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Bridging the class divide

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social movements

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

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

Cross Class Dialogue Circle

December 20, 2017 by Alana Fichman Leave a Comment

It was on a bulletin at a local coffee shop, Cross Class Dialogue Circle. What did those words mean? Cross made me think of the patterns on top of a pie. Class, I thought I knew what that was: divisions based on wealth and a word I always flinched at for some reason. Dialogue, easy: a […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Cross-class alliances, Cross-class Relationships, Dismantlng Classism Tagged With: activism, class cultures, classism, community organizing, downward mobility, health care, social movements

Reader Feedback on Classism Exposed

August 16, 2017 by Class Action Leave a Comment

More than 100 people responded to the summer 2017 Classism Exposed 5-Minute Survey. The responses were as diverse as the people who responded, as evidenced by the demographic information collected. However, there were clear preferences for the length of blog posts, blog topics and for how often readers want to receive the Classism Exposed blog eBlast. It […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism Tagged With: class cultures, classism, education, privilege, racism, Rationalizing privilege, snobs, social movements, speaking up, stereotypes, working class

Five Classist Pitfalls to #Resist in Your Activism

February 13, 2017 by Davey Shlasko 4 Comments

In a moment of potentially revolutionary activism and mobilization, don’t let classism undermine your efforts. The past few weeks have been both terrifying and inspiring. In the midst of ascending totalitarianism and the drastic, likely unconstitutional roll-backs of basic rights, we are also seeing a swift mobilization from both new and established activists. Organizations and […]

Filed Under: Class prejudice, Classism in Politics, Classism in Progressive Movement Groups, Cross-class alliances, Dealing with privilege, Internalized classism, LGBT & Class, Politics and Class Tagged With: activism, class cultures, classism, community organizing, middle class, owning class, privilege, social movements, working class

Resistance Is Critical

January 19, 2017 by Betsy Leondar-Wright Leave a Comment

The election outcome was a shock – but wasn’t something new. Throughout U.S. history we’ve had waves of right-wing populism, when people bought into explanations of their economic hardships that scapegoat other marginalized groups and reject traditional elites. This election was a right-wing populist upsurge that few of us saw coming. We underestimated the number […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class prejudice, Classism in Politics, Classism in Progressive Movement Groups Tagged With: activism, classism, snobs, social movements, working class

At the Center of Giving

December 15, 2016 by Jocelyn Sargent Leave a Comment

Philanthropy has an inherent obligation to place marginalized communities at the center of giving. It’s no secret that in the world of charitable giving strings often come attached. Any nonprofit executive, grant writer or development director can share stories about jumping through hoops to secure funding for an initiative or general operating costs. Filling out […]

Filed Under: Philanthropy and Classism, Poverty, Race and Class Tagged With: community-building, foundation giving, foundations, race, social movements

Charity vs. Solidarity Work

December 15, 2016 by Cheryl Distaso 4 Comments

Settling in after a short but intense trip to Standing Rock, I took to Facebook, curious about what had transpired at the camp during my 10-hour drive home. Expecting to see updates regarding activities of the thousands of water protectors and their allies, I was instead startled by a Facebook post advertising tee shirts. The […]

Filed Under: Philanthropy and Classism Tagged With: owning class, privilege, public services, social movements

Building Bridges, Not Walls

November 24, 2016 by Class Action 1 Comment

Class Action was founded by visionaries who realized that they had grown up at different ends of the class spectrum, but who had arrived in the same place when it came to their passion for advancing social equity and justice. Their commitment to building bridges across differences – instead of building walls – continues to inform […]

Filed Under: Classism in Diversity Work, Classism in Politics, Electoral politics Tagged With: activism, classism, privilege, race and class, racism, social movements, stereotypes

Beyond Trump: Building a Coalition for Change

October 19, 2016 by Justin Stein Leave a Comment

Part of the White, Working Class, and Worried about Trump (#WhiteWorkingClassVsTrump) Campaign*: I grew up in South St. Louis City in a multi-racial, working-class neighborhood. My dad was a union carpenter, and my mom worked part-time at various jobs while maintaining the home. I’m the oldest of seven children. I remember the constant anxiety in our […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class cultures, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Diversity Work, Classism in Politics, Classism in Progressive Movement Groups, Classism in the Economy, Cross-class alliances, Dealing with privilege, Dismantlng Classism, Electoral politics, Politics and Class, Race and Class Tagged With: #WhiteWorkingClassVsTrump, activism, blaming the victim, classism, community organizing, privilege, race and class, racism, social movements, working class

