By in America by
Barbara Ehrenreich.
Millions of
Americans work but
earn only povertylevel wages. One day,
journalist Barbara
Ehrenreich decided
to join them. She was
inspired in part by the
rhetoric surrounding
welfare reform,
which promised that any job is the ticket to
a better life. But how can anyone survive,
let alone prosper, on a minimum wage? To
find out, Ehrenreich moved
from Florida to Maine
to Minnesota, taking the
cheapest lodgings available
and accepting any job she
was offered. She worked as a waitress, a
hotel maid, a cleaning woman, a nursinghome aide and a Wal-Mart sales clerk. She
soon discovered that even the “lowliest”
occupations require exhausting mental and
physical efforts. And one job is not enough;
you need at least two if you intend to live
indoors.
To participate, read the book! Copies of
Nickel and Dimed are available at Monroeville
Public Library. Check out a copy, or ask
to borrow multiple copies
for your book group or
organization. Call Mark
Hudson at 412.372.0500
ext. 113 to arrange to borrow
multiple copies. (Nickel
and Dimed is available in Large Print and
audiobook formats in addition to regular
print.) Take part in book discussions and
special events scheduled through May. Invite
your friends and neighbors to join you!
Monroeville Public Library staff is available
to help plan your event or lead a discussion
for your group. A reading guide is available.
For more information, call Sally Michalski at
412.372.0500 ext. 124.
DINNER N’ DANCE
The Monroeville Senior Citizens Center
will be hosting a Dinner n’ Dance fundraiser
on Friday, May 20, from 7 to 10 p.m. The
event will feature a fun-filled night of dancing
to live music in addition to hors d’oeuvres
and raffles. Tickets can be purchased at the
Senior Citizen Center, with a deadline of
May 13. No tickets will be available at the
door. Be sure to join in on this evening of
great music, food and dancing while helping
to support seniors of the community. For
more information, call 412.856.7825. n
okay to act abusively, bystanders can be upstanders and everyone
should have healthy, mutually respectful relationships.
H First Place: Join Together and Say No More. This video,
submitted by Monae Findley, a senior at Gateway High School,
demonstrated the difference between an abusive relationship
and a healthy relationship. It also stressed that bystanders can be
upstanders.
H People’s Choice: Get the Facts. This video, made by
Payton Otterman, a junior at Gateway High School, offers striking
statistics about teen dating violence followed by a series of calls to
action.
To view the videos, visit: southwestpasaysnomore.org/
category/contest.
GATEWAY STUDENTS VIDEO FOR THE
WIN IN ANTI-VIOLENCE EFFORT
Teens from across the region took a stand against dating
violence during Teen Dating Violence Awareness month by
participating in a “Southwest PA Says No More” video contest, and
two Gateway High School students were special winners in this
year’s contest.
Southwest PA Says No More announced the winning videos,
selected from 18 entries submitted by local high school and college
students. Students explored themes in their videos such as it’s not
About Southwest PA Says NO MORE
Southwest PA Says NO MORE is a growing community of
organizations and individuals who are working to end domestic
and sexual violence. FISA Foundation, in partnership with The
Heinz Endowments and United Way of Allegheny County,
developed Southwest PA Says No More to showcase the important
prevention-focused work happening in the region, and to make
it easier for individuals and organizations to take action to stop
gender-based violence. More than 20 organizations across the
region have partnered with Southwest PA Says No More, including
the Jewish Com