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A beginner's guide to understanding poverty in America and what can be done about it. Great resource for those just learning about poverty and justice.
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A Guide to Understanding A Guide to Understanding Poverty in AmericaPoverty in America
Andrew SearsExecutive Director
TechMission
Dominant Civil Rights Narrative: Dominant Civil Rights Narrative: The Great White SaviorThe Great White Savior
People of Color
60’s-70’s
Women70’s-80’s
Disabled 80’s-90’s
GLBT90’s-00’s
Environment00’s-10’s
Upper
Middle
Lower
80% of benefits and effort
80% of need
• Assumes that all injustice for these groups has already been addressed• Disproportionate effort focused on upper class issues rather than the poor
Change in Income Distribution Change in Income Distribution (1947-1979)(1947-1979)
Change in Income (1977-1994)Change in Income (1977-1994)19
77-1
99
4
Source: Economic Policy Institute
Change in IncomeChange in Income
Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/wealth-distribution-in-the-united-states/
Source: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3090
Tax Cuts for the Richest 400 Americans were $18 billion (or 26% of the budget of the US Department of Education)
Top 1% in the USA Receive 75% of Top 1% in the USA Receive 75% of Benefits of Economic GrowthBenefits of Economic Growth
Sources: http://www.businesspundit.com/wealth-distribution-in-the-united-states/http://newsmine.org/
• The poorest 50% globally have 1% of wealth• Richest 2% own half the world’s wealth
Decreasing Minimum WageDecreasing Minimum Wage
Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/wealth-distribution-in-the-united-states/
Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/wealth-distribution-in-the-united-states/
The USA spends more on its military than the next 15 countries combined
Welfare accounts for only 1 percent of the US federal budget
Why Health Care and Social Why Health Care and Social Security Are Issues of JusticeSecurity Are Issues of Justice
Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/wealth-distribution-in-the-united-states/
Changing Trends in ImprisonmentChanging Trends in Imprisonment
Source: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Mass Incarceration in AmericaMass Incarceration in America• There are more African Americans under
correctional control today than were enslaved in 1850
• More African Americans cannot vote today (due to felony laws) than in 1870
• The imprisonment rate in the USA is the highest in the world at 4 times the world average
• The Black imprisonment rate is 6.4 times that of Whites 14 times the global average
Source: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States
Injustice & Unwed Teen BirthsInjustice & Unwed Teen Births
National Center for Health Statistics, 1999http://www.beverlylahayeinstitute.org/articledisplay.asp?id=2573&department=BLI&categoryid=datadigest
High School Graduation CrisisHigh School Graduation CrisisOnly 50.2% of Black and 53.2% of Latino students
graduate compared to 73.4% nationally◦ Graduation cuts chances of poverty in half and boosts
income by 49% from $19,169 to $28,645◦ Dropping out increases changes of imprisonment by 350%◦ Being held back a grade in school more than doubles
chances of dropping out of high school◦ Black and Latino youth represent 58% of all students who
drop out although they account for less than 32% of student population
◦ Only 38% of moms under 18 receive a diploma by age 22, compared to 89% for those with no children
For Black men not graduating high school◦ 60% spend time in prison by their mid-30’s◦ 72% are unemployed
Sources: Urban Institute’s Education Policy Center,http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2010_01_22_FS_DiplomaAttainment.pdfhttp://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/20/national/20blackmen.html
High School Graduation RatesHigh School Graduation Rates
Source: http://www.urban.org/publications/410934.html
Importance of CollegeImportance of CollegeOnly 30% of low-income Black and Latino
students go on to college compared to 78% of high-income White students.
A bachelor’s degree decreases chance of being in poverty from 12.3% to 2.5% and increase their income by 80% from $28,645 to $51,544.
