In this paper I seek to reframe current debates around structural and cultural
explanations concerning the interconnectedness of race and poverty in the United States.
In recent decades discussions of race, inequality and family hardship have consolidated
around two opposing perspectives, namely those who support a mainly structural
explanation for chronic hardship versus those who espouse cultural explanations. While
underscoring the structural origins of black poverty in the United States, I seek to
resituate how we think about and research racial disadvantage by proposing a framework
that acknowledges the convergence of social, economic, political and cultural forces in
contemporary society. In so doing, I hope to spark greater interest and dialogue in the
research and policy arenas around a more holistic approach to poverty alleviation.