Listening to:
Kanye West - All Falls Down
Iota Sigma Rho, with the help and support of several other organizations, took the lead doing something that no other sorority, fraternity or club in Slife has- they address the issue of Working Class and Child Poverty by way of a life exhibition/ short play.
Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 6pm slt, the ladies of Iota and members of Alpha Sigma Omega, Little Black Dress Club, Sigma Upsilon Nu, and others put together an amazing event depicting the views of everyday life in a low income and poverty stricken neighborhood. Not to say everyone goes through the same struggles, but you at least know of one person or family who work hard and do all they can do and still cannot make ends meet at the end of the day. Families and children going hungry because of these struggles. Holidays are around the corner and we figured this would be the perfect time to make this problem a known one and as a way to kick off out annual canned food drive.
Understand that there is a very thin line between being poor and working class poverty. We are all one pay check or bad spending decision away of being on the other side of the fence. By definition, poverty is the inability to provide adequate nutrition, clothing and shelter to one's family. But you are working right? So, you have that ability, right? But you still struggle and often thing like clothes and food and sometimes shelter go undone, right? Hence, working class poverty. Now when we talk about clothes, we not looking at the new Jordans that just came out or that outfit you just have to have. We are address the need for the basics. Name brand clothing is a luxury; new clothes is a luxury; Nike, Jordans, Gucci, Prada, etc is a luxury. A basic pair of slack, jeans, dress, shirt, shoes, maybe even heels, are a necessity! Working class know the difference.
The working class are those people who work full time jobs that makes minimum wage or less. These people often look as if they are not struggling because they refuse to ask for help; and more often than not they have a family to support. 46.3 million people in the United Sates alone, in 2013, were recorded as poor and 10.5 million of theses individuals were working poor. 4.4 million people who usually work full time were working poor. 85% of them experienced at least one labor market problem (unemployment, involuntary part-time employment, or low wage)*. That's in the U.S. alone; so imaging in other countries like Florida are going through. ((LOL! That was a joke! I know Florida is not a country. #SonicsCommercial. But seriously think about it!)) That includes the mother working at the fast food joint, the cashier at you local grocer, that sales associate at the clothing store, the receptionist at the bank, the security guard, etc. - at least 3 in 5 of these people have a family to support or some type of dependent. We have all heard our parents say, "rob Peter to pay Paul" when it comes to bills. That just simply means maneuvering money so that everything gets paid or at least the most important thing get paid first. Prioritizing your money, basically. At the end of the day is it really enough?
Households with two working adults and no children may be able to thrive comfortably off of a $9 or $10 an hour job. Between the two they can get bills paid, buy food and maybe have enough left over to eat out once or twice a week. A household with children, especially young children, don't have that luxury. Poverty in America and some out international areas is ridiculous, but the most saddening thing is to see children suffer. Children face food insecurities more than the average adult does because children look to adults to provide for them. In 2011, 14.9 percent of food insecurities as the highest percentage of American households. Although it is at a slow decline, families that live in low income areas still deal with the struggles of putting food on the table. 7.6 million children die every year before they turn five years old due to the many illnesses that can be prevented with the right nutrition and adequate water supply.* For the first time this year in America, more than half of all public school students are from low-income households. According to the No Kid Hungry initiative, every 3 or out 4 public school teachers say they have witness child hunger in their classroom; 81 percent witness this at least once every week! A child cannot focus on anything thing if they are consistently hungry and thinking about food. Children are three times as likely to drop out of school because of the lack of focus surrounding hunger among other things. Food fuels your brains and body to act accordantly; being alert, aware, active, focused, and energized. Think about a day you didn't eat breakfast, or nothing at all for that matter, How did you feel? You're an adult, so you may have been able to push through it, but seriously what about a five, six, seven year old girl or boy. Lets be honest, in the African American communities and communities of color, there are already trikes against you; people rooting for you to fail. A child of color sitting in a classroom unable to focus because he/ or she is hungry is only pushing him/her to give up and become another statistic. It has been proven children who do not have to worry about food insecurities show a 73% increase in classroom attention, 53% in attendance, and 48% in discipline.
We can sit here and throw stats at you all day about the working class and child poverty and food insecurities in low income America, but what is the bottom line solution. We have heard some solutions for the working class to be able to "survive" such as get a better paying job, ask for a raise, fight for increase, be more frugal, got to food pantries, shop goodwill, etc. Let's look at a raise or increase in minimum wage. An extra dollar an hour may seem great and all but it's really not. So, lets look at this scenario:
You make $1.23 a day and after taxes you take home $1.. You need to buy milk and it cost $1; therefore you have enough money, right? Right! Now, wage increased to $18.45 a day. You made it now!! Mmmm, not really because that store that you bought the milk from has to meet the demands of everything increasing- light, gas, rent, store property taxes, etc. In order to do that the $1 milk is not $15.00. You can still afford it, no problem, right? Wrong! Because the pay increase you move up into a new tax braked that not takes 29% out of your check versus 23%.
Do the math: 18.45 - 29% = $13.10.
In reality that pay increase meant nothing because now you can longer afford milk!
Sometimes the simple solutions work and other times they don't. Pride ma be the biggest downfall when it comes to being aware of your surroundings and needs. Food panties and goodwill are here for a reason. Don't be afraid to go to these places and ask for help. Your pride will keep you hungry and in the dark.
The ladies of Iota Sigma Rho have put together a Grocery and Meal list for $50 a week or less. We have also composed a list of a few websites, food pantries, discount and saving options in some major cities and sates, including Illinois, Florida, New York New Jersey, etc, as well as a International list from the U.K. This list will be posted on out blog as well as our webpage for public access to show you what a family of two or more with and without children can eat for a week on a budget. WE urge you to take advantage of these listings and to pass them on. We also ask that you be a blessing to someone else who you know may be struggling or in a bad situation. You don't have to give them your last, but help them as needed. We all need each other to survive.
"Give selflessly and abundantly, and it will be giving back to you in great measure."