Source: Urban Institute’s Education Policy Center
Education and IncomeEducation and Income
19
79-1
99
3
Source: When Work Disappears
http://www.epi.org/economic_snapshots/entry/minorities_less-educated_workers_see_staggering_rates_of_underemployment/
Education and UnemploymentEducation and Unemployment
Wealth Inequalities by RaceWealth Inequalities by Race
The Problem: The Problem: Social Leprosy Social Leprosy
“Eleven o’clock Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America.” – MLK
What Does the “Tech” Mean in What Does the “Tech” Mean in TechTechMission CorpsMission CorpsTechMission’s values are Jesus, then
Justice, then TechnologyStart with: What are the needs of the
“poor”? Resources & peopleTechMission uses “Tech” to connect
resources & people to the poor◦We are the nervous system in the Body of
Christ
Church Giving & MissionsChurch Giving & Missions
$390 BillionGlobal Budgets of
Christian Organizations
Sources: Empty TombInternational Bulletin of Missionary Research
Missions
Ministry to the Poor
Down from 21% in 1965
* US government’s non-military discretionary budget is $350 billion
Christian Volunteering: Serving Inside Christian Volunteering: Serving Inside Church vs. Outside CommunityChurch vs. Outside Community
Source: Corporation for National and Community Service
22.1 million FBO volunteers in USAValue of FBO Volunteers= $58.2 billion
2.2 million volunteersserving outside Community = 10%Value = $5.2 Billion
20 million volunteersserving insidecongregations = 90%Value = $52.3 Billion
Source: Volunteering in America, 2009A study by Lester Salamon of the Institute for Policy Studies of Johns Hopkins, only 7-15% of volunteering through churches helps the larger community
TechMission’s Focus & OtherTechMission’s Focus & OtherLower Class Culture NonprofitsLower Class Culture Nonprofits
White Black Latino Asian
Upper
Middle
Lower Leadership and clients
The Systemic Barrier: Funding Bias The Systemic Barrier: Funding Bias and Indigenous Organizationsand Indigenous OrganizationsIndigenous = race, class, gender & culture
of community being served◦Most effective organizations
Funding Dilemma for Indigenous Leaders◦Secular funders often have a bias against
lower-class culture and faith-based organizations
◦Christian resources are disproportionately distributed to White middle & upper class Christians
Funding Bias: Non-Whites Make Up 52.4% Of Funding Bias: Non-Whites Make Up 52.4% Of Poverty But Non-White Led Nonprofits Only Poverty But Non-White Led Nonprofits Only Receive 3% of FundingReceive 3% of Funding
http://www.slideshare.net/rosettathurman/race-matters-in-nonprofits-promoting-diversity-in-our-profession andhttp://www.aecf.org/upload/publicationfiles/executive_transition_survey_report2004.pdf
Why Does Only 3% of Foundation Why Does Only 3% of Foundation Funding Go to Nonprofits Led by People Funding Go to Nonprofits Led by People of Color?of Color?
Statistics are explained in the attached spreadsheet at: www.urbanministry.org/fundingbias
Religious Restrictions = Religious Restrictions = Racial BiasRacial Bias
Literacy test for voting in the 1950’s has been replaced with religious tests for funding today
How it works◦About 2/3 of Black-led nonprofits are in churches
or other faith-based organizations◦About 2/3 of White-led nonprofits are secular◦Not funding faith-based organizations makes
White-led nonprofits twice as likely to get funded
Statistics are explained in the attached spreadsheet at: www.urbanministry.org/fundingbias
How to Get Funding from How to Get Funding from FoundationsFoundationsBe White
◦97% of foundation funding goes toward White-led nonprofits
Be Culturally Middle Class◦Estimated 95% of leadership of nonprofits is
culturally middle classBe Male
◦While 58% of nonprofit executives are women, the median nonprofit income led by a man has twice the income of a nonprofit led by a woman
Sources: http://www.aecf.org/upload/publicationfiles/executive_transition_survey_report2004.pdf &http://greenlining.org/publications/pdf/339 The class statistic is explained on a previous slide
TechMission’s Vision:TechMission’s Vision:Connecting People to the PoorConnecting People to the Poor
$100’s of Millions
$18.17 trillion:Combined incomes of
Christians globally
$390 billion:Combined budgets ofChristian orgs globally
$58.2 billion: Value of Faith-Based
Volunteers (USA)
UrbanMinistry.org Tens of Millions Web Visitors
ChristianVolunteering.org:Millions of Volunteers
TechMission Corps: Thousands of Interns
City Vision College:Tens of thousands of Students
Sources: Listed above and International Bulletin of Missionary Research
Ezekiel 37:1-6Ezekiel 37:1-6 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought
me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' “
Ezekiel 37:7-14Ezekiel 37:7-14 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there
was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' “ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.‘ Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”