This piece, Strategic Planning Through An Anti-Racist Lens, first appeared on the NeonCRM blog as…
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Amen, Amen, and Amen! This is what I have been saying (more like preaching) forever (at least it seems like it’s been that long.) I had a similar conversation with a neighbor as we discussed supply lists and teacher wish lists. When I was working, buying school supplies and wish list items was not a problem. Even when I taught, I was able to buy stuff for my students and I didn’t mind because I knew many were from single parent homes. Well, this is year 3.5 of unemployment for me.
Like you, I have been looking and looking but there are some things I HAVE to consider when looking for work. For example, because (and only because) we are considered low-income, my kids get medical, dental, and vision coverage for $15 month. If I get a job, it is likely that they will be dropped and I will have to get insurance thru the job, if it’s offered (and affordable). This is problematic because I want to go back to work, but the system is designed to have you between a rock and a hard place. Very few employers are actually paying people a fair wage, and that is especially true for us college grads. I cannot see myself working for $9 an hour because I would have to pay child care, insurance, etc. Then I’d be working JUST to pay for those things. It makes no sense.
You are right: These organizations/departments need to do better at making this information public and accessible to those who need it most, when they need it. There is simply too much red tape involved.
Great post. Sorry for rambling!
Monise,
I think your comments bring up some very important points about how the system is broken…so true! It is so frustrating to see it struggle on the same way.
My concern, tho, is not about families like mine and I am hoping that is interpreted correctly. This post is NOT about my family or me. My life is not vastly different from my friends’ lives. We all have issues and struggles and things that are difficult. What concerns me is the families who do not have the support that I have as I go through these struggles. I can’t imagine going through the past year without the resources and everything else to support my kids and me. But for many in our country, they struggle day in and day out with these issues without that support.
My kids and I will be fine. One day I will earn a good living and our finances will straighten out. But that can’t be said for most of the low income community. That is what is so poignant about this issue to me…that they have almost no way out, and that it really is so much harder for them than for the rest of us. I may have the low income description in common with people, but that is where the comparisons end in terms of describing hardship in our lives. Not even in the same category!!!