Two American Families: 1991-2024 (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
Two American Families: 1991-2024 (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
A chronicle of the lives and economic struggles of two families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — one Black and one white — across more than three decades, this “knockout documentary” (The New York Times) raises unsettling questions about the changing nature of the American economy.
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Listen to a new episode of The FRONTLINE Dispatch where correspondent Bill Moyers and filmmakers Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes talk about what their latest documentary, “Two American Families: 1991-2024,” says about America. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/podcast/dispatch/bill-moyers-two-american-families-economy/
"I'M Jackie Stanley… and I refuse " ugh I was brought to tears we have got to start reimagining a new economic model and vision one that isn't without capitalism, but rooted in equity and fairness! As a 34 year old it was like staring in the window. I love Milwaukee and these two families stories of perseverance was a true reflection of all Milwaukeeans. Hugging my mom a little tighter tonight after watching this Gen X and the late Bloomers had it hard… As a Millennial we are starting to re-imagine some of these lessons learned! Beautiful documentary 🙂
We need to change/evolve the way we survive from
*40 hours a week down to 32 with no loss of pay
*universal base income
-it's not rocket science it's just putting humans first instead of an afterthought
this was so depressing
Nicole Stanley summed up one of the bigger underlying issues us Americans face today very well: “They cannot afford to leave that area. Everything is expensive. Real estate have rocketed. And what does that do to a senior citizen couple? It devastates them. Because they could be in a dangerous area, and have to be subjected to it, because they have no other option.” (1:43:03–1:53:18) I want to elaborate and say that it is not just an issue for senior citizen couples, but anyone who cannot afford to move out and buy any kind of American real estate in general for any reason.
MAGA says more tax cuts for the wealthy! Orange Con
The Stanley's neighborhood is beautiful. They have kept their house up over the years and it looks like the surrounding houses and infrastructure have been updated. The tortoise beat the hare. They never got a break but at 70 years old they raised their families well and served the community. I was so encouraged watching them. If that's not the American dream I don't know what is.
Wow this has been one of the most touching and impactful stories FRONTLINE has ever shown us. It hit so close to home and it resonated with me because both these families have so much in common with mine. Wow what a masterpiece thank you PBS
The Stanley Family is such an inspiration and despite the struggle, they’ve done an amazing job with their family. I really was rooting for Terri and her husband. I wish they stayed together. It’s so unfortunate because sometimes hard times will either bring you closer or tear you apart.
This brought me to tears. Especially, when the dad said, “That’s my SON!”, when his boy graduated. The first graduate on both sides of the family. His dad and boys working so hard along with their momma. The other family struggling, too! These are the best of America. Hard working and tough! God bless you all. ❤
I am so impressed with the work ethic and how good of a person (the pastor) is. He is truly a man of God and continues upbeat no matter his situation. That is what we need in this country. We need more men like him. Period.
The impact of moving labor overseas has had ripple effects for nearly four generations of workers now. Full stop, it was to drive profits for the people in charge, and no one actually doing the work saw any of it. In fact, they just laid people off. It blows my mind how the Right has convinced middle class Americans that they have their best interests in mind when all they plan on doing is lining their pockets with extra millions to billions of dollars. Unions protect your workers. Demand more from your employers as you can only look out for yourself. If "Mom and Pop" employers can't pay living wages, then they shouldn't be in the business. Everyone who works deserves to have an affordable, clean roof over their head with working amenities.
This was an excellent documentary by FRONTLINE. These families are an inspiration! I have so much respect for each of these families and their struggles.
ship jobs to asia…ship asians here to buy our foreclosures
I live in Wisconsin and I think about the Stanleys alot. I hope to meet them one day ❤
I think it's a shame that the Newman's ended up getting divorced. I hate seeing families split up. I honestly think that my man could have tried a little harder to make the marriage work.
I cried, I prayed and now I feel inspired. These are the times we all need to show up as a community. We are all going through tough and unsure times. But if these good people can prosper through resilience so can we.
Life is ugly and hard, as difficult as the issues are that these families face there are families facing much worse, domestically and around the globe. I’m 60 and never had children because I never wanted to subject my offspring to this world.
JP Morgan recvd biggest welfare check after 2017 wallstreet bailout, CEO’s recvd billions for stepping down, on tax payors backs & yet..they chose not to help Carissa (1st fam) keep her home, buying it out far less JP would sell it on their Govt Welfare bailout check! Didn’t follow stipulation helping fam keep their homes either, politicians didn’t in force & dam well knew it! USA is a sham! Corporate are politicians, we are the new slaves.
Why doesn’t she go get a job cleaning houses or something? The kids are in school. She has money for cigarettes? Those kids can apply for college assistance. Plus, I always wanted to have more kids but realized how expensive they would be. They should teach about this in schools. Would love to know how much money they got in assistance. I love The Stanley’s!
The machine
I loathe being part of the machinations that pit us against each other crumbs. CEOs earn even 700x more than the average worker. No work is easy. Minimum wage should be enough for basics. I blame the government for selling out
This paints a very grim picture of America. This is definitely eye opening. My friends and I grew up in lower class families, but we made it. Went to college, got good jobs; and against the odds, attained the American dream. Did we just get lucky?
I do feel our school system is not doing a good enough job preparing our kids for the real world. It seems to me that there are a lot of kids need good mentors to show them the ropes. Perhaps a national mentorship program is in order.
This is why you get certifications, education, etc. Entry level jobs are great but you're fighting for that job with a million other people. You need to make yourself valuable to employers.
Wow! This is amazing. What a journalist ! My family always struggled. This was like looking at the mirror all those 30 years…
Why didn't Karisa just get a 2 or 3 bedroom as opposed to paying for another apt
This documentary was touching, but I feel sad right now. I hope they all find greater prosperity and happiness going forward. 💕
Oh my! I show this to my high school classes every year. I’m glad to see the updates. Thank you. 👏🏾❤️🇺🇸
Depressing
He was in basements with no ppe!
Terri is a great grandmother at 61!!
Amazing work from the producers thanks you much.
I have always wondered what became of these hard working families. So thank you Frontline for the update.
Adam: high school drop out, got gf pregnant. He says he can't work and go to school??? Bunch of losers