Editor’s note: In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Samoan writer Rudy Mageo shares his story.

It’s no secret that Viola Davis came from meager beginnings. It’s also an understatement to call the brilliant actress’s upbringing meager. Davis has said it before and says it again, “I always say that I was a rung lower than poor; I was ‘po.’”

I am not ashamed of being broke.

Dr. Ben Carson, secretary of housing and urban development, said in an interview released Wednesday that poverty is a “state of mind” children learn from their parents, and that a “certain mindset” contributes to people living in poverty.

In 2008, 18-year-old Demorrea Tarver was out with some friends when he was stopped by the police. Officers found a handgun in the handbag of a minor who was riding with Tarver (Tarver said he didn’t know about the gun) and a small amount of marijuana. The cops arrested Tarver and charged him with three counts of…

“Anyone who has struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.” — James Baldwin