Why do we have so much poverty?
By Gypsy Walukones, Senior Communications Manager
Recently, I attended a talk with Matthew Desmond, hosted by Seattle Arts & Lectures. The nearly sold-out crowd included about 20 members of Ballard Food Bank’s community: staff, volunteers, and supporters. We came together in Town Hall Seattle’s Great Hall to hear the author and sociologist speak about his book Poverty, By America and challenge us all to become poverty abolitionists. Most of our staff members have been reading Desmond’s book, which we’ve invited our community to read with us!
Team members Ciara and Khalid with donations collected at the event.
Seattle Arts & Lectures offered us the opportunity to table at the event, connecting with community members and collecting donations. They also shared a list of our most-needed lightweight items for people to bring, and the 95 pounds of food donations overflowed our donation bin. One attendee pulled several boxes of bars out of her backpack after mentioning that she’d hiked over from Queen Anne. Several folks who stopped by the table mentioned supporting their local neighborhood food bank such as University District Food Bank and West Seattle Food Bank. We love to encourage people to support their local food banks and are also deeply grateful for the food shared with our community through donations from this event.
So, what brought us together around this book and event?
One of Desmond’s key messages is that the reason poverty persists in America is because the rest of us benefit from it. This can be deeply uncomfortable. It can also be empowering, as it highlights the ways we can make a difference personally as well as politically.
“It takes a lot to make me uncomfortable, and there were definitely things that challenged me in the talk.” – Ballard Food Bank Operations Director Anthony Anderson
Desmond draws attention to the fact that “every year, the richest American families receive almost 40 percent more in government subsidies than the poorest American families.” These largely come in the form of tax breaks such as mortgage interest deductions (where half go to families earning over $200k), homeowner subsidies, and tax-free growth from 529 plans (where 70% of benefits go to families with over $200,000 in household income).
Direct and indirect investments in the stock market also mean that those of us with 401k retirement plans, 529 college savings plans, savings accounts through our banks, and more benefit from low wages and worker exploitation. Those in poverty also subsidize wealthier account holders by paying higher rates and extra fees to banks and other lenders. Zoning laws maintain segregation and limit social mobility, but also keep property values high for homeowners. Landlords make higher profits in lower income areas, while banks rarely issue loans for lower value properties.
During the talk, waves of murmurs and some squirming swept through the crowd at several points, such as during the discussion of mortgage interest deductions and when the screen showed several photos from around the U.S. including one of a Seattle yard with a “No HALA Upzones” sign next to “In this house we believe…”
Photo by Rick Mohler shared to City Builders—Seattle Facebook group
If you’ve been in Ballard, Wallingford, or other nearby neighborhoods for a few years, it may not surprise you how little time it took me to find a similar picture online. In fact, there were many examples from different yards, houses, and streets.
A Call to Action, and How We Answer
Desmond calls on readers to become “poverty abolitionists.”
At Ballard Food Bank, we take this call seriously. We’re committed to not just feeding people in the moment, but also pushing for systemic change and advocating for anti-poverty policies.
As the co-chair of the Seattle Human Services Coalition, our executive director Jen Muzia worked with other nonprofit leaders to advocate for wage equity. This work has included commissioning a study through the University of Washington, paid for by the City of Seattle, and advocating with both government and private funders to support increasing wages for human services employees working on hunger, homelessness, and other critical issues in our community.
We also acted directly on this study - and our belief in wage equity - increasing our hourly minimum pay to $31 per hour. Investing in our staff and retaining our team means we can build deeper relationships with our community, help connect more of our neighbors with resources, and have the capacity to advocate for systems change.
Beyond wage equity for nonprofit workers, we’re digging into food systems and the policies that relieve or reinforce poverty, advocating for positive changes that impact our food bank community. These policies involve Washington state’s regressive tax system, essential federal programs such as WIC and SNAP, and local initiatives to fund human services.
Desmond’s call to action encourages us to “reject a scarcity mindset and recognize the nation’s bounty.” At Ballard Food Bank, we know there CAN be enough for everyone, but it will take a lot of work to address the growing inequities in our systems and we all have a part to play.
So where do we go from here?
Join us at our virtual event on April 17th where we’ll be discussing how Desmond’s book ties into the work we do at Ballard Food Bank, and what ways it challenges us personally and as an organization.
Following the event, we’ll be sending out a survey to attendees about ideas for getting involved and may schedule additional events or ways to connect based on your feedback.
I’ll also be continuing to address this topic, how it plays out in the Seattle area, and how we can all get involved in blog posts over the next few months.
I hope you’ll join us as we explore the root causes of poverty and our roles in the important work of building a more equitable community and society.