evie, come here. But hopefully there is some sort of change that you can actually see. Just a little bit of help here and there would help the middle class, really. >> First in the beginning, all the parents first come here, they having a hard life, but then when the kid grow up in their life, it's going to get easier. I want to give birth to a child that have an easy life, like, because I work hard. Over the time, everything will be better.

(clanging) >> There you go, that's it. (voiceover): I don't want government hand-outs for anything. (on-screen): Where you had it before, there you go. (voiceover): I want to know who is truly going to look out for the best interest of, not just my family, but it should be all families. How can I best take care of my family? >> M-I T-A-Y-O. All right, let's do it. We're gonna trade, I've got some hot commodity for you. >> I can take that. >> All right. Here we go. (chuckles) I watched my family work very hard. Thank you, guys! Not only for their citizenship, but to acclimate in this country. And I want people to represent that. I want the people who understand that and who support that to be the ones that are in office. I did not vote for Royce White this time around. I wish him the best of luck, and I wish him nothing but success, but I definitely disagree with many of his views.

>> The Republican Party of Minnesota calling on U.S. Senate candidate Royce White, one of their own, to suspend his campaign. >> A Minnesota judge ruled there were credible evidence of threats of harm toward his ex-wife and his son. >> White has since gone on the offensive today, sounding off in several social media posts, denying the accusations. >> No, I mean, it's a farce, though. Asking me to step down from the campaign, um, has nothing to do with the case. It's, you know, it's something they wanted anyway, which is that-- they're irrelevant, anyway. Minnesota Republican Party is irrelevant. (indistinct chatter, laughter) >> The biggest thing that's coming up that has my attention is the midterm elections. It's going to tell us a lot about what the next steps are, and what the direction is going to be. ♪ ♪ "Buenos dias!"

I'm still in the wait and see phase in terms of whether or not I want to leave the United States permanently. It's slower here. I just have to make that conscious choice to turn the TV off, put my phone down... and breathe. >> It might be my PTSD speaking a little bit, but, um, you know, it's almost, it's almost inevitable in these times not to have some form of hurt and pain and struggle that people go through, regardless of your socioeconomic status. I think I figured it out.

I'm going to paint the lips with some of the smile open, so it's going to be a smile like this, and these white words will be like the teeth. (laughs) One day, I'm going to make a piece that somebody else will feel those feelings, and it'll do something for them and it can live far beyond me. You've seen artwork throughout history used for all different type of activism, you know, freedom of expression. It's the pulse of the community. ♪ ♪ Just like a human body can have emotions. >> (chanting): Hands up! Don't shoot! >> I feel that a body of people can have emotions. (gunshot) (weapons firing, people shouting) (car horns honking, whistling) ♪ ♪ I feel like people forget how to be neighbors by somebody who may not have the same background as you, and people are forgetting how to love somebody that may not love you.

I think sometimes we look too much on a larger level, and we forget about the little things. Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org >> NARRATOR: Go to pbs.org/frontline to read how the filmmakers found and followed their subjects. >> You got two choices in American politics. You can have bad, or you can have worse. >> Take care of myself, take care of my friends, take care of my family. >> I don't think that we're gonna come out of this one unscathed. >> NARRATOR: And to see our past films and reporting.

Connect with FRONTLINE on Facebook and Instagram, and stream anytime on the PBS app, YouTube or pbs.org/frontline. FRONTLINE's “American Voices 2026” is available on Amazon Prime Video. ♪ ♪ Hi, I'm Raney Aronson-Rath from FRONTLINE. Deep dive investigative reporting takes months of hard work. But we believe the truth should always be free and accessible to everyone. No paywalls, no agendas. Our independence depends on viewers who believe in fearless, fact-based journalism. Please chip in today to help keep FRONTLINE free and independent for all. Thank you.