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Prepare for the Forum
Prepare for the Forum
The focus of the forum is informed conversation, not education.
In this way it is different from a workshop where you show up to be taught.
It is your responsibility to do the depth of education you need to engage in an
informed and compassionate conversation about this type of inclusion.
Educating ourselves ensures that those experiencing exclusion do not need
to educate those with privilege or endure expressions of ignorance.
Getting Started
Learn what Social Class and Classism are. Both questions at the forum will be about this, so it is an essential concept.
Class is impacted by, and impacts, many things including:
Education Housing
Health Income
Food Language
Wealth Religion/Faith
Work/Jobs/Career Race
Gender Disability
Justice system encounters
2. Explore your Class Path and definitions of Class Paths and Class Background Groups
3. Learn about Classism in this conversation between UU Young Adult, Frances Koziar and Social Justice Lead, Erin Horvath.
3. Learn about Classism in this conversation between UU Young Adult, Frances Koziar and Social Justice Lead, Erin Horvath.
Meet Frances
Meet Frances
In this voice only video she shares:
the breakdown of economic classes by income
the harms caused by misusing the term "poverty"
shame, poverty and the cost of speaking out
the social value placed on children over adults living in poverty
who is to blame?
how marketing and classism intersect
4. Important concepts related to economic class. Note economics is not the only thing that determines class.
Poverty is the point you can not afford basic necessities. This is how Canada Measures it: Market Basket Measure of Poverty
Canada's poverty rate in 2020 was 6.4%, down from 10.3% in 2019. This was due to COVID-19 income support measures.
Middle class, according to Pew Research, is defined by earning between 75 - 200% of median incomes. Note: there is no single definition of what makes someone middle class, it is a highly politicized terms, and the range of income is enormous.
Median Income, is point where half the people received more and half the people received less ( including from government assistance). In 2020 the Canadian Median income was $39,500.
Median Market Income, is the point where half the people made more and half the people made less at their work (this excludes government assistance). In 2019 the Median Market Income was $57,600. In 2020 it decreased 3.3% to $55,700 due to pandemic restrictions.
Average Income, is calculated by adding everyone's incomes in Canada together and then dividing it evenly by the number of people. This includes the very poor, the very rich, and everyone in between. In 2020 the average was $51,300.
Class Income Brackets
Note- these are pulled from multiple sources to give an idea of bench marks but there is no consensus on these. Middle class, in particular, has quite a range of interpretations.
Poverty Line $17,000- 18,000/year (people receiving welfare and disability payments live below this)
Poor/Lower class $18,000- 26,999/year
Lower Middle Class $32,048 – 53,413/year
Middle Class $53,500- 100,000/year
Upper Middle Class $100,000 - 150,000/year
Upper Class $150,000-373,000/year +
Rich $373,894 /year +
Sources:
Statistics Canada- Income levels (2016-2020)
Statistics Canada- Market Income, Government Transfers
What is the Middle-Class Income Range in Canada? Feb 27, 2022
New Report Exposes Staggering Levels of Social Inequality In Canada June 30, 2020
5. Read these Anonymous Responses from UU's.
5. Watch interviews with UU’s living with a range of experience due to their economic and social class and read these Anonymous Responses.
Out of respect for these UU's who have agreed to share their story within the UU community only, PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THESE LINKS.
Meet Dawn
Meet Dawn
In this video we learn
xir experience in living between different social and economic classes
code switching
privileges and assumptions living in deep poverty as a white disabled queer person
the difference and value between charity and support
presence of good neighbours at church
Meet Kym
Meet Kym
In this video, he shares
what it feels like to experience poverty from birth
lessons from his mother
his lifelong journey as an advocate for the poor
how experience is a privilege
what it's like at coffee hour for someone whose truth makes folks uncomfortable
Meet Amber
Meet Amber
In this deeply personal conversation, Amber shares with Erin
how her childhood informed her sense of security and belonging
the stigmas of being a sex worker
impacts of moral policies
labour, capitalism, and exploitation
how changing the way we talk about sex work and sex workers helps to reduce harm
class culture
how (not) to approach someone who has offered their story in vulnerability
how assumptions cause harm
the dangers of qualifying who can speak as an expert
Want to Dig Deeper?
Want to Dig Deeper?
Reflection Questions:
What traits do you consciously (or unconsciously) use to determine someone's class?
For instance:
hygiene choices (including smell, teeth, hair, other grooming choices)
clothing (what do you consider upper class clothing? Middle? Lower?)
choice of words/way they speak
ethnicity
vehicle they drive/if they drive
where they live (neighborhood, accommodation type)
their work (what jobs do you consider upper, middle, and lower class?)
what they eat
physical abilities
mental abilities
education level
Describe a time when you were classist?
Consider these questions for your congregation or UU group?
At The Forum
Review the Responsibility Covenant. To learn more about this check out the guide.
Those of us with privilege, make this covenant to those living with this form of exclusion, so they can feel safer knowing we will be managing any discomfort that arises without projecting onto them.
Review the Community Covenant . We all make this covenant to each other regarding how we will interact with each other during the Forum.
Forum Discussion Questions:
These were discuseed together at the forum.
How were you taught to recognize who was poor, middle income, and wealthy? How does this influence your assumptions now?
If you were to design your congregational culture from scratch, how would you do things so there were no class barriers ?
Note: Do not try to correct what you already have. Try to imagine it anew.
Answers will be recorded in this Padlet and ideas can be added at any time, even after the forum.
Want to Dig Deeper Still?
Want to Dig Deeper Still?
UU Specific Resources
From Class Conversations (site)
Mark Harris, Elite: Uncovering Classism in Unitarian and Universalist History (2011) (book). Access the discussion guide.
Videos/Films
Broadbent Institute- Wealth Gap (site and video)
Class Action: Building A Cross Class Movement (Interview)
Acknowledging Class in Activist Spaces - Betsy Leondar-Wright
Books/Sites
The Activist Class Cultures Kit (site)
The Micropedia (of Microaggressions)
Articles
New Report Exposes Staggering Levels of Social Inequality In Canada June 30, 2020 (Article)
Why people still don't care about poverty, despite the pandemic's hardships - By Frances Koziar- UU Young Adult (Article)
Who are Sex Workers (in Canada) July 3, 2021 (Study)
Take Action
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