A study of
African- American and Caucasian households in the U.S. found that residential
segregation between these two groups has decreased over the past decades. At the same time, according to a
study released this summer by the Pew Research Center, segregation by income
level is on the rise in the U.S.
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So while we
seem to be breaking through racial barriers, we’re becoming more and more
economically isolated, and this has significant implications for those who are
striving to rise out of low-income circumstances.
If we
continued this trend towards economic isolation, we would expect to see some increasingly
significant social challenges:
1)
Because
neighbors help neighbors, we could see a decrease in capacity to access help in
over-burdened areas.
2)
Because
diversity begets empathy, we might well see an increased divide between those
with and without resources, particularly among young people who grow up in
increasingly economically homogenous communities.
3)
Families
who experience a drastic shift in income (up or down) could experience
heightened isolation and alienation from their communities.
4)
Low-income
youth may increasingly lack access to and familiarity with the educational and
professional norms, opportunities and possibilities prevalent in upper-income
communities.
5)
Sentiments
of xenophobia and class hatred might find a more fertile breeding ground on
both sides of the fence.
Dire, eh?
Yes, but that’s not the whole story. It’s true that we’re living more
segregatedly than in previous decades, but we’re also living more connected.
Some of the biggest changes to residential segregation along income lines have
come in the Southwestern U.S. which posted an over 60% increase in income
segregation between 1980 and 2010. Houston posted the biggest change.
In Houston,
though, just this week, a woman from Chicago picketed and protested on behalf
of striking Houston Janitors. She said:
"I know the fear that so many have to live
with, the fear that you could lose your job for speaking up. Janitors in
Houston can't risk arrest without risking their jobs too. I can, so I
will."
Across the
internet -- across states -- the Chicago woman connected with her community,
reached out, stepped up and supported people she felt could use her help. This
doesn’t change residential economic segregation, of course, but it does speak to
the fact that community is no longer constrained by where we live.
Using
technology and human connection, we’re creating a different kind of
neighborhood, beyond geographic limits. We can build community and empathy, and
extend help to neighbors across boundaries that were once impassable. Benevolent is one tool for this, driving
from Chicago to Houston to support those you can relate to is another.
If we took
each challenge I listed above one by one, and considered them through the lens
of our new-fangled communities and networks using media, technology, and human
connection, the outlook might look at least a little bit brighter.
- megan kashner, founder & ceo
Benevolent
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