Surviving Poverty: Creating Sustainable Ties Among the Poor PDF
Preview Surviving Poverty: Creating Sustainable Ties Among the Poor
Surviving P overty Surviving Poverty Creating Sustainable Ties among the Poor Joan Maya Mazelis NEW Y ORK UNIVERS ITY P RESS New York NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York www.nyupress.org © 2017 by New York University All rights reserved References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. ISBN: 978-1-4798-7359-3 (hardback) ISBN: 978-1-4798-7008-0 (paperback) For Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data, please contact the Library of Congress. New York University Press books are printed on acid- free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppli- ers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Also available as an ebook Dr. Steven Shapiro, my English teacher during my senior year of high school, once told me, “Whatever you decide to do in life, make sure that it matters, and that it matters to you.” I dedicate this book to Nancy Brook (Jacobs) LaFrenz (1974– 2005) and to Joe Cytrynbaum (1972– 2009), for reminding me what matters. And to Amelia and Sam, and to all the children of the study participants whose stories appear in this book: may the world grow kinder, and may we all work together to make it so. Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction: Social Ties among the Poor in an Era of Unprecedented Inequality 1 1. Keep Working to Be What You Want: The Power of Individualism 27 2. I Stay to Myself: Avoidance of Social Ties 59 3. The Only Way We’re Going to Survive: Social Ties as a Survival Strategy 91 4. What Goes around Comes Around: Reciprocity in a Poor People’s Social Network 120 5. Our Strength Is in Our Unity: Sustainable Social Ties 144 Conclusion: Creating Change on the Outskirts of Hope 165 Appendix: Research Design, Methods, and Data Analysis 195 Notes 219 References 255 Index 273 About the Author 283 vii Preface On December 16, 2003, activists from the Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU) stage a protest outside the mayor’s office in Philadel- phia’s City Hall to demand “Homes for the Holidays.” People gather at 4 p.m. and stay for several hours. Singing Christmas carols, the activists share food one of them has made and brought for dinner— they scoop the bean stew into small plastic bowls and pass them throughout the crowd, making sure the many children present eat first. Someone passes out bread. A leader calls on people individually to tell their stories. Each one of them says she is a homeless member of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union. The leader tells them never to be ashamed of their home- lessness. The group sings more Christmas carols, and then someone brings out a cake; it is one of the children’s birthdays. Another leader begins to sing a song: I went down to the rich man’s house, I took back what he stole from me. . . . I took my humanity, took back my dignity . . . The children and activists join in and the group begins to sing the verse again, with a slight variation: I went down to the mayor’s house, I took back what he stole from me. . . . I took my humanity, took back my dignity . . . Soon administrators agree to meet with the homeless individuals, one at a time, and ask them questions. One member tells me they ask her things like, “How long have you been homeless?” “Where are you staying now?” “How many kids do you have? “Why are you homeless?” Eventually administrators offer to put people, for that night, into shel- ters, but KWRU leaders say that is unacceptable, that their numbers in- clude some domestic violence victims who can’t be safe in shelters, and ix
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