Geography of Poverty: A journey through forgotten America. 

The most vulnerable Americans are being crushed by the grip of poverty, from the deserts of the Southwest through the black belt in the South, to the post-industrial, rusting factory towns that dot the Midwest and Northeast.

• The poverty rate for African Americans and Hispanics is particularly stark, with 27% and 23.5% respectively falling below the poverty line. (PDF) 

In this sweeping story, ‘Geography of Poverty: A Journey Through Forgotten America’, that ranges across the United States, photographer and Pulitzer Center grantee Matt Black (Magnum Nominee this year alongside Carolyn Drake, Lorenzo Meloni, Richard Mosse, Max Pinckers and Newsha Tavakolian), along with MSNBC, spend a few months profiling the struggles of Americans living near and under the poverty line. Trymaine Lee contributes a written account. 

The project reached over 70 cities with 

• disproportionately impoverished populations, 
  
• chronicling stories of racial segregation, 
  
• generational poverty, 
  
• incarceration, 

and the personal trials of being poor in America. 

• “It’s a very simple idea: to say no, this is not isolated, it’s literally everywhere and it’s something we all need to address squarely,” says Matt Black.

Start the journey through forgotten America MSNBC‘s four-part series here. 

1. Read the introduction 
2. SouthWest 
3. South 
4. NorthEast 
5. NorthWest 

Follow photographer Matt Black to more than 70 cities as he documented impoverished communities on Instagram.  See more of Matt’s photography here.

• Geography of Poverty: 5 facts you should know 

Photo credit: © Matt Black