Can poverty be reduced by singing about it? A host of celebrities sure hope so.  Two members of the Black Eyed Peas and Angelique Kidjo have joined forces to create a new song aimed at ending poverty, The Associated Press reports. They performed the song “In My Name” outside the United Nations in New York. World leaders have been at the world body this week for a series of meetings. will.i.am told AP the song is calling for people to see that they have the power as individuals to solve the global poverty problem and to end world hunger. He says the way that can be done is to hold politicians accountable for their promises and making wise choices for world leadership.

He’s walking in the steps of LBJ and MLK, both champions of the poor

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, taking a cue from such anti-poverty crusaders as President Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., says it’s time to launch a full-frontal assault on poverty. “We need to re-invest in America,” the 66-year-old civil rights leader told a crowd of nearly 300 people in Chicago during a fund-raiser for Covenant United Methodist Church. The speech attracted Democrats and Republicans, and it did not address either political party. That’s because it’s not all about politics or presidential campaigns, said Jackson, who is pushing voter registration and education. “Change has to come from the bottom up, not just the top down,” Jackson said at a news conference prior to his speech.