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Bridging the class divide

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poverty

Working Class Studies Association – Poverty Class Panel & Caucus

November 20, 2018 by Adj Marshall Leave a Comment

As a first-generation, low-income college student, I knew that the feelings of inadequacy I was having were my own version of imposter syndrome. I had never been to an academic conference, and here I was standing outside the Centre des Congrès de Quebec, about to present at one of the most prestigious conferences in the […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism Tagged With: first generation college students, poverty

Poverty Constrains Your Wardrobe – and You

July 5, 2018 by Angela McEwen Leave a Comment

I will always remember December 2013. It was a particularly cold winter, and downtown Los Gatos was in the low 30s. My friend Jane rented a carriage and invited me to come along. I declined because I did not have a jacket. I was too ashamed to tell her why, so she was rightfully angry […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Internalized classism, Money, Poverty, Your Stories Tagged With: downward mobility, low-wage jobs, money, poverty

Weighing Every Cost: A Genteel Poverty

July 5, 2018 by Nancy McGartland Leave a Comment

I am the youngest of 10 siblings. My dad built a successful plumbing business, bought his own shop and employed a few helpers at the height of his business. He even bought a summer home, a Civil-War-era farm out in the country, which he later sold to pay my sibs’ college tuition. My older sibs […]

Filed Under: Money, Poverty, Your Stories Tagged With: class cultures, debt, downward mobility, poverty, working class

Why Do You Want to Be Poor?

July 5, 2018 by Alejandro Villa Vasquez Leave a Comment

Growing up poor on Long Island builds character. While trying to balance personal responsibilities with maintaining a GPA high enough to make myself a competitive candidate for scholarships and college admissions, I found that I could make several distinct dinner recipes from just adobo seasoning, week-old produce and recooked meat products. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was necessary. It […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class in Higher Education, Class prejudice, Cultural capital, Dealing with privilege, First Generation College Students, Poverty Tagged With: academia, class cluelessness, class cultures, classism, first generation college students, poverty, privilege, Rationalizing privilege, working class

Breaking the Silence about Class in One Liberal Denomination

May 1, 2018 by Class Action 1 Comment

In 2012, I was lucky enough to attend a remarkable weekend-long Class Action Train-the-Trainers mega-workshop. I did not attend to learn techniques to raise awareness about class and classism but instead to improve my skills as a trainer on the topic of communications and marketing. While the focus of the Class Action workshop was, of course, on social class […]

Filed Under: Classism in Progressive Movement Groups, Religion and Class, Spirituality and Ending Classism, Systemic Classism, Teaching about class Tagged With: class awareness, class cultures, class inclusion, classism, low-wage jobs, middle class, owning class, poverty, privilege, working class

The Prosperity Gospel and Classism

May 1, 2018 by Andy Pope 1 Comment

As a Christian and a formerly homeless person, I have seen how classism seems to run rampant in American Christianity. This is especially evident in what is often called the Prosperity Gospel. The Prosperity Gospel, in short, is a particularly inviting deception that equates spiritual blessings with material success. Of course, it is entirely conceivable […]

Filed Under: Class prejudice, Classism, Religion and Class Tagged With: consumerism, poverty, privilege, Rationalizing privilege

A Total Commitment to First Gen Students

April 19, 2018 by Class Action Leave a Comment

Instead of a program located in one department, Mount Holyoke provides a dynamic, collaborative initiative focused on ensuring that the august institution is meeting the particular needs of first gen students. According to Latrina Denson, associate dean of students for community and inclusion at the college, the collaborative, the First Gen Network, is comprised of administrators, […]

Filed Under: Class in Higher Education, Dealing with privilege, First Generation College Students, Poverty Tagged With: academia, education, first generation college students, poverty, working class

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

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

“Homeless People Not Wanted Here”

