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The Vanishing Middle
By Cindy Green, Democratic Candidate for VA House of Delegates, District 44
While visiting one of our local food banks this past weekend, we spoke with more than 200 people in vehicles lined up on a foggy Saturday morning. They were all waiting for boxes of donated food to help get through the next month. It struck me hard. This is the United States of America, not some faraway place in crisis. These families, some with three generations in the truck together, were struggling to survive.
As Steinbeck wrote in The Grapes of Wrath:
“How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children?”
Most people picture the poor when they think of food banks. And yes, the poor were there. But so were others. Folks who, not that long ago, were part of the Middle Class. You could see it in their clothes. In the cars and trucks they drove. They looked like what we still want to believe the Middle Class looks like. But they’re not, they are the Working Poor now.
Their jobs did not disappear. Their paychecks just do not go as far today. Rent is up. Groceries are up. Childcare is unaffordable. Power bills have nearly doubled. These families did not fall through the cracks. The floor was pulled out from under them.
Many thanks to the Roger E. Jessee Community Food Bank and all the volunteers who are fighting this quiet battle here in Southwest Virginia. Just like food banks all across rural America, they see what so many elected officials choose to ignore. They show up when others look away.
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I know that story because I lived it. I grew up depending on social safety nets. I remember what it felt like to be in that line, just hoping to get by one more day. You do not forget that. You do not forget the shame or the strength it takes to survive it.
I’ll fight to help the poor. But I’ll also fight to keep the middle class from sliding further backward. I’ll work to lift the working poor back up to where they belong, solid ground, not survival mode. That means lowering the cost of living. It means defending healthcare, fighting for fair wages, developing jobs with living wages and benefits, and protecting our rural hospitals.
John Steinbeck once wrote:
"If you're in trouble or hurt or in need, go to the poor people. They're the only ones that'll help. The only ones."
Let’s honor that spirit. Let’s build a Commonwealth and America that helps those who help others. I will be the hardest working Delegate in Richmond. I will represent all the citizens of Southwest Virginia. Not just the billionaires. Not just the political insiders. Not just the folks writing big campaign checks.
If you vote for me, I will fight for you. Work for you. Every day. Without fail.
And I imagine Steinbeck might say today:
Vote for Cindy Green, and you can always come to her for help.
