Anti-Poverty and Anti-RacismAnti-Poverty and Anti-Racism

by Paul C. Gorski - by Paul C. Gorski - gorski@EdChange.orggorski@EdChange.org

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What We (Think We) KnowWhat We (Think We) Know

Class and Poverty Awareness Quiz

– Humility is key– Cognitive dissonance is inevitable

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Introductory Stuff: Introductory Stuff: The AgendaThe Agenda

1. Introductory Stuff (in progress)

2. Stereotypes of Low-Income People

3. Reconsidering Key Concepts

4. Shifts of Consciousness

5. Being an Anti-Poverty, Anti-Racism Activist

Part II:

Oppressors Are Us:Stereotypes of Low-Income

People

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Stereotypers Are Us

Pairs: Name all the stereotypes you know about low-income people And note where they come from

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Stereotypers Are Us

Stereotype: Laziness

Ah, but: According to the Economic Policy Institute (2002), poor working adults spend more hours working per week on average than their wealthier counterparts.

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Stereotypers Are Us

Stereotype: Don’t Value Education

Ah, but: Low-income parents hold the exact same attitudes about education as wealthy parents (Compton-Lilly, 2003; Lareau & Horvat, 1999; Leichter, 1978; Varenne & McDermott, 1986).

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Stereotypers Are Us

Stereotype: Substance Abuse

Ah, but: Alcohol abuse is far more prevalent among wealthy people than poor people (Galea, Ahern, Tracy, & Vlahov, 2007). And drug use equally distributed across poor, middle class, and wealthy communities (Saxe, Kadushin, Tighe, Rindskopf, & Beveridge, 2001).

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Stereotypers Are Us

Stereotype: Crime and Violence

Ah, but: Poor people do not commit more crime than wealthy people—they only commit more visible crime. Furthermore, white collar crime results in much greater economic (and life) losses than so-called “violent” crime.

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Stereotypers Are Us

Stereotype: Language-Deficient

Ah, but: Linguists have known for decades that all varieties of English (such as “Black English vernacular” or Appalachian varieties) are equally complex in structure and grammar (Gee, 2004; Hess, 1974; Miller, Cho, & Bracey, 2005).

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Stereotypers Are Us

Where, then, do these stereotypes come from, and whose purposes do they serve?

Part IIIPart III

Revisiting Key ConceptsRevisiting Key Concepts

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Key ConceptsKey Concepts

1.1. The ‘Culture of Poverty’The ‘Culture of Poverty’

2.2. Deficit TheoryDeficit Theory

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Key Concept:Key Concept:The ‘Culture of Poverty’The ‘Culture of Poverty’

The “hidden rules” quizThe “hidden rules” quizWhere you’ve seen it inWhere you’ve seen it in

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Key Concept:Key Concept:The ‘Deficit Theory’The ‘Deficit Theory’

Example: Payne’s reflections on Katrina Example: Payne’s reflections on Katrina (see handout)(see handout)

Where you’ve seen itWhere you’ve seen it

Part IVPart IV

Shifts of ConsciousnessShifts of Consciousness

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Shift of Consciousness #1Shift of Consciousness #1

Must be willing to think critically Must be willing to think critically about those things about which I’ve about those things about which I’ve been taught not to think criticallybeen taught not to think critically– Corporate capitalismCorporate capitalism– Two-party political systemTwo-party political system– Work of IMF and World BankWork of IMF and World Bank

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Shift of Consciousness #2Shift of Consciousness #2Must acknowledge class-related Must acknowledge class-related inequities and oppressions—and inequities and oppressions—and understand them as systemic and understand them as systemic and not just individual acts and practicesnot just individual acts and practices– So “lifting people out of poverty” one by So “lifting people out of poverty” one by

one is not the same thing as eliminating one is not the same thing as eliminating povertypoverty

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Shift of Consciousness #3Shift of Consciousness #3

Must See Our SocializationMust See Our Socialization– How are we socialized to perpetuate the How are we socialized to perpetuate the

myths? myths? – How do we perpetuate myths and How do we perpetuate myths and

oppression even through well-intended oppression even through well-intended work?work?

