The "War on Poverty" was a set of social welfare initiatives introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson as part of his larger agenda known as the Great Society. One of the key objectives of the War on Poverty was to address the high levels of poverty in the United States, particularly among African Americans and other minority groups.

Several programs were initiated under the War on Poverty, including Head Start, which provided early childhood education to low-income families, and the Economic Opportunity Act, which created programs such as Job Corps and VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) to address unemployment and provide job training.

While the War on Poverty did have some successes in reducing poverty levels and improving access to education and healthcare for many Americans, including African Americans, critics argue that the programs did not go far enough in addressing systemic issues such as institutional racism and economic inequality. The War on Poverty remains a topic of debate in discussions of social welfare policies and their impact on Black communities in the United States.