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Tough Economic Times In Fresno

For some people in California's central valley, life resembles scenes from The Grapes of Wrath. A report called "Measure of America" names Fresno, Calif., the least economically developed part of the country. Opportunities to make a decent living can be very hard to find there due to drought and unemployment.

As part of our "California Dreamin'" series, Phillip Martin looks at what makes Fresno such a difficult case.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Phillip Martin
Phillip is the supervising senior editor for News & Notes with Ed Gordon. He also is executive producer of Lifted Veils Productions, Inc., a nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to exploring and investigating issues that divide society. He is former race relations correspondent for NPR. As such, he reported on the many ways that race intersects other social, political, and economic concerns. Phillip has contributed reports to the BBC, CBC radio and television, the VOA, On the Media, The World, Marketplace, and other outlets. He has written articles and essays on race, history, and film for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and other publications.
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