January 9, 2018 by Nicole Braun 5 Comments

They are all addicts, criminals, on drugs, mentally ill, dangerous and have made bad choices, unlike us.  That was the general sentiment of the people who showed up to protest a new homeless shelter in the community where I live. They might as well have put a sign out that read, Poor People Keep Out. […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class prejudice, Classism Tagged With: blaming the victim, classism, homeless, poverty, privilege, Rationalizing privilege, snobs

Andy’s Story: Class and Homelessness

January 9, 2018 by Andy Pope 4 Comments

Before the year 2004, the word “classism” was not in my vocabulary. As a music teacher at a prestigious private elementary school and a private teacher of piano and voice, I schmoozed comfortably with those who could afford such high-quality education for their children. The fact that many of them lived in million dollar homes […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Affordable Housing, Classism in the Economy, Dealing with privilege, Health care access, Poverty, Systemic Classism, Your Stories Tagged With: academia, blaming the victim, class cultures, poverty, privilege, stereotypes, super-rich, working class

Sexual Predators and Blue Collar Women

December 7, 2017 by Class Action 1 Comment

Finally. The manifestation of the recognition that women’s rights ARE human rights. That’s how I’ve been feeling about the outing of so many well-known sexual predators, long known but never punished for their predatory ways. Learning about some has broken my heart. Charlie Rose was my hero, as was John Conyers. But, like every woman I […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class prejudice, Classism, Gender Class Intersections, Owning class Tagged With: low-wage jobs, poverty, speaking up, 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

Environmental Classism/Racism and the Sides of Human Rights

December 6, 2017 by Sasha Adkins 3 Comments

On November 29th, Boston City Council unanimously passed a plastic bag ordinance that aims to reduce our reliance on disposable plastic bags. Stores will charge a 5-cent fee for each paper or sturdy plastic bag that they sell customers who come without a reusable bag. Despite eloquent statements by councilors Ayanna Pressley (at-large) and Tito […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in the Economy, Environmental classism, Poverty, Race and Class, Systemic Classism Tagged With: classism, corporations, environmentalists, low-wage jobs, poverty, race and class, racism, working class

No Retreat in Confusion: Classism in Germany

November 13, 2017 by Dirk Eilers Leave a Comment

When I talk about classism in Germany the common reactions range from an unknowing Never heard of it to a disbelieving and doubtful Do you really think classes still exist? to a search-engine-like Did you mean “classicism” to a pejoratively knowing I heard of it, but I think it lacks theory; it is too much about how you feel. […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Doubting Class Exists Tagged With: class cultures, Class Theory, poverty, working class

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

Class Diversity Improves Your Nonprofit Board

September 21, 2017 by Larry Dansinger 1 Comment

Nonprofit organizations, which are legal entities that must be approved by state governments, allow people to join together and combine resources to achieve common goals. Most often nonprofits are started by people who are passionate about addressing social problems or responding to needs in their communities. So why do so many nonprofits fail to address […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class cultures, Classism in Progressive Movement Groups, Cross-class alliances Tagged With: middle class, owning class, poverty, working class

First-Generation Resistance in College

July 25, 2017 by Bobby Zaman Leave a Comment

Being a first generation college or graduate student is already a difficult identity to navigate at a university, but even more difficult is attempting to challenge the dominate narratives and curriculum which may lack multiple perspectives, culture awareness and/or critical analysis. As I started to voice my opinions and question the curriculum, I saw that […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class in Higher Education, Classism in Higher Education, First Generation College Students, Race and Class Tagged With: academia, education, poverty, privilege, race and class, racism, snobs, speaking up, stereotypes

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 War on the Poor, Working-Class and …

June 29, 2017 by Class Action Leave a Comment

When explaining why his cabinet is filled with billionaires, President Donald Trump uttered what might just earn him Class Action’s 2017 Most Classist Comment of the Year Award. Mr. Trump said, “Somebody said why did you appoint a rich person to be in charge of the economy? No, it’s true. And … I said: ‘Because […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Politics, Classism in the Economy, Owning class, Politics and Class Tagged With: budget cuts, corporations, owning class, poverty, privilege, Rationalizing privilege, snobs, super-rich, tax cuts, working class

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