This short piece was adapted from text commissioned for Money, Gender & Power: A Guide to Funding with a Gender Lens by Tuti B. Scott for Slingshot.
Race and class are intertwined, and here in the U.S., it has been designed this way in policy, law, and practice since the founding of this country. Dr. Ruby Payne, author of the book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, has focused her career on understanding socioeconomic class. She defines poverty as the "extent to which an individual does without resources” and has identified eight types of poverty and/or resources that influence achievement:
Financial: the money to purchase goods and services.
Emotional: the ability to choose and control emotional responses, particularly to negative situations, without engaging in self-destructive behavior. This is an internal resource and shows itself through stamina, perseverance, and choices.
Mental: the necessary intellectual ability and acquired skills, such as reading, writing, and computing, to deal with everyday life.
Spiritual: a belief in divine purpose and guidance.
Physical: health and mobility.
Support systems: friends, family, backup resources and knowledge bases one can rely on in times of need. These are external resources.
Role models: frequent access to adults who are appropriate and nurturing to the child, and who do not engage in self-destructive behavior.
Knowledge of hidden rules: knowing the unspoken cues and habits of a group.
As a consultant on equity and inclusion for nonprofits and corporations and in trainings on cultural competency through BRIDGE, I often refer to Dr. Payne’s work as a tool to unpack gender identity and race bias associated with the eighth form of poverty and/or resources, what Dr. Payne calls “hidden rules” within not just groups, but systems of oppression.
While I appreciate that Dr. Payne offers an inclusive definition of poverty meaning a lack of adequate resources (for thriving), I offer my companion definition of privilege, which is “earned or unearned benefits that afford an individual or group access to resources, power, and wealth.” To include a necessary intersectional analysis of race and gender, I also use the Actor-Ally-Accomplice model to equip leaders with ways that they can leverage their resources and influence toward greater equity.
For individuals and organizations looking to further develop or teach a poverty and privilege analysis, PolicyLink’s Equity Manifesto is also helpful. Furthermore, this manifesto shows a national commitment toward resourcing individuals and communities that have been historically oppressed. It calls for structural changes through policy and practice to dismantle systems that create barriers of access to thriving communities, and it is worth the time spent for intentional reflection, probing discussions and sharing widely.
© 2019 Gwendolyn VanSant