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White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy
An explosive work with far-ranging historical implications, White Poverty promises to be one of the most influential books of the 2024 election cycle.
When most Americans think of poverty, they imagine Black faces. As a teenager, Reverend William J. Barber II recalls seeing Black mothers interviewed on television whenever there was a story on food stamps or unemployment; poverty, then as now, was depicted as an essentially Black problem. In a work that promises to have lasting repercussions, Barber—now a leading advocate for the rights of our nation’s poor and the “closest person we have to Dr. King” (Cornel West)—addresses white poverty as a hugely neglected subject that might just be the key to mitigating racism and bringing together the tens of millions working-class and impoverished whites with low-income Blacks. Recognizing that angry social media posts have replaced food, education, and housing as a “salve” for the white poor, Barber contends that the millions of America’s lowest-income earners have much in common, and together with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, provides one of the most sympathetic and visionary approaches to endemic poverty in decades.
When most Americans think of poverty, they imagine Black faces. As a teenager, Reverend William J. Barber II recalls seeing Black mothers interviewed on television whenever there was a story on food stamps or unemployment; poverty, then as now, was depicted as an essentially Black problem. In a work that promises to have lasting repercussions, Barber—now a leading advocate for the rights of our nation’s poor and the “closest person we have to Dr. King” (Cornel West)—addresses white poverty as a hugely neglected subject that might just be the key to mitigating racism and bringing together the tens of millions working-class and impoverished whites with low-income Blacks. Recognizing that angry social media posts have replaced food, education, and housing as a “salve” for the white poor, Barber contends that the millions of America’s lowest-income earners have much in common, and together with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, provides one of the most sympathetic and visionary approaches to endemic poverty in decades.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published June 11, 2024
About the author
William J. Barber II
14 books96 followersWilliam J. Barber II is an American Protestant minister and political activist. He is a member of the national board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the chair of its Legislative Political Action Committee. Since 2006 he has been president of the NAACP's North Carolina state chapter, the largest in the Southern United States and the second-largest in the country.[1] Barber has served as pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Goldsboro, North Carolina since 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
October 9, 2024
“We made the world we’re living in, and we have to make it over.” – James Baldwin
Senator Bernie Sanders described the author as a “leader in our country working to take on poverty and economic injustice. He knows that we can bring about great change by building a multi-racial, multi-generational coalition of working-class people. Building a mass movement of ordinary people is how we end today’s unprecedented levels of greed and economic inequality.”
So, how do we make people want to do that, especially if there is a faction out there that may only be concerned about their own interests to get rich?
I’m not sure there is an easy answer, other than to open our minds to books like this one. Where authors that care, and do the hard work also take time to study the problem.
The author opens with…
“This is a book by a Black man about white poverty in America. I’ve written this because I believe the racist images of Black mothers on welfare that have dominated the imaginations of Americans are not merely demeaning to Black people; they are also based on a myth that obscures the poverty of tens of millions of white people. Until we face the reality of white poverty in America, we cannot comprehend what is truly exceptional about the inequality that persists in the richest nation in the history of the world.”
The author has quite the extensive resume. He preached at President Biden’s 2020 inaugural prayer service. He has held a lot of prominent positions that gave him the opportunity whether on the pulpit or at the podium, to denounce injustice and economic disparity with righteous indignation. People have described his penetrating stare as someone looking into America’s soul.
And, this book is him in action doing just that, looking into America’s soul.
The author provides through this book a well-documented and informative discussion on poverty in the United States. He takes on the racial myths and he puts greed front and center.
“We are pitted against one another by politicians and billionaires who depend on the poorest among us not being seen…by cable news and social media memes and politicians who depend on tired narratives to rally their base against imagined enemies of their ‘values.’”
Even as he shares that white supremacy is a myth “as poisonous to white people as it is to people of color,” he is also letting us know that “it dehumanizes the people it claims to elevate; it uses the very people it claims to champion.”
But he doesn’t leave us hanging with this, he wants us to move on through understanding so that we can mitigate it. This comes through in his well-researched chapters.
His thoughts are compelling and insightful. He showcases personal stories that are heart-felt and inspiring. But mostly, he just doesn’t put it out there and leave it, he presents an action plan to help guide us, through uplifting chapters like, “why we must lift from the bottom,” and “rediscovering the ties that bind us.” He gives us hope that we can have meaningful change. Finding humanity. The potential to unite a movement for genuine change.
Senator Bernie Sanders described the author as a “leader in our country working to take on poverty and economic injustice. He knows that we can bring about great change by building a multi-racial, multi-generational coalition of working-class people. Building a mass movement of ordinary people is how we end today’s unprecedented levels of greed and economic inequality.”
So, how do we make people want to do that, especially if there is a faction out there that may only be concerned about their own interests to get rich?
I’m not sure there is an easy answer, other than to open our minds to books like this one. Where authors that care, and do the hard work also take time to study the problem.
