Yesterday I finished reading Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. Although it was published 2001 it still applies to today. It is especially pertinent for us at Esperanza because we are targeting the low SES population.
One of the things that makes Ehrenreich's book so powerful is because she chose to live for a period of time like the people she was researching. In the Introduction she says, "...low-wage workers are no more homogeneous in personality or ability than people who write for a living, and no less likely to be funny or bright. Anyone in the educated classes who thinks otherwise ought to broaden their circle of friends." She goes on to say that those not having to live in this manner don't understand or know this population and for that reason they make inappropriate decisions and policies that are harmful.
I have found in my reading of The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery that it took Lincoln actually meeting and interacting with Blacks who had experienced slavery did he make wiser decisions concerning the issue.
These two examples are a reminder that we need to find ways to know our Esperanza scholars and their families if we are going to make the most appropriate decisions and policies.
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