We had another successful Cookies and Beer Happy Hour this month! With over ten people in attendance, we discussed a wide range of topics, including the issues surrounding standardized testing and the Pruitt-Igoe public housing project. We watched an episode of John Oliver's Last Week Tonight that addressed standardized testing and The Pruitt-Igoe Myth, a documentary that records the history and controversy of the public housing project in St. Louis. From our discussions we decided to create a list of films and movies, which can be accessed through the Resources tab on the website. On November 23rd at 5pm we will be having our first Cookies and Beer event on the Danforth Campus in the Lieberman Graduate Center. We hope you can join us!
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Since poverty is such a huge and complex topic, we had a lot to discuss at our family meeting. I thought I'd provide you with some of the resources we drew from for that discussion. - Rebecca Situations related to poverty with discussion questions Situation 1: Gregory W. is a homeless man in Louisiana who was arrested for stealing food from a grocery store. The retail value of the food was $39. He was assessed $339 in fines and fees and was jailed. His charges were later changed to community service because he could not pay the fines. But when he could not pay the bus fare to complete his community service, he went back to jail. He spent a total of 198 days behind bars, and his incarceration cost the City of New Orleans $3,500.
Situation 2. Jackie is a mother with three young children, ages 2, 5 and 7. She had a good job at a Ford plant, but she lost her job about 16 months ago. She doesn’t have any other family to depend on. She’s been having problems meeting her bills. Her kids are good kids. For the holidays, Jackie wanted to buy her kids a few items, mostly clothes that they needed. She did not have any money, so she forged a check. She was arrested and convicted. As she does her time in prison, her kids are in foster care. She may never get them back.
Room for Debate
Today, Margret Garb a Professor of History and Co-director of the Washington University Prison Education Program, came to Connections to talk with us about poverty and the history of social welfare in the U.S. Several themes emerged from her talk which are discussed below. We have also provided some additional resources at the end of the post. Role of Government in Social WelfareThroughout the lecture, the role of government in providing social welfare came up several times. The government has played a complex role in this area, with times of increased support, and times of minimal support. Often this was reflected in the general public’s view of the government’s role in society in general. Should the government be responsible for helping lift people out of poverty, or is this the responsibility of the individual person? Even so, legislation that provides money for the poor can subtly cut out whole swaths of the population by adding restrictions or insurmountable stipulations to the funds. $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America |
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"Skilled" vs. "Unskilled" Labor
Another topic was minimum wage, and the classification of some jobs as “skilled”, and some as “unskilled.” Whether a job is skilled or not has changed based on who is performing the job. For example, during WWI factory work was skilled labor. However, when the men went to fight in the war, women took over the factory positions. The jobs were then considered unskilled. How does this change the average salary for certain jobs? Should all people be able to earn a livable wage, or should salary depend on the perceived skill level of a job?
Jane Addams - Social and political Activist
- Source: Wikipedia
Pioneer in the field of social work, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in women's suffrage and world peace
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Additional Resources
- Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer, $2 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2015).
- http://www.twodollarsaday.com/
- Alice Goffman, On the Run (University of Chicago Press, 2014)
Ralph Laurence, Renegade Dreams: Living through Injury in Gangland Chicago (University of Chicago Press, 2014) - Luke Bergmann, Getting Ghost: Two Young Lives and the Struggle for an American City (New Press, 2008)
- Daniel R. Kerr, Derelict Paradise: Homelessness and Urban Development in Cleveland, Ohio (University of Mass Press, 2011)
Presented to Connections by Marget Garb, Professor of History, Co-director of the Washington University Prison Education Program
Blog post written by Rebecca and Jessica
Blog post written by Rebecca and Jessica
We had a great first cookies and beer! We had over 10 people come to talk, learn, eat and drink. After a drink or two we decided to learn how to play Dominion. Connections' members broke out into teams and worked together towards the common goal of collecting the most Victory Cards. In the end, Mark, Shannon and Brenna came out as the top three winners...by far... But that's ok, there is also the next time!
-- Rebecca
| Unconscious Bias –
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Social Identities –
We all have different social identities. Some are visibly apparent, and others are unknown to others unless we share them. Examples of social identities include:
Race, Gender, Class, Sexual Orientation, Ability, Nationality, Religion, Education, Etc…
It is important to be aware of our own identities and respect the identities of others. Each identity comes with the potential for privilege or oppression, and many of us may have privilege in some areas while facing oppression in others.
Line of access – social identities can determine one’s ability to access opportunity.
Access can come in the form of wealth, education, home ownership, healthcare access, or many other areas. Essentially it is one’s ability to obtain the “American Dream.” Social identities can determine whether one falls above or below the line of access. Those above will face less difficulty in obtaining access, while those below may face great difficulty and oppression. It is important to be conscious of this line of access in the context of social identities.
We all have different social identities. Some are visibly apparent, and others are unknown to others unless we share them. Examples of social identities include:
Race, Gender, Class, Sexual Orientation, Ability, Nationality, Religion, Education, Etc…
It is important to be aware of our own identities and respect the identities of others. Each identity comes with the potential for privilege or oppression, and many of us may have privilege in some areas while facing oppression in others.
Line of access – social identities can determine one’s ability to access opportunity.
Access can come in the form of wealth, education, home ownership, healthcare access, or many other areas. Essentially it is one’s ability to obtain the “American Dream.” Social identities can determine whether one falls above or below the line of access. Those above will face less difficulty in obtaining access, while those below may face great difficulty and oppression. It is important to be conscious of this line of access in the context of social identities.
Here is an example of the crossing of the line of access for an individual that identifies as: white, Jewish, upper middle class, cis female, bisexual, and able bodied/minded. As you can see, there are many places where this person's identity crosses the line of access. This affords increased access to some resources such as health care, while also lacking some resources such as higher education in fields that traditionally under-represent women.
Presented to Connections by Ashley Gray, Diversity and Inclusion Lead , WUSM
Blog post written by Jessica and Rebecca
Blog post written by Jessica and Rebecca
The ITAP Happy Hour on September 10, 2015 from 5-7pm was a roaring success! We had 24 people at the Happy Hour, with over 15 people who were completely new to Connections. Everyone enjoyed drinks and pizza, while participating in get to know you bingo, which seemed to spark some interesting conversations! After the Happy Hour many people stayed for ITAP Trivia Night, which was so much fun that those members are discussing going back as a group for another Trivia Night. Overall, the happy hour allowed for many people to hear about Connections in a laid back and fun setting! Thank you all for making it a success!
-- Leah
-- Leah
Ting listening - Listening deeply and thoroughly is fundamental for effective dialogue
LARA Communication Listen- Listen with TING. Do not listen to form an answer. Listen to find out what is at the heart of their message. Affirm - Find so meting in which you agree or find common ground and say so. Allow the other person some moral ground to stand on. Respond - Make a response to the question/statement asserting your belief. Don't dodge the issue or talk around. A response could be in the form of a critical question to engage others thoughts and ideas. Add Information - Provide additional information or raise a critical question to further explore the topic. The goal is not necessarily to change the other persons mind. Start again... History of LARA listening - Lara is a strategy for nonviolent dialogue that was developed by Quakers in 1992 as a way to practice nonviolence and relationship building in work for social justice. It is based on the principle of ahisma a Sanskrit wording meaning, "I will not harm you." It further implies that the truth of my experiences/existence cannot be harmed by you. Represented to Connections by Shannon Ohlemacher - Connections Family Lead (08/28/15) Presented to Connections by Anna Shabsin, MSW, JD - Brown School of Social Work (09/19/2014) Blog post written by Rebecca |
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This blog is made to record the information learned at Connections lectures.
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