This report presents research findings on the opinions of 58 low-income black men and women who discuss whether or not they feel they could earn their way out of poverty and how they might do so. The research involved four focus groups of employed and unemployed men and women from the Washington, D.C., area. The following general conclusions are drawn from an analysis of the focus group discussions: (1) participants see their poverty as caused by a mixture of poor choices, bad luck, and racial discrimination; (2) most believe they can earn their way out of poverty and expect to do so eventually; (3) participants remain hopeful and motivated about successful employment even though they have many reasons to despair; and (4) most believe strongly that they can attain the "American Dream" if they work hard. The individual and marketplace barriers that make obtaining and keeping a job difficult for low-income blacks are discussed. Ways that businesses can help train low-income blacks for jobs are explored. Policy implications are presented based on the participants' responses. Three appendices contain representative quotes from the groups, an overview of the participants, and the outline used to direct the discussions. (JS)