I recently attended the Poverty Awareness Workshop at our local United Way. While I did get some good information, the workshop was hampered by:
- A superficial presentation marred by 60s-style small group projects.
- The slaughter of countless trees to provide numerous handouts of outdated information that we didn’t have time to look at and probably will never use again…and now I find that this NY Times interactive chart gives me most of the info. I need.
- The fact that all of us in the room were white, middle-class, well-educated “helping professionals” who have lost touch not only with poverty but with working for an hourly wage.
Nevertheless, a few helpful insights emerged. The speaker mentioned that many lottery winners are worse off five years after the win than they were before. I think of this as the Mike Tyson syndrome, and it illustrates how escaping poverty requires more than extra income. It also means learning to think differently about money, the future and value - learning to play by different rules.
But it DOES require extra income too. For lessons about THAT, I’m now reading a book by another rich white person - Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed. Ehrenreich went “undercover” for several years, taking low-wage jobs and trying to make ends meet.
Which is sort of what Jesus did. As our example.
6 responses so far ↓
1 sumgirl // Apr 26, 2007 at 9:37 pm
she “went ‘undercover’ for several years, taking low-wage jobs and trying to make ends meet.”
sounds familiar … minus the undercover part. : )
2 Kristen // Apr 27, 2007 at 11:08 am
Undercover, investigative journalism now that’s the way to get to the bottom of things! Barbara Ehrenreich and others like her are actually sacrificing everyday comforts, and sometimes risking their lives to find the answers. Have you ever heard of Nellie Bly? She paved the way for females in that field. Google it! Anyway, like Summer, I don’t have to go undercover to know what it’s like to make ends meet, but that doesn’t even come close to making me poor. Go over to KARM and watch a mother checking in to the homeless shelter with a couple of babies. That will give you a new perspective on American poverty.
3 Kristen // Apr 27, 2007 at 11:36 am
I have one more comment about American poverty.
Sometime during the fall semester I had to write an essay contrasting poverty in Haiti to poverty in Appalachia. In the essay I pointed out the fact that people in Appalachia have opportunities such as education, and medical care. When Mrs. Mower was editing it for me, she pointed out a fact that was a pivotal point in my narrow thinking process. She said, “Do the people of Appalachia know that they have those opportunities?” That question changed my way of looking at things.
On a related note, I liked your idea about working with the local children. If we can build confidence in the children we can change their future which of course will have a positive effect on every one around them.
That was two more things. Who’s blog is it anyway?
4 Steve Conley // Apr 27, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Kimberly and I work every year with the Mission of Hope, specifically with town of Evart Kentucky. We bring toys during Christmas, school supplies before the school year and other things throughout the year. MoH does a great job ministering to the Appalachia community. We asked a teacher how much of the community was below the poverty level. She told us around 90%, including teachers. It’s a dark town from all the coal dust and the look on children’s faces is a look without hope. The principle of Evart Elementary School told us that Jesus is the only hope these children have. We were able to, and always have been able to, share the gospel to the kids and faculty in the gym before handing out the gifts. Try doing that in a school in Roane County! It’s a sad place. We always leave feeling extremely humbled and thankful. I’m always honored to be a part of the Mission of Hope’s work in Kentucky. We often seek to find poverty in other countries but we can find it in our own back door. Just some thoughts.
5 Sam Clark // Apr 27, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Is it a coincidence that there are many former Wheaton students that share your longing for justice? I’m just curious, I’ve got lots of kids and am not very far from Chicago.
6 sumgirl // Apr 29, 2007 at 6:08 pm
i have witnessed poverty first hand in many situations at KARM and on the mission field - don’t need to defend that. i was just making a wise-crack - forgive me.
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