Being an Owning-Class Activist

September 29, 2016 by Jennifer Ladd Leave a Comment

All of us are more than a label, right? We each are more than one of our identities standing by itself. We are complex, changing, contradictory beings, and a mystery in many ways. And yet, our identities do matter – at the very same time as those identities are not all of who we are. […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Building Economic Alternatives, Class cultures, Cross-class alliances, Cross-class Relationships, Dealing with privilege, Dismantlng Classism, Owning class Tagged With: activism, community organizing, money, owning class, privilege, social movements, super-rich

Class Issues in “The Wretched of the Earth”

June 10, 2014 by Paddy Vipond Leave a Comment

Frantz Fanon, in his classic account of colonialism and violence, The Wretched of the Earth, went to great length and detail explaining the elements needed to overthrow a colonial oppressor. Most obvious in his writing is his acceptance for, and at times the encouragement of, violence. This violence is to be directed at those foreigners […]

Filed Under: Global class, Politics and Class Tagged With: colonialism, Franz Fanon, privilege, social movements

A surprising class culture pattern

March 12, 2014 by Betsy Leondar-Wright Leave a Comment

When I was studying 25 social justice groups for Missing Class, one of my biggest surprises was a class category I hadn’t even thought to look for: lower professionals. Activists of that class had such unique ways of speaking, participating, and especially dealing with conflict that they had a notable impact on their groups. By […]

Filed Under: Class cultures, Classism in Progressive Movement Groups Tagged With: activism, class cultures, social movements, speaking up

Food, fracking, and farms: Climate issues are class issues

July 23, 2013 by Noah Bogdonoff 2 Comments

I’m often disappointed by the narrow scope of the environmental movement’s rhetoric and, more importantly, the narrow scope of its constituency. It’s no secret that the mainstream environmental movement is largely an affluent, white effort. As an “environmentalist” (I’ll explain the quotes in a bit), I don’t think this is particularly surprising—the struggle for class, […]

Filed Under: Classism in the Economy, Environmental classism Tagged With: climate change, environmentalists, social movements

Climate Justice Work Must Include Marginalized People

July 22, 2013 by Cheryl Distaso 9 Comments

Late last year, I attended a 350.org divestment rally for climate justice at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Although the organizers made no claims to work intersectionally, and made no promise cross-class organizing, I left feeling deflated and angry at what seemed to be an effort to pander to wealthy white men at the […]

Filed Under: Classism in Progressive Movement Groups, Environmental classism, Gender Class Intersections, Race and Class Tagged With: classism, climate change, environmental racism, environmentalists, intersectionality, race and class, racism, sexism, social movements

A memory of Helen Ladd, 1924-2012

October 25, 2012 by Betsy Leondar-Wright Leave a Comment

Years before I met Class Action’s co-founder Jenny Ladd, I met her mother, Helen Pratt Ladd, who passed away last week. Our first encounter revealed what a great cross-class ally she was. In 1989 I was a tenant organizer at a very small affordable housing group – so small, in fact, that I was the […]

Filed Under: Cross-class alliances Tagged With: allies, Jenny Ladd, owning class, philanthropy, social movements

New classism book holds the keys to movement-building

June 15, 2012 by Betsy Leondar-Wright 2 Comments

Barb Jensen was a rebellious teenager. When she tells her own stories in her new book Reading Classes, readers can vicariously enjoy her mouthing off to teachers, flouting school rules and delighting at turning a classroom into a circus. And unlike most writers about kids disengaged from school, who focus on their deficits and fret […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class cultures, Classism, Classism in K-12 Education Tagged With: class cultures, classism, social movements, working class

The 99% Gets A Break Down

March 15, 2012 by Daniel Hunter

This last weekend I was asked to do a training on class for a group of Occupy activists in upstate New York. I was delighted, thrilled — and then terribly nervous. Why? Well, I love the 99% framework. But when it comes to getting deeper in class, it’s a little … uhm… conflating. I worried […]

Filed Under: #Occupy, Poverty Tagged With: Occupy Movement, social movements

No-degree social movement thinkers

February 18, 2012 by Betsy Leondar-Wright Leave a Comment

Who do you think of when you think of a social movement theorist? A professor? Two of the authors who have taught me the most about social movement strategy have only high school degrees: Linda Stout and the late Bill Moyer. I very rarely see either of them cited in the social movement literature. I […]

Filed Under: Class in Higher Education, Classism in Progressive Movement Groups Tagged With: community organizing, poverty, social movements

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