The author opens with…
“This is a book by a Black man about white poverty in America. I’ve written this because I believe the racist images of Black mothers on welfare that have dominated the imaginations of Americans are not merely demeaning to Black people; they are also based on a myth that obscures the poverty of tens of millions of white people. Until we face the reality of white poverty in America, we cannot comprehend what is truly exceptional about the inequality that persists in the richest nation in the history of the world.”
The author has quite the extensive resume. He preached at President Biden’s 2020 inaugural prayer service. He has held a lot of prominent positions that gave him the opportunity whether on the pulpit or at the podium, to denounce injustice and economic disparity with righteous indignation. People have described his penetrating stare as someone looking into America’s soul.
And, this book is him in action doing just that, looking into America’s soul.
The author provides through this book a well-documented and informative discussion on poverty in the United States. He takes on the racial myths and he puts greed front and center.
“We are pitted against one another by politicians and billionaires who depend on the poorest among us not being seen…by cable news and social media memes and politicians who depend on tired narratives to rally their base against imagined enemies of their ‘values.’”
Even as he shares that white supremacy is a myth “as poisonous to white people as it is to people of color,” he is also letting us know that “it dehumanizes the people it claims to elevate; it uses the very people it claims to champion.”
But he doesn’t leave us hanging with this, he wants us to move on through understanding so that we can mitigate it. This comes through in his well-researched chapters.
His thoughts are compelling and insightful. He showcases personal stories that are heart-felt and inspiring. But mostly, he just doesn’t put it out there and leave it, he presents an action plan to help guide us, through uplifting chapters like, “why we must lift from the bottom,” and “rediscovering the ties that bind us.” He gives us hope that we can have meaningful change. Finding humanity. The potential to unite a movement for genuine change.
April 16, 2024
This is a powerful argument that the current divisions in our society are based on myths that are propagated and reinforced by those who benefit from these divisions. These myths drive a wedge between the white poor and the poor of color, when, in reality, they should be natural allies against those who would keep them all poor so as to continue to reap the profits. The author also notes that our official definitions of who is poor are utter inaccurate and that an accurate assessment of poverty in America would show that as much as 40% of the population can be considered poor. He argues strongly that the only way to improve the situation for those trapped in this life of poverty is for them to see the myths for what they are and to unite to force our elected leaders to truly address their needs.
I am not, personally, someone who finds strong religious or biblical language compelling, and so I was initially a little put off by the amount of this language the author uses in making his case. But as an ordained minister, this is his way of being in the world, and ultimately, I found his arguments to be quite persuasive, even if I would have preferred them to have been presented without the trappings of his religious point-of-view.
The take away from this book is that the economy of the United States has been, at least since the late 1970s, fundamentally stacked against the poor in favor of large corporate interests and the handful of elites who control them. This structure is unfair (and immoral, in the author's language) and is only sustainable because we (as a society) have bought into certain myths about race and poverty that keep us from truly seeing this disparity for what it is. But the author is optimistic that change can happen, that the poor can come together to fight for their economic rights and for justice.
I am not, personally, someone who finds strong religious or biblical language compelling, and so I was initially a little put off by the amount of this language the author uses in making his case. But as an ordained minister, this is his way of being in the world, and ultimately, I found his arguments to be quite persuasive, even if I would have preferred them to have been presented without the trappings of his religious point-of-view.
The take away from this book is that the economy of the United States has been, at least since the late 1970s, fundamentally stacked against the poor in favor of large corporate interests and the handful of elites who control them. This structure is unfair (and immoral, in the author's language) and is only sustainable because we (as a society) have bought into certain myths about race and poverty that keep us from truly seeing this disparity for what it is. But the author is optimistic that change can happen, that the poor can come together to fight for their economic rights and for justice.
Read
September 21, 2024DNF. Extremely important message about how racism is a strategy of oppression to keep poor people divided against each other. Unfortunately, the book is very repetitive.
July 23, 2024
“White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy”. It’s by the leader of the Poor People’s Campaign is very inspiring.
Rev. Dr William J Barber who is African American writes about Moral Fusion movements to combat poverty
in which minority groups and poor white people work together on many issues.
I learned in the book that even Democrats are encouraged not to use the word poor but to focus on words like “aspiring middle class “ Barber details how black people are called poor but whites are called working class. But he focuses on claiming the word poor and also emphasizes that the words “the working poor”usually only refers to white people; the implication is black, native etc are on welfare and not working.
“Working Poor “ also should be eliminated as a phrase he suggests. It should be the “underpaid” working poor.
It is a blue print of how all races can work together to eliminate poverty. His organization already has accomplished amazing things.
Highly recommended.
Rev. Dr William J Barber who is African American writes about Moral Fusion movements to combat poverty
in which minority groups and poor white people work together on many issues.
I learned in the book that even Democrats are encouraged not to use the word poor but to focus on words like “aspiring middle class “ Barber details how black people are called poor but whites are called working class. But he focuses on claiming the word poor and also emphasizes that the words “the working poor”usually only refers to white people; the implication is black, native etc are on welfare and not working.
“Working Poor “ also should be eliminated as a phrase he suggests. It should be the “underpaid” working poor.
It is a blue print of how all races can work together to eliminate poverty. His organization already has accomplished amazing things.
Highly recommended.
June 23, 2024
The fact poverty is the fourth leading cause of death in the richest country in the history of the world is shameful. As Americans we see and ignore poverty almost constantly. Every person needs to be a poverty abolitionist like the Reverend Barber proposes.
The Reverend writes about the need to acknowledge white poverty and use that knowledge to build coalitions. We can no longer let race divide the working class because that benefits the powerful.
The ideas are great, I did feel the book was not structured very well. It felt like the message of each chapter should have been honed in a more organized fashion.
The Reverend writes about the need to acknowledge white poverty and use that knowledge to build coalitions. We can no longer let race divide the working class because that benefits the powerful.
The ideas are great, I did feel the book was not structured very well. It felt like the message of each chapter should have been honed in a more organized fashion.
July 4, 2024
Compliment Sandwich:
The Good: Rev. Barber is right on with the premise: the more we associate poverty with communities of color, the easier it is to demonize poor white people and to make them go against their own interests. And that's especially true because they are the largest benefactors of what programs could help them. The book serves as a good counter to the myths of JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy (which rightfully takes a few hits) and that stupid Oliver Anthony song Rich Men North Of Richmond.
The Bad: I wasn't entirely sold on some of the autobiographical details that he shared about his multiracial family exemplifying black-white unity. Some were okay (the "aunt" story and the interracial marriage). But far too many were a bit mawkish and sentimental to me. That may be because I was more interested in hearing the facts or historical notes (like the genesis of "Lift Every Voice and Sing".)
The Good: He lays out a fantastic vision when he sticks to his theme. He's right about a multicultural fusion being able to tackle any problem. While he mainly stays on poverty, he touches upon voting rights, the environment, and gun control in fantastic ways. I also think the entire book functions as a spiritual twin to Bob Dylan's "Only A Pawn In Their Game".
Still, recommended.
The Good: Rev. Barber is right on with the premise: the more we associate poverty with communities of color, the easier it is to demonize poor white people and to make them go against their own interests. And that's especially true because they are the largest benefactors of what programs could help them. The book serves as a good counter to the myths of JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy (which rightfully takes a few hits) and that stupid Oliver Anthony song Rich Men North Of Richmond.
The Bad: I wasn't entirely sold on some of the autobiographical details that he shared about his multiracial family exemplifying black-white unity. Some were okay (the "aunt" story and the interracial marriage). But far too many were a bit mawkish and sentimental to me. That may be because I was more interested in hearing the facts or historical notes (like the genesis of "Lift Every Voice and Sing".)
The Good: He lays out a fantastic vision when he sticks to his theme. He's right about a multicultural fusion being able to tackle any problem. While he mainly stays on poverty, he touches upon voting rights, the environment, and gun control in fantastic ways. I also think the entire book functions as a spiritual twin to Bob Dylan's "Only A Pawn In Their Game".
Still, recommended.
September 27, 2024
A strong religious tone and southern geography focus the thesis presented in the title, but for those who already read this genre, there isn’t much that’s new.
July 21, 2024
I think that without a doubt the country does not pay enough attention to white poverty. Poor, rural white folks have a tough lot in life and few obvious avenues for betterment or to escape the cycle of poverty they are in. We need to find ways to improve that, but it often seems beyond me how we'd start. How do you create economic activity with incredibly low population densities? Without economic activity how do you have income, a tax base, quality schools, or anything else you need to have a functioning 21st century society? How do you provide healthcare or other social services over such huge distances? Providing services to urban poor has always seemed more tractable solely on the basis of concentration and population density.
If you've never contemplated white poverty, shame on you - but I suppose you can read the first few chapters to learn some things. The back half is mostly a rehash of the first. There is danger in statistics: by focusing on the fact that a higher percentage of people of color are poor, we lose track of the fact that the majority of actual poor people are white. Spend time driving around the country - like I do - and you know that there are a lot of poor white people out there in small towns.
I was excited when I heard about this book on NPR, and thrilled when I had a chance to pick it up in an airport (at words in MSP) when I found myself about to finish my previous book sooner than expected. White Poverty promised to explain the problem and provide policy solutions that have been developed over the years to solve it.
Unfortunately, there were no policies. Merely increasing the minimum wage is not a policy. It will make keeping rural hospitals open harder, not easier. Just hoping that unions will negotiate higher wages and better benefits isn't a policy. Policies are things like eliminating the cap on taxable social security income, increasing tax rates on earned and/or unearned income, restoring government funding of schools at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. It seems to me that the problem is that all of this requires money, and this book didn't offer even a single suggestion for how to do it. The problem is compounded when we consider the matter of policy that we need to increase expenditures while also reducing the deficit, thus exacerbating the demand on increased revenues. How? From where? How do we create the political will to do that?
I'm disappointed with this book specifically because it promised policies and offered none. By all means, look around you and recognize the problems caused by housing prices and low wages for unskilled labor. My personal preference is that we focus on developing skills in young people so that they grow up to have skilled jobs that earn them higher wages and salaries, not just increase the amount of money we pay people to do unskilled, menial things. Developing skills requires better schools and more stable homes for children so that they can arrive into kindergarten in a position to learn, accrue skills, and be successful. Trade schools are a perfectly viable path to accruing skills that can demand higher incomes and enhance life outcomes. None of these things help the current adults trapped in their lives of quiet desperation, but we can strive to do better for the next generation. That's what the American Dream used to be about, and we can dream again if we choose to embrace our fellow Americans.
If you've never contemplated white poverty, shame on you - but I suppose you can read the first few chapters to learn some things. The back half is mostly a rehash of the first. There is danger in statistics: by focusing on the fact that a higher percentage of people of color are poor, we lose track of the fact that the majority of actual poor people are white. Spend time driving around the country - like I do - and you know that there are a lot of poor white people out there in small towns.
I was excited when I heard about this book on NPR, and thrilled when I had a chance to pick it up in an airport (at words in MSP) when I found myself about to finish my previous book sooner than expected. White Poverty promised to explain the problem and provide policy solutions that have been developed over the years to solve it.
Unfortunately, there were no policies. Merely increasing the minimum wage is not a policy. It will make keeping rural hospitals open harder, not easier. Just hoping that unions will negotiate higher wages and better benefits isn't a policy. Policies are things like eliminating the cap on taxable social security income, increasing tax rates on earned and/or unearned income, restoring government funding of schools at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. It seems to me that the problem is that all of this requires money, and this book didn't offer even a single suggestion for how to do it. The problem is compounded when we consider the matter of policy that we need to increase expenditures while also reducing the deficit, thus exacerbating the demand on increased revenues. How? From where? How do we create the political will to do that?
I'm disappointed with this book specifically because it promised policies and offered none. By all means, look around you and recognize the problems caused by housing prices and low wages for unskilled labor. My personal preference is that we focus on developing skills in young people so that they grow up to have skilled jobs that earn them higher wages and salaries, not just increase the amount of money we pay people to do unskilled, menial things. Developing skills requires better schools and more stable homes for children so that they can arrive into kindergarten in a position to learn, accrue skills, and be successful. Trade schools are a perfectly viable path to accruing skills that can demand higher incomes and enhance life outcomes. None of these things help the current adults trapped in their lives of quiet desperation, but we can strive to do better for the next generation. That's what the American Dream used to be about, and we can dream again if we choose to embrace our fellow Americans.
July 21, 2024
White Poverty is the most important book everyone should read about the United States today. If every voter in the U.S. read this book, and listened closely to Rev. Barber, our world would change dramatically for the better. For the first time in months, I feel a glimmer of hope.
As noted within its pages:
“Yes, the history of America, like the history of the world, is filled with stories of powerful people who’ve stolen from the poor and used their power to pit poor people against one another so the masses would not rise up against them.”
“We are not a nation divided by racial identity and political ideology. We are, instead, a people who have been pitted against one another by politicians and billionaires who depend on the poorest among us not being seen.”
“Reactionary conservatives – the so-called ‘New Right’ – ...turned to violence and terror, killing four little girls in a Birmingham church; civil rights workers like Mickey Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman in Mississippi; and many of the leaders of the Second Reconstruction. But they also reworked the script of the old myth. The electoral attacks of this era were developed by Kevin Phillips, a Nixon campaign aide and Republican strategist. He said the secret to American Politics was knowing who hates who, and he developed a ‘Southern Strategy’ to persuade Southern whites to leave the Democratic Party out of their opposition to the Civil Rights movement. Republican strategist Lee Atwater later described how it worked. He said this: “You start out in 1954 saying ‘N-word, N-word, N-word’ but in 1968 you cannot say the N-word – that hurts you, that backfires. So you say stuff like ‘forced busing,’ ‘states rights,’ all that stuff. You’re getting abstract now. You talk about cutting taxes. And these things sound total economic, but the byproduct of them is that blacks get hurt worse than whites and whites blame their problem on blacks and those whom they taught are getting free things for nothing.”
“Backing Ronald Reagan in 1980, the New Right rallied white conservatives with talk about traditional and family values while they pushed a policy that benefited corporations and slashed government programs that has lifted millions of people out of poverty. In a place where race had shaped identity for generations, the public appeals of this movement were no longer explicitly racist. Reagan made Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday and, at the same time, worked to undermine the federal antipoverty programs that King was working to expand through the Poor People’s Campaign when he was gunned down in 1968. In the name of our values – and in ways that often suggested immorality among ‘those people’ – we were invited to sell out the most vulnerable among us.”
The way rich/powerful people have treated everyone who is not rich/powerful has been going on for centuries and has obviously been very successful. The rich/powerful are more rich/powerful than ever before. The rest of the country remains deeply divided while the rich/powerful count their money and snicker at their success.
But what if? What if “They knew the system wasn’t working for them, and they could see through the lies of the politicians who told them that Black people or gay people or immigrants were their enemies. They needed a new community to belong to, and they needed an agenda they could pursue together with a new coalition of unlikely allies.”
Let it be so.
As noted within its pages:
“Yes, the history of America, like the history of the world, is filled with stories of powerful people who’ve stolen from the poor and used their power to pit poor people against one another so the masses would not rise up against them.”
“We are not a nation divided by racial identity and political ideology. We are, instead, a people who have been pitted against one another by politicians and billionaires who depend on the poorest among us not being seen.”
“Reactionary conservatives – the so-called ‘New Right’ – ...turned to violence and terror, killing four little girls in a Birmingham church; civil rights workers like Mickey Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman in Mississippi; and many of the leaders of the Second Reconstruction. But they also reworked the script of the old myth. The electoral attacks of this era were developed by Kevin Phillips, a Nixon campaign aide and Republican strategist. He said the secret to American Politics was knowing who hates who, and he developed a ‘Southern Strategy’ to persuade Southern whites to leave the Democratic Party out of their opposition to the Civil Rights movement. Republican strategist Lee Atwater later described how it worked. He said this: “You start out in 1954 saying ‘N-word, N-word, N-word’ but in 1968 you cannot say the N-word – that hurts you, that backfires. So you say stuff like ‘forced busing,’ ‘states rights,’ all that stuff. You’re getting abstract now. You talk about cutting taxes. And these things sound total economic, but the byproduct of them is that blacks get hurt worse than whites and whites blame their problem on blacks and those whom they taught are getting free things for nothing.”
“Backing Ronald Reagan in 1980, the New Right rallied white conservatives with talk about traditional and family values while they pushed a policy that benefited corporations and slashed government programs that has lifted millions of people out of poverty. In a place where race had shaped identity for generations, the public appeals of this movement were no longer explicitly racist. Reagan made Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday and, at the same time, worked to undermine the federal antipoverty programs that King was working to expand through the Poor People’s Campaign when he was gunned down in 1968. In the name of our values – and in ways that often suggested immorality among ‘those people’ – we were invited to sell out the most vulnerable among us.”
The way rich/powerful people have treated everyone who is not rich/powerful has been going on for centuries and has obviously been very successful. The rich/powerful are more rich/powerful than ever before. The rest of the country remains deeply divided while the rich/powerful count their money and snicker at their success.
But what if? What if “They knew the system wasn’t working for them, and they could see through the lies of the politicians who told them that Black people or gay people or immigrants were their enemies. They needed a new community to belong to, and they needed an agenda they could pursue together with a new coalition of unlikely allies.”
Let it be so.
June 30, 2024
Barber does a fantastic job of picking apart how we (the masses) have been kept apart by the ruling elite since roughly 1667. I can only hope that the people who need this message are willing to open their hearts and minds. The sober truth is that, until we come to realize that we have far more in common with each other than we don’t, we are destined to be divided and distracted from the real issues afflicting this country. Just as the Southern aristocracy used poor white farmers to die for their right to own other human beings under the guise of “state’s rights”, we are now being used as pawns in a game of wealth concentration that only benefits the uber-wealthy and the politicians beholden to them. By putting the crosshairs on the LGBTQ, black, and immigrant communities, they are intentionally weakening our collective power. The goal of the moral fusion movement described in these pages is to help us see our commonalities so that we may guide the ship of America toward her as-yet unfulfilled promise.
September 4, 2024
I first listened to Dr. Rev. William Barber on a Zoom presentation and was transformed by his lecture. From that point forward, I tried to listen and read him whenever I could. This work is important and pivotal to any discussion about realizing a true democracy in our country. So often in the conversation about racism, the damage it does to white people is often overlooked but essential is finding true justice. They keep us fearful and at odds so we do not realize the power we would have if we united against them. Rev. Dr. Barber exposes this and I truly admire his work to unite us all and bring an end to poverty in America. A great read!
October 25, 2024
Great topic but was hoping for a bit more meat on the bone.
August 25, 2024
In this book, William Barber provides essential corrective focus on the common cause of both Black and white people and all other categories that separate us as well—exposing the fatal error within conservative and progressive thinking alike that white and black people have fundamentally different and often opposing aspirations. Barber consistently refutes the lie that white people can never understand what others have gone through—such a canard only keeps people divided and ineffective. And Barber demonstrates throughout this book (arguably it's the main point) that poor people (and all people) of all races and backgrounds have an overwhelming amount in common.
Among the many poignant points that Barber makes is that one cannot be truly antiracist without searching for the ties that bind, while countering the forces (from all directions) that pit us against each other. This approach has practical effects that have materially changed elections from previously expected outcomes, such as in the case of the Kentucky governor's election. Barber describes how this movement is creating a Hillbilly Rhapsody rather than an Elegy—it's a song black and white people from all walks of life are singing together harmoniously.
Instead of waiting for a top-down initiative to come along, Barber illustrates how to build from the bottom—not by an insurrection but through a resurrection. One of the groups that Barber champions is Repairers of the Breach—an organization that actively works to expose and remove false differences between divided peoples, specifically poor whites and their black neighbors suffering under the same oppression even as so many additional obstacles are thrown at black people because of their race. Barber points out that race is an artificial construct (that is crumbling even today), and we cannot make white people our enemy (even for white people) if the current oppression of black people is to be stopped and corrected.
Barber demonstrates through accounts of actual events that fusion of black and white poor people is a viable and effective counter to the mystery money funding (divisive) disinformation. Although Nathaniel Bacon's famous rebellion had its motivational flaws, it demonstrated that white and black people can join together in common cause. All through this book, Barber describes our current progress toward another Reconstruction era benefiting all people—this time, let's ensure it is never rolled back.
Among the many poignant points that Barber makes is that one cannot be truly antiracist without searching for the ties that bind, while countering the forces (from all directions) that pit us against each other. This approach has practical effects that have materially changed elections from previously expected outcomes, such as in the case of the Kentucky governor's election. Barber describes how this movement is creating a Hillbilly Rhapsody rather than an Elegy—it's a song black and white people from all walks of life are singing together harmoniously.
Instead of waiting for a top-down initiative to come along, Barber illustrates how to build from the bottom—not by an insurrection but through a resurrection. One of the groups that Barber champions is Repairers of the Breach—an organization that actively works to expose and remove false differences between divided peoples, specifically poor whites and their black neighbors suffering under the same oppression even as so many additional obstacles are thrown at black people because of their race. Barber points out that race is an artificial construct (that is crumbling even today), and we cannot make white people our enemy (even for white people) if the current oppression of black people is to be stopped and corrected.
Barber demonstrates through accounts of actual events that fusion of black and white poor people is a viable and effective counter to the mystery money funding (divisive) disinformation. Although Nathaniel Bacon's famous rebellion had its motivational flaws, it demonstrated that white and black people can join together in common cause. All through this book, Barber describes our current progress toward another Reconstruction era benefiting all people—this time, let's ensure it is never rolled back.
September 21, 2024
I'm already in the choir that Rev. Barber is preaching to. I so much wanted this book to be terrific.
I have not heard Rev. Barber speak, but I reckon he's a better orator than writer.
His style is digressive, with long rambling sentences. He does eventually meander back to the topic he seems to have left. Although this book is short (which is good) it also needs to have been tighter. The people who most need to read this book - and might indeed pick it up - are those white folks who think "they built this." Who think poverty is entirely or even mostly the result of an individual's own doing. But most of these well-off white folks will not wade through this writing style.
I appreciate anecdotes, examples, facts, statistics, and descriptions of events of recent history. (For me, history is recent if it is after about 1945...).
A mix of quibbles and celebrations:
1. Rev. Barber interchangeably uses "multiethnic" and "multiracial." From the context - he never means "multiethnic," since all parties that he describes are from the same national culture, and speak the same language, with mutual intelligibility.
2. Chapter 5's use of the concept and phrase "policy murder" overstates the situations, plural - (which are shameful, and need to be reported) and therefore invites backlash.
3. p. 103 - the encounter between RNC headquarters and the Barber group: sadly hilarious. And outrageous. Prophets continue to demonstrate hypocrisy in the nation they're preaching to. Keep at 'em!
4. p. 134 at the bottom to p. 135 at the top - This seems to be the kernel of the book.
5. Alas, in the next paragraph, Rev. Barber frames poverty as a form of violence. "Violence" is a word that means sudden, extreme, physical, negative, intentional impact. Usually from an individual. The word needs to mean that, and that alone, because we need a word for that phenomenon. Poverty is the result of oppression (and sometimes other causes) but it does not occur immediately after someone uses violent action against another.
6. bottom of p 147: "Yes, it's racist to pass policies that we know will harm Black people. At the same time, it is also racist to *ignore* the ways those same policies hurt poor white people.." (emphasis in the original). I enjoyed that observation and am grateful for it.
I remain very grateful to the life and work of Rev. Barber and hope he moves from strength to strength.
I have not heard Rev. Barber speak, but I reckon he's a better orator than writer.
His style is digressive, with long rambling sentences. He does eventually meander back to the topic he seems to have left. Although this book is short (which is good) it also needs to have been tighter. The people who most need to read this book - and might indeed pick it up - are those white folks who think "they built this." Who think poverty is entirely or even mostly the result of an individual's own doing. But most of these well-off white folks will not wade through this writing style.
I appreciate anecdotes, examples, facts, statistics, and descriptions of events of recent history. (For me, history is recent if it is after about 1945...).
A mix of quibbles and celebrations:
1. Rev. Barber interchangeably uses "multiethnic" and "multiracial." From the context - he never means "multiethnic," since all parties that he describes are from the same national culture, and speak the same language, with mutual intelligibility.
2. Chapter 5's use of the concept and phrase "policy murder" overstates the situations, plural - (which are shameful, and need to be reported) and therefore invites backlash.
3. p. 103 - the encounter between RNC headquarters and the Barber group: sadly hilarious. And outrageous. Prophets continue to demonstrate hypocrisy in the nation they're preaching to. Keep at 'em!
4. p. 134 at the bottom to p. 135 at the top - This seems to be the kernel of the book.
