By Kathy Wray Coleman

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the "War on Poverty" in America, the unofficial name given to federal legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union  address on January 8, 1964. That legislation is officially called the Economic Opportunity Act, which established the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to administer the local application of federal funds targeted against poverty.

President Barack Obama (pictured) said that while much has been done to seek to eradicate poverty in America, much has not.

"As Americans, we believe that everyone who works hard deserves a chance at opportunity, and that all our citizens deserve some basic measure of security," said Obama in a press release to Cleveland Urban News.Com, Ohio's most read digital Black newspaper, and one of the most read digital Black newspaper's in the country. " And so, 50 years ago, President Johnson declared a War on Poverty to help each and every American fulfill his or her basic hopes."

The president went on to say that "we created new avenues of opportunity through jobs and education, expanded access to healthcare for seniors, the poor, and Americans with disabilities, and helped working families make ends meet."

The poverty rate for all African Americans harbors at 28 percent, which increased from 25 percent in 2005, according to U.S. census reports. Black families with children under 18 headed by a single mother have the highest rate of poverty at 48 percent compared to only eight percent of married-couple Black families, data show.

Without social security, nearly half of seniors would be living in poverty, the president said. Obama said that the poverty rate in general has fallen by nearly 40 percent since the 1960s, and has kept millions from falling into poverty since the Great Recession. But he also said that the War on Poverty was needed.

"If we had not declared unconditional war on poverty in America, millions more people would still be living in poverty," said Obama.

The Great Recession began in 2007 under then president George Bush and took a downward spin in September 2008. Obama was elected president in November 2008 and won a second four-year term in 2012. He is the first Black president of the United States of America. (www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com