Poverty, Racism, and Poverty, Racism, and (Un)Consciousness in the U.S.(Un)Consciousness in the U.S.

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

22

Introductory Stuff:Introductory Stuff:Who Said It?Who Said It?

“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.”

33

Introductory Stuff:Introductory Stuff:Who Said It?Who Said It?

“…we commit ourselves to…address creatively and courageously the complex causes of poverty.”

44

Introductory Stuff:Introductory Stuff:Who We AreWho We Are

• Who’s in the room?

• My background and lens

55

Introductory Stuff:Introductory Stuff:Starting AssumptionsStarting Assumptions

1. Low-income people bear the brunt of almost every imaginable social ill in the U.S.

2. All people, regardless of socioeconomic status, deserve access to basic human rights

3. Inequities in the U.S. (and globally) mean that all people don’t have this access

66

Gross InequitiesGross InequitiesCompared with low-poverty U.S. schools,

high-poverty U.S. schools have: • More teachers teaching in areas outside

their certification subjects;• More serious teacher turnover problems;• More teacher vacancies;• Larger numbers of substitute teachers;

77

Gross Inequities (cont’d)Gross Inequities (cont’d)• More dirty or inoperative bathrooms;• More evidence of vermin such as cockroaches

and rats;• Insufficient classroom materials• Less rigorous curricula;• Fewer experienced teachers;• Lower teacher salaries;• Larger class sizes; and• Less funding.

88

Gross InequitiesGross InequitiesBarton, P.E. (2004). Why does the gap persist? Educational

Leadership 62(3), 8-13.Barton, P.E. (2003). Parsing the achievement gap: Baselines for

tracking progress. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.Carey, K. (2005). The funding gap 2004: Many states still

shortchange low-income and minority students. Washington, D.C.: The Education Trust.

National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (2004). Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education: A two-tiered education system. Washington, D.C.: Author.

Rank, M.R. (2004). One nation, underprivileged: Why American poverty affects us all. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

99

Introductory Stuff: Introductory Stuff: The AgendaThe Agenda

1. Introductory Stuff (in progress)

2. The Big Picture: Ten Chairs

3. Key Information & Concepts

4. Where We Go Wrong

5. Tenets of Race-Conscious Anti-Poverty Activism

Part II:

The Big Picture:

Ten Chairs

11

The Big Picture

Point of Reflection:

What would you describe as your socioeconomic status?

12

The Big Picture

Point of Reflection:

Where does the notion of meritocracy come from, and has it ever been true?

13

The Big Picture

Point of Reflection:

Is poverty an individual experience or, like racism, a systemic condition?

And what does this mean for how we tackle poverty and racism?

Part IIIPart III

Informing Ourselves:Informing Ourselves:

Key Information & Key Information & ConceptsConcepts

1515

Key InformationKey Information

1.1. A majority of low-income people in the A majority of low-income people in the U.S. are white.U.S. are white.

2.2. However, African Americans, Native However, African Americans, Native Americans, Latinas/os, and Asian Americans, Latinas/os, and Asian Americans are much more likely to be Americans are much more likely to be low-income than white people.low-income than white people.

1616

Key InformationKey Information

3. A majority of low-income people live in 3. A majority of low-income people live in rural, rather than urban, areas.rural, rather than urban, areas.

4. However, a growing number of low-4. However, a growing number of low-income people are moving to suburban income people are moving to suburban areas due to gentrification.areas due to gentrification.

1717

Key ConceptsKey Concepts

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

2.2. Deficit TheoryDeficit Theory

3.3. The “Undeserving” PoorThe “Undeserving” Poor

The process built on these concepts The process built on these concepts socializes us into complicity.socializes us into complicity.

1818

Key Concept:Key Concept:Capitalist HegemonyCapitalist Hegemony

Defining “hegemony” Defining “hegemony” History of capitalist hegemony (and History of capitalist hegemony (and

defining communism and socialism as the defining communism and socialism as the enemy)enemy)

Importance of hegemony to understanding Importance of hegemony to understanding how we understandhow we understand poverty poverty

Consumer culture, meritocracyConsumer culture, meritocracy

1919

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

What is it? (See hidden rules quizzes.)What is it? (See hidden rules quizzes.)Who made it up?Who made it up?What the research saysWhat the research saysWhy it’s dangerousWhy it’s dangerous

2020

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

Two ComponentsTwo ComponentsExample: “Welfare Mothers”Example: “Welfare Mothers”Why it’s dangerousWhy it’s dangerousWho, or what, needs to be “fixed”?Who, or what, needs to be “fixed”?

