The Working Poor

Debra Ginsberg, author of Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress, tells the story of Maria Lopez on All Things Considered

Maria Lopez of National City, California is married and has three children -- and she's one car battery away from losing her hold on everything.

Maria is a former welfare recipient who has managed to raise her kids, marry (after two of the children were born), and take classes at nearby Southwestern College. But her only car is in a state of disrepair, and now she has to support her handicapped brother. Maria is one of 11 kids and was raised in nearby Chula Vista. At 15 she joined a gang and became pregnant by the gang leader, who then left her.

Now she's enrolled at a junior college, and her husband earns $8 an hour as an assistant carpet installer. Under the revised welfare system, her benefits have improved, enabling her to attend classes.

Author Debra Ginsberg follows Lopez as she runs between her home, her children's schools, her classes and her meetings with welfare representatives. Ginsberg is a long-time San Diego resident. She describes her own working class background and life as a single mom in her recent book, Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress (HarperCollins Publishing, June 2000).

 Hear more as Ginsberg tells Lopez's story for All Things Considered. Then listen as All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with Megan Twohey, a welfare reporter for the National Journal, about how welfare reform has affected the lives of people like Lopez.

The Changing Face of America is an 18-month-long NPR series that tells the stories of regular, everyday Americans and the issues they face at a time of rapid and dramatic change in the U.S. This special series can be heard on NPR's Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered and Morning Edition.

The Changing Face of America series is sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts.