Samantha Fredman: I am Sam Fredman and I am here with Chris Pearson, a longtime service provider who is currently the Community Engagement Manager with the UW’s Carlson Public Service and Leadership Center. […] Chris, can you describe the moment that we are in culturally, socially, politically? What kind of factors are affecting today’s climate?
Chris Pearson: I feel like we have been in this space for a long time. I feel like the election of Donald Trump has brought more things to a front, and made more things visible than they were previously, as far as class goes. I think right now […] one of the talking points of the election, was “the disappearing middle class”. People have been talking about that a long time. And especially here in Seattle, this shifting of more folks with wealth privilege and the disparities growing more and more, in all sorts of ways. […] I think we’re seeing this across the country too in all ways that are related to wealth access and privilege […] access to property ownership and access to jobs and who can and can’t be employed, and all of those things.
Then, I think another piece of the climate which really came out during the election, and was really a big piece of Donald Trump’s strategy, whether it was purposeful or not, was this – there’s always been this pitting of working class and poor white folks against working class and poor folks of color, as a distraction […]
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