2121

Key Concept:Key Concept:The ‘Undeserving Poor’The ‘Undeserving Poor’

Herbert Gans, Herbert Gans, The War Against the PoorThe War Against the PoorDeterioration of support for policy Deterioration of support for policy ““Welfare Reform”Welfare Reform”

2222

Socialized for ComplicitySocialized for Complicity

Consumer Culture (shopping)Consumer Culture (shopping)Myth of MeritocracyMyth of MeritocracyMyth of “American Dream”Myth of “American Dream”

Latter two most devastating to People of ColorLatter two most devastating to People of Color

Part VIPart VI

Where We Go WrongWhere We Go Wrong

2424

Where We Go WrongWhere We Go Wrong

Confusing the mitigation of poverty Confusing the mitigation of poverty with the elimination of poverty.with the elimination of poverty.

- Clothing and housing the poor is - Clothing and housing the poor is necessary, but it is not analogous necessary, but it is not analogous with ending poverty.with ending poverty.

2525

Where We Go WrongWhere We Go Wrong

Trying to address poverty by “fixing” Trying to address poverty by “fixing” low-income people.low-income people.

- We don’t fix racism by “fixing” People - We don’t fix racism by “fixing” People of Color, either!of Color, either!

2626

Where We Go WrongWhere We Go Wrong

Confusing charity with social change Confusing charity with social change movement.movement.

- Ending poverty (like racism) requires - Ending poverty (like racism) requires systemic changes to an oppressive systemic changes to an oppressive system—we cannot end poverty or system—we cannot end poverty or racism without battling that system. racism without battling that system.

2727

Where We Go WrongWhere We Go Wrong

Confusing charity with social change Confusing charity with social change movement.movement.

- Ending poverty (like racism) requires - Ending poverty (like racism) requires systemic changes to an oppressive systemic changes to an oppressive system—we cannot end poverty or system—we cannot end poverty or racism without battling that system. racism without battling that system.

2828

Where We Go WrongWhere We Go Wrong

Believing that education is the “great Believing that education is the “great equalizer.”equalizer.”

- White men with a graduate degree - White men with a graduate degree earn, on average, $80,000 per year. earn, on average, $80,000 per year. Native American women with a Native American women with a graduate degree earn, on average, graduate degree earn, on average, $42,000 per year. $42,000 per year.

2929

Where We Go WrongWhere We Go Wrong

Assuming it is our job to “save” low-Assuming it is our job to “save” low-income people or people of color or income people or people of color or any other disenfranchised group.any other disenfranchised group.

- One might ask, who, exactly, needs - One might ask, who, exactly, needs saving?saving?

3030

Where We Go WrongWhere We Go WrongAttempting to understand poverty by Attempting to understand poverty by

studying poor people.studying poor people.

- Poverty can be understood only by - Poverty can be understood only by asking asking why why poverty exists and poverty exists and to to whose benefit whose benefit poverty exists. (Can poverty exists. (Can we understand racism without we understand racism without understanding systems of understanding systems of whiteness?)whiteness?)

Part VII

Tenets of Race-Conscious Anti-Poverty Action

32

Tenets

We cannot fight racism or poverty without fighting racism and poverty.

Racism can be seen historically as economic exploitation

33

Tenets

Working class and poor white people often are socialized to believe that working class and poor People of Color, rather than an oppressive economic system, are the source of their hardships.

Focusing only on white privilege won’t work. Help them see how they’re exploited economically by the same power structure and how white privilege is their “compensation” for being the buffer.

34

Tenets

We cannot affect social change by employing the models that are used to socialize us into complicity.

We must model a rejection of deficit ideology, of consumer culture, of the myth of meritocracy.

35

Tenets

Social justice requires us to work with disenfranchised communities.

Avoid service programs (or any programs) that do not happen in collaboration with disenfranchised communities.

Remember, the key to liberation is for people to decide for themselves their path to liberation.

36

Tenets

We cannot end oppression through cultural programming.

Energies and resources set aside for anti-racism and anti-poverty initiatives never should be spent on “celebrating diversity” or “learning about cultures” programs.

Taco Night is fun, but it has nothing to do with racism, except, perhaps, contributing to it.

3737

Final ThoughtFinal Thought

Key to Fighting Poverty and Racism:

Consciousness

Paul C. GorskiPaul C. Gorski

gorski@edchange.orggorski@edchange.org

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