The Triple Crown of Global Poverty

The last time a female horse won the Belmont Stakes, the Boxer Rebellion in China had just ended, women’s suffrage in America had not yet taken flight, and World War One was still a decade away. Yet, June 9, 2007, “Rags to Riches,” made racing history and if we pay attention, this horse could teach us a thing or two about making poverty history.

First, let’s take the fact that worldwide (and one of the Millenium Development Goals) the empowerment of women leads to great economic benefit for the country and the world in which it happens. In fact, a UN study conducted at the end of the 20th century concluded that the single largest factor in eradicating malnutrition in the 63 country research was simply this: a primary education for women.

The Belmont Stakes is the longest of the three triple crown races, at a mile and a half. The race has been nicknamed by some, ‘the race of champions,’ due to the endurance it takes to not only complete it, but to win it on the heels of the Preakness and the Kentucky Derby respectively. No horse has won the triple crown since Affirmed in the late 1970’s, yet several have won the Derby and the Preakness. The Belmont remains unique because of both its length and timing and remains instructive to us as a culture because life doesn’t always smell like roses, nor is it a sprint. Life, and this is especially true for those in the developing world, is simply a hard fought, lengthy race, and often the odds are stacked against women.

But, the oppression of women is only one reminder. Secondly, there is preventable disease. The vast majority of small children do not die from AIDS, SARS, or Bird Flu, though these all mystify the medical community and garner quite a bit of attention in the media. One of the leading causes of death among children five and under is malaria. A disease that adults often prevent by popping pills when they travel and a disease that is completely (as evidenced by the United States and Western Europe) treatable and curable. Malaria does not mystify doctors, therefore it hardly gets our attention. The fact that we have not proactively eliminated malaria deaths or dramatically reduced them is simply that we must not care all that much. Otherwise, we have no good excuse. Malaria becomes, in many respects, a stewardship or priority issue. We all make time for that which is important to us, but for some reason eliminating malaria and other preventable diseases isn’t that important yet.

Instead, we have just signed into law a bill that will spend another 120 billion dollars on a questionable war, we have just spent half a billion on the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean only a year after the second installment made 1.2 billion dollars worldwide. The favorite, and the runner-up of the 2007 Belmont Stakes, Curlin, only lost one race prior to June 9 and his value has risen to the millions. Yes, it is possible that more money was spent at the Belmont in one weekend, than was spent on preventing malaria the entire month.

This leads me to the third and most enduring poverty race in the world today. And it’s simply this: the disparity between the rich and the poor is increasing. Those who are broken by corrupt systems, who have no food, and who have no chance are seemingly on the rise. As we entered the 21st century, one billion (one-sixth) of the world’s population could not write their own name or read a book. So, how should they ask for help or get our attention? They can’t write their name and we don’t even know their names. The primary engine driving global interests is an economic one and this engine is hooked up to a political machine that still can’t seem to address the Darfur crisis with any credibility or rebuild New Orleans with any sustainable energy.

But, this isn’t a cynical or pessimistic story. This is a ‘Rags to Riches,’ story. A female who, neck and neck, and eye to eye, stared down 102 years of losing tradition for the last quarter mile and won. As if to say, ‘enough is enough,’ she made racing history and as a reminder to many of us, if we pause to reflect, she may inspire us to endure the race, stare down crowd favorites, and with equal sentiment, we shout, ‘not on my watch.’ The odds are often against history makers, but let me say once again, that’s why this is not a story about those who have everything. This is a story about hope.