Understanding Urban White Poverty

1. Understanding Urban White Poverty Andrew Sears Executive Director, TechMission

2. True or False • White poverty is mostly rural. • Urban poverty is mostly non-White. • Lower income White individuals can experience more intense oppression than individuals from other racial groups. • Some White ethnic groups faced oppression in the past, but that is now over for all White people. • Because no White people experience systemic oppression, poor white individuals are entirely responsible for their own poverty.

3. Invisibility of Urban White Poverty Urban Poverty by Race/Hispanic Origin (metro area) From USDA, 1996 data, http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/rcat/rcat92/rcat92n.pdf

4. Invisibility of Urban White Poverty Urban Poverty by Race/Hispanic Origin (central city only) From US Census 2003 Data and NARPAC http://www.narpac.org/RCA.HTM

5. Rural Poverty is Mostly Non-White Rural Poverty by Race/Hispanic Origin From USDA, 1996 data, http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/rcat/rcat92/rcat92n.pdf

6. Understanding White Poverty: Poverty Rates Source: US Census Data 2003

7. Understanding White Poverty: Geographic Poverty Concentration Source: NARPAC http://www.narpac.org/RCA.HTM

8. White Poverty Is Complex • White poverty makes up the majority of urban poverty • Rural stereotypes of White poverty are wrong • Difference in poverty rates is significant • White people often are assumed to be middle class based on their race • Differences in poverty concentration is significant • Effects of poverty are much more intense than for dispersed poverty

9. Why is UrbanWhite Poverty Invisible? • Political Alliances • Racialized politics makes Black and Latino poverty a priority through power of Black and Latino middle/upper classes • Rural politics makes White rural poverty a priority through power of rural White middle/upper classes • Poor urban Whites have no political advocacy group with significant power to make White urban poverty a priority • We live in a Class-blind society • Myth of a classless society • Class discussion is significantly suppressed • White poverty only becomes visible once class becomes visible • Any significant recognition oppression of white people is an admission of classism, which is a significant threat to power structures especially in the USA

10. Class and Level of Oppression Reality: some poor white individuals experience more oppression than individuals from other racial groups.

11. White Poverty and Responsibility • Assumption: poor white individuals are entirely responsible for their own poverty • Reality • Class oppression can significantly affect life chances • Group trauma from classism can have significant generational effects even when oppression is removed

12. The Invisibility of White Poverty and Assumptions on Poor White Anger • Assumption: white kids/people who are angry have no real reason to be so angry • Reality: • Class oppression and white poverty are invisible, so anger and pain has no identifiable source • The primary feeling of oppression from white poverty is anger and pain that has no identifiable source • Much of poor white music (heavy metal, punk, etc.) is expressions of deep anger and pain with no identifiable source • Anger of experiencing classism often gets displaced into racism because the actual source cannot be identified because it suppressed by society

13. True or False: Part 2 • Poor White culture has no redeeming value or Godly strengths. • White people cannot experience systemic oppression. • Once class access changes, then oppression is over for White people. • The assumption that all White people are middle class benefits all White people. • White people’s ability to class assimilate benefits all White people. • It is better not to discuss class. • Race and class are the same thing in the USA.

14. Assumptions about Poor White Culture • Assumption: Poor white culture has no redeeming value or Godly strengths • Reality: poor white culture has many Godly strengths that upper classes could benefit from • Poor white culture is an extremely ridiculed cultural group because it has no middle/upper class group to defend it • Poor white culture is significantly devalued, but academia rarely acknowledges this

15. Classism and Group Oppression • Assumption: Class doesn’t count as a “group” in considering systemic or collective oppression • “White people can’t experience systemic oppression” • Racialized views often only perceive historical ethnic oppression but ignore class oppression • Since most historical oppression of ethnic groups has ended, then White people do not experience systemic collective oppression • Reality: class counts as a group and classism is systemic although more subtle • Poor whites have experienced class oppression throughout history but that is only told for some groups • What group oppression you experience is based on identity in race, class, gender and ethnicity

16. Assumptions About Class Access • Assumption: If your class access changes, then the oppression is over • Reality 1: Majority of class oppression is determined by your class identification • Only economic oppression is determined by class access • Lose access to most power structures based on identification • Reality 2: Group trauma from classism has lasting effects to individuals and families generationally • Denying this can be like telling a Jewish holocaust survivor that now the effects of your oppression are over • Generational tendencies toward addiction • Reality 3: Class assimilation causes significant psychological damage similar to racial assimilation

17. Effects of Class Assimilation on Poor White People • The “imperial middle” is the tendency of everyone to identify as middle-class • Poor white people who gain class access have overwhelming pressure to class assimilate and change their class identity • Other racial groups may have stronger solidarity with lower class people in their racial group and can use their power to defend lower class groups • Rural poor whites gain access to rural power • Result is that almost no one with power defends urban poor white people • Explains why urban white poverty is invisible

18. Race-Based Assumptions onClass of Poor Whites • Assumption: All White people are middle or upper class • May have “positive” effects for those trying to upwardly class identify • Negative effects for those maintaining lower class identification • In urban ministry, this assumption significantly undermines credibility • Creates pressures to class assimilate

19. White Poverty and Class Blindness • Class blindness is the inability to see or discuss class or classism • Not recognizing the class dimension of cultural/interpersonal conflict • Not recognizing class power structures at play in conflict • Making wrong assumptions about class or a person’s class identity • Class-blind examples • Avoiding talking about class or avoiding using terms like “poor” • “Race and Class are the same thing” • Poor whites most commonly feel the effects of the class blindness of others • Because people assume all whites are middle/upper class