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Bridging the class divide

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Building Economic Alternatives

Voices of the Working Class, Working Poor and Poor

March 22, 2021 by Class Action 1 Comment

Class Action’s Voices of the Working Class, Working Poor and Poor series seeks to raise the visibility of those most impacted by inequality and create access to their perspectives and experiences. Creating a Solidarity Alternative: The Center for Cooperative Development and Solidarity (CCDS) Ann Philbin, Executive Director of Class Action, speaks with Luz Zambrano, Liliana Avendaño, […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Building Economic Alternatives, Coops, Gender Class Intersections, Women and Class, Your Stories

A Reflection on the Gig Economy

August 31, 2018 by Anonymous Leave a Comment

I am no stranger to the gig economy. I have relied on it from time to time to supplement the income from my small business. When business is slow – or more often – when vendors are slow to pay me, I’ve taken short-term temp work, signed up for focus groups or been a “secret […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Building Economic Alternatives, Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations, Poverty, Workplace classism Tagged With: consumerism, corporations, low-wage jobs, Minimum wage, privilege, working class

The Work to Be Done This Labor Day

August 31, 2018 by Miranda Cunningham Leave a Comment

On Labor Day 2018, it’s hard to maintain hope. Many will labor on Labor Day (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Growing up in a blue-collar union household, working on holidays was considered a boon). Many labor in worse conditions than our parents and grandparents. The Gig Economy The gig economy leaves millions on their […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations, Corporate power, Dismantlng Classism, Labor movement, Poverty, Systemic Classism Tagged With: activism, community organizing, downward mobility, low-wage jobs, middle class, Minimum wage, public services, race and class, social movements, unions

The Case for the Maximum Wage

June 7, 2018 by Sam Pizzigati 1 Comment

For classist put-downs, a maximum wage just may be the ultimate antidote. How raw can class contempt get? Take a look at the venom that oozed out earlier this spring from Ronald Havner, the CEO of Public Storage, America’s biggest self-storage company. This year, for the first time ever, enterprises like Public Storage have had […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Building Economic Alternatives, Class prejudice, Classism, Workplace classism Tagged With: blaming the victim, classism, owning class, privilege, Rationalizing privilege, super-rich

B1GS: First Gen College Students

April 19, 2018 by Johnasia McCrea Leave a Comment

I am a sophomore at Rutgers University-Camden, studying psychology with a minor in childhood studies and social work. I am also – with great pride – a first generation college student. I aspire to become a child psychologist. During the spring semester of my freshman year, I had the opportunity to attend the Class Action […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, First Generation College Students, Internalized classism Tagged With: academia, education, first generation college students, poverty, working class

Social Class, Equality at Heart of International Women’s Day

March 8, 2018 by Class Action Leave a Comment

There are countless reasons that people around the world celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD). The day provides a focus and opportunity to celebrate women’s contributions to society, highlight our struggles for equity, point to the huge pay and educational discrepancies suffered by women and girls, and thank women for fostering the well-being of families and communities. But, many people are […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Building Economic Alternatives, Classism in the Economy, Women and Class Tagged With: classism, social movements, speaking up

American Exceptionalism Leaves International Women’s Day Blank

March 8, 2018 by Aimee Loiselle Leave a Comment

When searching for information about International Women’s Day (IWD) 2018, I knew I would not find details from the U.S. government. It doesn’t coordinate IWD events or recognize it as an official holiday, unlike 26 nations that include Afghanistan, Cuba, Laos, Russia and Uganda. However, I was surprised when I had to make a concerted […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Building Economic Alternatives, Class cultures, Gender Class Intersections, Women and Class Tagged With: social movements, speaking up, working class

Malnourishment: A Case Study on U.S. Food Insecurity

February 15, 2018 by Nicole Braun 2 Comments

The final report of the 1996 World Food Summit states that food security “exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture agrees – at least in theory. […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in Politics, Classism in social services, Classism in the Economy, Poverty, Systemic Classism Tagged With: blaming the victim, budget cuts, low-wage jobs, poverty, public services, stereotypes

Addressing Food Insecurity on Campus

February 15, 2018 by René Franceschini Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had been both poorly understood and oftentimes neglected until very recently. I think the overwhelming view of the administration was that students were, in general, […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Class in Higher Education, Classism, Classism in Higher Education, Cross-class alliances, Money Tagged With: academia, activism, community organizing, education, money

Trump’s First Year: Did the Working-Class Benefit?

