Is poverty a choice?

There isn't one standard for poverty. It differs across the world. And as it differs, so do the opportunities for getting out of poverty. It is easier to get out of poverty in a country like the United States where 15% of the population lives under the poverty line versus in a country such as Haiti where the poverty rate is 77% and about 80% of the country lives on less than $2 per day. In the United States, we have several welfare programs to help those in need. This greatly increases one's chances of getting out of poverty. But that doesn't mean poverty is a choice. I'm certain that no one is choosing to live in poverty. The choice one does have is whether they take advantage of their opportunities. Of course, not every country will have these opportunities and taking advantage of these opportunities doesn't necessarily mean one will get out of poverty anyways. Even after working hard, one may still not get out of poverty. And not working at all doesn't mean one will live in poverty. It's not like one single decision can place someone in poverty. We have no choice on the first "decision," which is the family one is born into. If someone is born into a rich family, they probably won't ever get to poverty.
So poverty isn't exactly a choice. There isn't one clear path to avoid poverty. Sometimes there isn't even a path to get out. But there are steps to take that can help one improve his or her situation and make getting out of poverty a reality.

Integration

We live in a bubble here at school. Our school is really diverse, so it’s strange to look around and see places that are segregated and not diverse. One doesn’t have to look far: Chicago itself is a diverse, yet segregated city. There are often neighborhoods that are just one race. I assume that one of the reasons for this is de facto segregation, which is segregation that happens that isn’t required by law, usually out of habit. Once segregation ended, people were used to where they were living and didn’t want to move, so they just stayed in their segregated neighborhoods. As generations passed, there has been moving around and more integration, but many stayed in those same neighborhoods. Some people may feel more comfortable around their own race and therefore try to stay near them. Of course, this isn’t a general rule. Some people may segregate subconsciously and others may be making a conscious choice, while some people simply don’t care. I’m glad that I go to a school like Whitney Young. I think I’m much more open-minded than I would be if I had gone to a different school. I think integration starts from schools: depending on what a child is exposed to at a young age will affect their views later. Therefore schools should be as diverse as Whitney Young so that children are taught that integration is a good thing from the beginning.