Thursday, February 12th, 2009...
This past Thursday I attended the Rally for a Living Wage at UGA. The event was organized by UGA’s Campaign for a Living Wage- a combination of undergraduate and graduate students, professors and community members. The organization and the rally certainly have a strategic focus on the University itself, as a workplace, as an employer and ultimately as an oppressor. Having said that my hope was that this event would be an opportunity to make the case for the big-picture relevance of this issue beyond UGA.
I attended the rally Thursday not just as a supporter of the living wage at UGA but as an ally of and intern for, People of Hope “a grassroots nonprofit formed by 43 low-income, multicultural, working families in Athens, Georgia organized to fight against housing injustice”. Even at the most cursory glance it seems like these organizations have a good bit of common ground. The issue of housing affordability and the impossibility of home ownership for many in Athens is a direct result of the lack of a living wage.
Unfortunately, collaboration with community partners such as People of Hope was a bit of an afterthought. This was understandable—rallies are surely about getting one clear message across clearly, loudly, quickly, or sometimes provocatively. But it did make me think about the need to articulate the very significant connections between these two struggles (and many others) in a more official way. This part of the equation is definitely a work in progress, but we’ve got to keep it front and center- even as we struggle to figure out how it will look…
Some may wonder, why complicate the issue? Why not just present the case for a living wage at UGA clearly, simply, coherently? This is precisely the point. It is more complicated to talk about the big picture (for example to talk not just about university wages, but poverty in Athens, housing injustice, racism, immigration, transportation issues…) But it’s worth it, and it’s the only way we will ever see real change. Until we begin to connect the dots, and give meaning to their everyday experiences in the context of more overarching conditions- we will not be able to address the root causes of inequality. Strategically too- as we generate resources, create visibility, and build strong networks- we will have more of a voice and more of an impact if we come together to enact a better vision for the big picture.
*fliers by Liz Kinnamon.