January 29, 2018 by Christa Avampato Leave a Comment

Donald Trump ran for president on a populist and inclusionary platform. As he campaigned across the country, he appealed to increasingly larger numbers of Americans who felt forgotten by the country’s policies and politicians. Despite the fact that he lost the popular vote by three million, there’s no doubt that he tapped into the visceral […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Classism in K-12 Education, Classism in Politics, Health care access, Money, Politics and Class Tagged With: classism, health care, privilege, public school, super-rich, tax cuts, working class

Homeless Shelters as Band-Aids: Housing Is a Human Right

December 7, 2017 by Nicole Braun Leave a Comment

From the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 25: (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Affordable Housing, Building Economic Alternatives, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in social services, Classism in the Economy Tagged With: classism, homeless, owning class, poverty, public services

Missing Corner, Missing Choices

October 24, 2017 by Anika Savage Leave a Comment

I recently participated in the Class Action workshop The Moment for Change: Exploring Class and Classism for Social Action. I learned a lot from the “class” – specifically, that class does matter, and each of us brings our experience into interactions with others. There was one point in the class, however, when I felt a strong […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Building Economic Alternatives, Classism in the Economy, Dismantlng Classism, Systemic Classism Tagged With: low-wage jobs, money, poverty, working class

What Happens When Degrees Aren’t Enough?

July 25, 2017 by Taylor Chapman 3 Comments

  Being a first generation college student often feels like being perpetually caught between two or more worlds. Many of us learn that we must weave ourselves seamlessly through poverty, familial commitments, academic demands and more in order to be successful. But what happens when code-switching and your degree don’t seem to be enough? A […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Building Economic Alternatives, Class in Higher Education, Classism in the Economy, First Generation College Students, Poverty Tagged With: academia, education, first generation college students, low-wage jobs, poverty, privilege, working class

Trump’s Presidency: What We Deserve

June 29, 2017 by Gillian Mason Leave a Comment

Type “Trump voters deserve” into your search bar, and the two suggestions that pop up are “Trump voters deserve what they get” and “Trump voters deserve to lose healthcare.” To me, and I’d guess probably to you, this logic is completely unsurprising. In the Northeastern city where I live, we hear it every day – […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Building Economic Alternatives, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Politics, Classism in the Economy, Dismantlng Classism, Health care access, Owning class, Politics and Class, Poverty Tagged With: blaming the victim, budget cuts, classism, middle class, privilege, race and class, racism, snobs, stereotypes, super-rich, tax cuts, working class

The Gig Economy and The Creative

February 13, 2017 by Christopher Page 2 Comments

A Perfect Match, Right? People with power tend to view gigs as hobbies, or sometimes lucrative endeavors in the “sharing economy.” Everybody knows Uber drivers, indies and consultants make a killing while controlling their own destinies, right? Yeah, as if. For 26 years I’ve depended on project work, “gigs,” for my employment and income source. I didn’t […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Class prejudice, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in the Economy Tagged With: classism, debt, gig economy, low-wage jobs, money, snobs

Surviving in the Gig Economy

February 10, 2017 by Jade Obler Leave a Comment

As a creative person without a degree, the gig economy field has always appealed to me. I have had various jobs in customer service that have left me emotionally drained and unable to create art and enjoy my life, due to long hours and low wages. It seemed at first that gig economy jobs were […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Money Tagged With: debt, gig economy, low-wage jobs, making ends meet, Minimum wage, money

Gig Economy Hustle

February 10, 2017 by Kendra Colburn Leave a Comment

I stare through wild green houseplants out my bedroom window. A robot voice over the phone guides me through my student loan servicer’s menu. “Lower my bill,” I say to the aloe. “Lower my bill,” I say to the cactus. “Lower my bill,” I say to the jade, and eventually I speak to Daisy. Daisy […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Poverty Tagged With: debt, low-wage jobs, Minimum wage, money

Safe, Affordable Housing Is a Human Right

January 5, 2017 by Aimee Inglis 1 Comment

On the morning of December 3rd, 2016, the deadly effects of the affordable housing crisis became clear. If housing were treated as a human right, if artists were supported by the cities and developers that profit off their creativity, the loss of 36 lives in Oakland, California in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire could have […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Affordable Housing, Building Economic Alternatives, Classism in Politics Tagged With: community organizing, poverty, speaking up

Affordable vs. Attainable Housing

January 5, 2017 by Lita Kurth 3 Comments

When you think affordable housing, you think $600,000 for a condo, right? With a $12,000 down payment, that would be $3,557 per month for 30 years. Maybe that’s why a new term has arisen in the real estate market, attainable housing. Under the new rules, old safety precautions are ignored. Once, homebuyers were advised to spend no more than […]

Filed Under: Affordable Housing, Building Economic Alternatives, Money Tagged With: debt, downward mobility, middle class, money, working class

The Growing Problem of Top Heavy Philanthropy

December 15, 2016 by Chuck Collins Leave a Comment

And What to Do About It New research from the Institute for Policy Studies and Inequality.org, finds that the philanthropic sector is increasingly dominated by the 1%, their own private foundations and donor advised funds. In the resulting report Gilded Giving: Top Heavy Philanthropy in an Age of Extreme Inequality, Class Action Board member Chuck Collins, Helen Flannery and […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Philanthropy and Classism Tagged With: owning class

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