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White poverty : how exposing myths about race and class can reconstruct American democracy Cover Image

White poverty : how exposing myths about race and class can reconstruct American democracy / Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.

Barber, William J., II, 1963- (author.). Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan, 1980- (author.).

Summary:

"One of the most pernicious and persistent myths in the United States is the association of Black skin with poverty. Though there are forty million more poor white people than Black people, most Americans, both Republicans and Democrats, continue to think of poverty--along with issues like welfare, unemployment, and food stamps--as solely a Black problem. Why is this so? What are the historical causes? And what are the political consequences that result? These are among the questions that the Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, a leading advocate for the rights of the poor and the "closest person we have to Dr. King" (Cornel West), addresses in White Poverty, a groundbreaking work that exposes a legacy of historical myths that continue to define both white and Black people, creating in the process what might seem like an insuperable divide. Analyzing what has changed since the 1930s, when the face of American poverty was white, Barber, along with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, addresses white poverty as a hugely neglected subject that just might provide the key to mitigating racism and bringing together tens of millions of working class and impoverished Americans."-- Dust Jacket.

Record details

ISBN: 9781324094876
ISBN: 1324094877
Physical Description: xviii, 270 pages : photographs ; 21 cm
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York : Liveright Publishing Corporation, a division of W.W. Norton & Company, [2024]
Copyright: ©2024

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 240-259) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Part I: facing poverty. The crisis we cannot see ; Moral fusion: the way to higher ground -- Part II: myths. Pale skin is a shared interest (myth I) ; Only black folks want change in America (myth 2) ; Poverty is only a Black issue (myth 3) ; We can't overcome division (myth 4) -- Part III: reconstructing democracy. Facing White poverty's wounds ; Poor people are the new swing voters ; Why we must lift from the bottom ; Rediscovering the ties that bind us -- Epilogue. How Black power saved my White grannies / Johnathan Wilson-Hartgrove -- Rebuilding, redemption & revival can be real: inaugural sermon for Joseph R. Biden.