5. Alas, in the next paragraph, Rev. Barber frames poverty as a form of violence. "Violence" is a word that means sudden, extreme, physical, negative, intentional impact. Usually from an individual. The word needs to mean that, and that alone, because we need a word for that phenomenon. Poverty is the result of oppression (and sometimes other causes) but it does not occur immediately after someone uses violent action against another.
6. bottom of p 147: "Yes, it's racist to pass policies that we know will harm Black people. At the same time, it is also racist to *ignore* the ways those same policies hurt poor white people.." (emphasis in the original). I enjoyed that observation and am grateful for it.
I remain very grateful to the life and work of Rev. Barber and hope he moves from strength to strength.
July 5, 2024
Borrowed this on a whim because I was intrigued by the title. I am familiar with Barber, although I don't believe I've read anything by him beyond news articles and editorials, etc. As there are myths about poverty, this seemed like a good book to inform myself and better understand some of the persistent tropes, stories, etc.
There is a persistent myth and/or framing that poor people tend to be non-white (which, of course, is true, they exist!) but not so much about poor white people and this book aims to dismantle that. It's also unfortunately a good "wedge" issue (these poor people of color are seeking to steal your jobs, resources paid by "good" paying taxpayers, etc. This, of course, is not true but remains a storyline and an attack line for many.
Barber also talks about his own family as an example of both what the United States looks like (a diverse group of people) and what that can mean going forward. That the approach is something that is multi-pronged and includes people from many groups as well as approaching this from multiple angles (you can't just throw money at a problem, you have to vote for elected officials who will continue to work on these issues, etc.).
Overall, I have to say that this book was genuinely awful. It appears he had a co-writer/ghostwriter and honestly that got in the way. The underlying message is important. But the stuff about his family was distracting and overall the writing style was very messy. I found I had to skim and sometimes it was really difficult to follow what he was trying to get at. I am unsure if this is a reflection of having two writers, a lack of editing or what.
Ultimately there are important ideas in here but unfortunately they're lost in the text. I would recommend it if you are interested in Barber's story and how he relates his own background to the title but I would say it is skippable and there are probably better books out there.
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me.
There is a persistent myth and/or framing that poor people tend to be non-white (which, of course, is true, they exist!) but not so much about poor white people and this book aims to dismantle that. It's also unfortunately a good "wedge" issue (these poor people of color are seeking to steal your jobs, resources paid by "good" paying taxpayers, etc. This, of course, is not true but remains a storyline and an attack line for many.
Barber also talks about his own family as an example of both what the United States looks like (a diverse group of people) and what that can mean going forward. That the approach is something that is multi-pronged and includes people from many groups as well as approaching this from multiple angles (you can't just throw money at a problem, you have to vote for elected officials who will continue to work on these issues, etc.).
Overall, I have to say that this book was genuinely awful. It appears he had a co-writer/ghostwriter and honestly that got in the way. The underlying message is important. But the stuff about his family was distracting and overall the writing style was very messy. I found I had to skim and sometimes it was really difficult to follow what he was trying to get at. I am unsure if this is a reflection of having two writers, a lack of editing or what.
Ultimately there are important ideas in here but unfortunately they're lost in the text. I would recommend it if you are interested in Barber's story and how he relates his own background to the title but I would say it is skippable and there are probably better books out there.
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me.
July 8, 2024
William J. Barber II writes in the lyrical and soaring style of a southern preacher (which, of course, he is) and here he uses his voice to explain that America's poor, of all skin tones and demographic descriptors, have more in common than the myths of mainstream thought have portrayed. The title "White Poverty" sets the premise that there are a greater number of poor white people than poor people of color and, he posits, poverty is largely under counted/under reported. The failure to accurately report the extent of poverty in our country has led to policies that avoid addressing poverty issues or, in fact, help to sustain mass poverty. The failure to acknowledge the large number or poor whites allows certain political groups to propagate the myths that divide us along racial lines, preventing the poor from coalescing to form a powerful voice and voting bloc to influence policy. Barber includes anecdotes that identify some political players as unfeeling and duplicitous. He shares a historical perspective of how we have gotten here while also sharing a personal perspective of how to mobilize and unite those who are economically suffering here in the richest nation on earth. Neither Red Hats nor the Blues will be totally comfortable with Barber's viewpoint but this feels like a must read in the summer of 2024.
September 23, 2024
With a title like White Poverty, I didn’t expect the author to be a Black pastor and a fairly famous activist and NAACP board member. But that was kind of the point.
This book made three arguments:
▪️ most poor Americans are white, by a lot
▪️ race and racism play a central role in American poverty—by making white poor people think they have more in common with their white wealthy exploiters than with their fellow POC poor people, politicians are able to push policies that hurt all poor people (poor white people included)
▪️ poor people of all races must work together to fight inequality (with examples from his own work in white communities with the NAACP)
This book was Christian socialism, Civil Rights movement revivalism, plus the argument that poverty trends in the US have got to change. Love all that.
43% of Americans are ‘poor’—which, seriously, wtf?? You guys are the only wealthy country to have a stat even close to that. And you’re not just a wealthy country, you’re ✨the wealthiest✨ country in the world. Sooo, you’re massively F-ing it up. Just saying.
