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Class Action
February 2008 E-news:
Class and Family
In this Issue
1. Class and Family
2. Book of the Month: Unequal Childhoods
3. Featured Articles on Class and Family
4. Related Film
5. Action of the Month
6. Take our Survey
7. Class and the 2008 presidential campaign
8. Duopalooza 2008 Benefit Concert Delights Crowd
9. Looking for a few good Macs
1. Class and Family
Here we are in February with Valentine’s Day on the horizon, a time to recognize the many loved ones in our lives. With that in mind, this issue will focus on that which we hold most dear- our families. Within the family, class can have many implications. Whether single, married, dependent on welfare, living on unearned assets, working in a family business, or benefiting from a steady income- class is deeply intertwined with family life. It is evident in the labor market, the neighborhoods we live in, and the schools our children attend. Class may even determine how parents raise their children. No matter where class resonates with your family life, you are bound to appreciate the material we have found that speaks to class and the family. Enjoy!
2. Book of the Month: Unequal Childhoods
By Annette Lareau
Review by Spencer Haught
America may be the land of opportunity, but it is also the land of inequality. This book identifies the largely invisible but powerful ways that parents’ social class impacts children’s life experiences. It shows, using in-depth observations and interviews with middle-class (including members of the upper-middle-class), working class, and poor families, that inequality permeates the fabric of culture.
Read More...
3. Featured Articles on Class and Family
Single Mothers: Working, But Still Poor
by David R. Jones
Barbara Brooks, a single working mother, instantly regretted the raise she got on her job. Her hourly wage went up from $8.25 to $11 per hour – and made her ineligible for most of the government benefits she was receiving. Read More...
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PARENTING; Helping Children to Navigate 2 Worlds
By Michael Winerip
Whites have the privilege of not having to discuss race,'' Odelind Lewis said. ''If I was raising white males, it would be different.'' Read More...
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Up From the Holler: Living in Two Worlds, at Home in Neither
By Tamar Lewin
Far more than people who remain in the social class they are born to, surrounded by others of the same background, Ms. Justice is sensitive to the cultural significance of the cars people drive, the food they serve at parties, where they go on vacation - all the little clues that indicate social status. By every conventional measure, Ms. Justice is now solidly middle class, but she is still trying to learn how to feel middle class. Almost every time she expresses an idea, or explains herself, she checks whether she is being understood, asking, "Does that make sense?" Read More...
4. Related Film
Waging a Living
By Roger Weisberg
If you work hard, you get ahead. That's the American Dream in a nutshell — no matter what your race, color, creed or economic starting point, hard work will improve your life and increase your children's opportunities. Yet, this widely held dream is out of reach for an increasing number of working Americans. Read More...
5. Action of the Month
As we think about class, parenting, and the family, one of the most important concerns becomes income. We rely on income to feed our children and put a roof over our heads, but here in America income is grossly unequally distributed. Furthermore, pay discrimination continues to be a very real problem in the workplace, especially for women and people of color. For this month, as we focus on the family and parenting, take action to help level the playing field for working mothers and parents of color by helping to pass the Fair Pay Restoration Act.
Go to our Action page for more information on this new Act.
6. Take our Survey
How do you see class impacting your parents' parenting? Your own?
Submit a response here. Read other survey responses here.
7. Class and the 2008 presidential campaign
As voting day draws ever nearer, we have chosen to include an article in this issue that speaks to where class fits in with the agenda of the 2008 presidential candidates.
A Demographic the Democrats Must Not Forget
By E.J. Dionne
To build a majority this fall and make history, either of these candidates will need a lot of help from a group that has its own reasons to be discontented: the white working class. Read More...
8. Duopalooza 2008 Benefit Concert Delights Crowd
Sally Rogers, Claudia Schmidt, Karen Brandow & Charlie King delighted a sold-out crowd at the All Souls Unitarian Society on January 18th. We appreciate all of our generous sponsors and the artists who made this event possible. Next time you are in one of their stores, please say thank you. This concert raised $4,000 for Class Action.
Duopalooza 2008 Sponsors:
Integrity Design and Construction
Valley Advocate
The Massachusetts Society of Professors
Plow Frau & Bow Wow Clean-Outs
Collective Copies
Akey Insurance Agency
High Ridge Financial Planning
Michael Hootstein
Kuhn Riddle Architects
Everyone’s Books
Lichtenberg Veterinary Hospital
Janet Kniffin
Theresa Ruggiero O.D.
Tim Holcomb did a great job coordinating this concert and working with sponsors. Thank you Tim!
9. Looking for a Few Good Macs
Class Action is growing faster than our supply of Macs can keep up. Interest in our work continues to bring increasing numbers of interns. Additional workstations are needed to help make the most of their talents. If anyone has a relatively-recent (G-4 or newer preferred) Mac in need of a new mission, please contact Sarah at 413-585-9709, ext. 201 or sreid@classism.org. Desktop and laptop models sought.
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