I was in Marks, Mississippi, the other day, which is in Whitman County, the poorest county in the United States. I tell you, I saw hundreds of little black boys and black girls walking the streets with no shoes to wear. I saw their mothers and fathers trying to carry on a little Head Start program, but they had no money. The federal government hadn’t funded them, but they were trying to carry on. They raised a little money here and there; trying to get a little food to feed the children; trying to teach them a little something.
I think that this would make a captivating lede to a story since it has the ability to grasp the readers heart strings and pull them in wanting to learn more. King truly paints a picture for us with these few sentences and doesn't sugar coat the devastating nature of the current status of America.