A Guide Understanding Poverty In America

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



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


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.’”