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Shift of Consciousness #4Shift of Consciousness #4

Must challenge stereotypesMust challenge stereotypes– From youngsters, not-so-youngsters, From youngsters, not-so-youngsters,

peers, bosses, whoever…peers, bosses, whoever…– And if you don’t have the information to And if you don’t have the information to

challenge the stereotypes, then actively challenge the stereotypes, then actively seek it outseek it out

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Shift of Consciousness #5Shift of Consciousness #5

Must refuse to mistake Must refuse to mistake socioeconomic class or race with socioeconomic class or race with “culture”“culture”– Poverty and racism are sociopolitical in Poverty and racism are sociopolitical in

nature—they’re done nature—they’re done to to peoplepeople

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Shift of Consciousness #6Shift of Consciousness #6

Must be willing to unsettle and Must be willing to unsettle and discomfortdiscomfort– Institutional likeabilityInstitutional likeability– Who am I trying to keep comfortable, Who am I trying to keep comfortable,

and at whose expense?and at whose expense?

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Shift of Consciousness #7Shift of Consciousness #7

Must be careful to avoid “saviour Must be careful to avoid “saviour syndrome” or “messiah mentality” or syndrome” or “messiah mentality” or “missionary mindset”“missionary mindset”– This is an expression of supremacy and This is an expression of supremacy and

privilegeprivilege– Who, exactly, is being “saved” in anti-Who, exactly, is being “saved” in anti-

poverty and anti-racism work?poverty and anti-racism work?

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Shift of Consciousness #8Shift of Consciousness #8

Focus on understanding Focus on understanding the cultures the cultures and forces of power and privilegeand forces of power and privilege, , not only on the experiences and not only on the experiences and cultures of the dispossessed “other”cultures of the dispossessed “other”– We cannot understand class and poverty We cannot understand class and poverty

without understanding the influence of without understanding the influence of the wealthy elitethe wealthy elite

Part VII

What We Can Do

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What We Can Do:Fight for Low-Income

Students Fight to keep low-income children from being

placed unfairly into lower academic tracks. And fight to get them into gifted and talented

programs. Or fight educational tracking altogether.

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What We Can Do:Fight for Low-Income

Students Insist on equitable schooling conditions for all

students. Fight what Kozol calls the “savage inequalities” of

our schools

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What We Can Do:Educate About Class and Poverty Lack of living wage jobs Dissolution of labor unions Growing wealth gap Corporate control of government and schools

Educate toward fixing these injustices rather than “fixing” poor people and people of color

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What We Can Do:Take Back Our Heroes

Resist whitewashing or commercialization of social justice heroes who fought for class equity MLK Helen Keller Mark Twain Black Panthers

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What We Can Do:Help Individuals & Fight Systems If all of our anti-poverty work goes into

addressing symptoms rather than the underlying injustices, nothing will change.

If all of our work goes into fighting the underlying injustices while ignoring immediate symptoms, people will die.

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What We Can Do:Self-Assess

Consider: Is your work, or that of your organization, moving us closer to an equitable and just society or world, or is it, despite good intentions, sustaining inequity and injustice?

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What We Can Do:Do Informed Work

Reject the temptation to use popular models (such as Ruby Payne’s) just because they’re popular. Ask why they’re popular. And opt, instead, for models that are based on evidence and proved effectiveness.

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What We Can Do:Engage Low-Income Folks

As we know, the experts are the communities. Avoid the missionary approach by asking what we can do rather doing what we think we ought to do.

Work with rather than for.

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What We Can Do:Learn

Never stop identifying our own class and race biases. (And yes, you do have them.)

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What We Can Do:See and Work at Intersections Environmental Justice & Poverty Environmental Justice & Racism Media Conglomeration & Poverty & Racism Privatization of Schools & Poverty & Racism War & Poverty & Racism (see MLK) Globalization & Poverty & Racism And so on...

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What We Can Do:Evaluate Materials

Make sure your organization’s materials do not stereotype—even if subtly—economically disadvantaged people

Part VIII

Stages of Anti-Poverty Activism

(see handout)

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Quotes

“And one day we must ask the question, Why are there forty million poor people in America? And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy.”

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Quotes

“I am a socialist because I believe that socialism will solve the misery of the world — give work to the man who is hungry and idle and at least give to little children the right to be born free.”

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Quotes

“In a country well governed poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed wealth is something to be ashamed of.”

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Quotes

“The distinctions separating the social classes are false; in the last analysis they rest on force.”

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Quotes

“We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifices. Capitalism was built on the exploitation of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor, both black and white, both here and abroad.”

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Quotes

“Who are the oppressors? The few: the King, the capitalist, and a handful of other overseers and superintendents. Who are the oppressed? The many: the nations of the earth; the valuable personages; the workers; they that make the bread that the soft-handed and idle eat.”

Paul C. GorskiPaul C. Gorski

gorski@edchange.orggorski@edchange.org

http://www.EdChange.orghttp://www.EdChange.org