Understanding Urban White Poverty

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Understanding Urban White Poverty
Andrew Sears Executive Director, TechMission
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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.

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Invisibility of Urban White Poverty
Urban Poverty by Race/Hispanic Origin (metro area)
From USDA, 1996 data, http//www.ers.usda.gov/publ
ications/rcat/rcat92/rcat92n.pdf
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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
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Rural Poverty is Mostly Non-White
Rural Poverty by Race/Hispanic Origin
From USDA, 1996 data, http//www.ers.usda.gov/publ
ications/rcat/rcat92/rcat92n.pdf
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Understanding White Poverty Poverty Rates
Source US Census Data 2003
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Understanding White Poverty Geographic Poverty
Concentration
Source NARPAC http//www.narpac.org/RCA.HTM
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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

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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

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

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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

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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 peoples 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.

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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

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Classism and Group Oppression

• Assumption Class doesnt count as a group in
  considering systemic or collective oppression
• White people cant 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

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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

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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

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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

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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
  persons 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