The only thing that kept this book from being perfect was its moderation. Barber pushes boundaries with his activism, but not so much so that he doesn’t regularly get invited to the White House and I feel like we could have gone further.
This book made three arguments:
▪️ most poor Americans are white, by a lot
▪️ race and racism play a central role in American poverty—by making white poor people think they have more in common with their white wealthy exploiters than with their fellow POC poor people, politicians are able to push policies that hurt all poor people (poor white people included)
▪️ poor people of all races must work together to fight inequality (with examples from his own work in white communities with the NAACP)
This book was Christian socialism, Civil Rights movement revivalism, plus the argument that poverty trends in the US have got to change. Love all that.
43% of Americans are ‘poor’—which, seriously, wtf?? You guys are the only wealthy country to have a stat even close to that. And you’re not just a wealthy country, you’re ✨the wealthiest✨ country in the world. Sooo, you’re massively F-ing it up. Just saying.
The only thing that kept this book from being perfect was its moderation. Barber pushes boundaries with his activism, but not so much so that he doesn’t regularly get invited to the White House and I feel like we could have gone further.
June 27, 2024
This book has alarming stats and reports about poverty in America. It is unfortunate we have been fed lies by politicians and historical elites to view public welfare programs as "Black" programs, when in reality they are most used by white families. Poverty has always been viewed and talked about as a POC issue, which allows politicians to not prioritize these issues because they view them as handouts to poor POC.
The author reiterates the problems in our society by not only calling out ourselves, but specifically rich members of our society that have made poor communities hate each other for centuries. Fear mongering has affected all communities, but specifically poor white communities to trust rich politicians for their shared beliefs in conservative values. Though, in reality, these politicians do not care about them or their struggles. My only concern about this book is that people will mistake the author's message as a colorblind/"All Lives Matter" type of approach, when in reality he is calling out wealthy elites and the false promises made by politicians who continuously ignore and fail this country's economic and poverty issues.
The author reiterates the problems in our society by not only calling out ourselves, but specifically rich members of our society that have made poor communities hate each other for centuries. Fear mongering has affected all communities, but specifically poor white communities to trust rich politicians for their shared beliefs in conservative values. Though, in reality, these politicians do not care about them or their struggles. My only concern about this book is that people will mistake the author's message as a colorblind/"All Lives Matter" type of approach, when in reality he is calling out wealthy elites and the false promises made by politicians who continuously ignore and fail this country's economic and poverty issues.
October 7, 2024
This book addresses a rather inconvenient fact. Government statistics tell us @11% or 40 million people are poor by their count. In reality 63%of American workers live paycheck to paycheck. The real numbers then are closer to 43% or 140 million poor or low-income make up that 63%. We are told most of the poor are minorities. In fact 24 million are black and roughly 60% of blacks are poor/low income. BUT roughly 66 million are white. We cover that up. We call them names and mislabel them so we do not need to address the problem. Can we improve this situation? How about the wealthiest 1% controlling 80% of wealth in the US. Can they have less so the poor can have more? This book is all about how we have such white poverty. If you can believe these numbers you can see why the Republican minority is fighting so hard to stay in power.
July 6, 2024
Rating: Shrug/I don't know emoiji
I think that this book is trying to achieve a good thing by spreading the word that poverty is an everybody issue, if we hope to combat poverty. While I don't remember my exact thinking processes before this book, if you ask me what is the poorest place in America then I would say Appalachia, which I know is predominantly white. Yet, if you ask me which race is the poorest I would probably say Black/African-American. In this book, I learned that by the numbers there is actually more poor white people, which doesn't get talked about and if you think about it that is true. This book makes the case that there are four myths that prevents poor people (whites and Blacks) from working together to help push back on poverty.
Based on that paragraph you may ask, why are you giving this book a shrugged rating? The information that I learned in this book is in conflict with the information in my head. This mismatch is resulting in questions that I would like to rectify.
I think that this book is trying to achieve a good thing by spreading the word that poverty is an everybody issue, if we hope to combat poverty. While I don't remember my exact thinking processes before this book, if you ask me what is the poorest place in America then I would say Appalachia, which I know is predominantly white. Yet, if you ask me which race is the poorest I would probably say Black/African-American. In this book, I learned that by the numbers there is actually more poor white people, which doesn't get talked about and if you think about it that is true. This book makes the case that there are four myths that prevents poor people (whites and Blacks) from working together to help push back on poverty.
Based on that paragraph you may ask, why are you giving this book a shrugged rating? The information that I learned in this book is in conflict with the information in my head. This mismatch is resulting in questions that I would like to rectify.
April 15, 2024
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. I became aware of Rev. Dr. Barber while doing genealogy. I enjoyed reading about his father and other family members throughout this book.
The myths surrounding poverty in general shouldn't be a surprise, but this book puts them in a different light, reminding us that poverty is both a black and white issue. Barber seems to think that by working together the problem might be solved. I was buying into it until he reminded readers that one man, Joe Manchin, put a kibosh on legislation he had run on.
The myths surrounding poverty in general shouldn't be a surprise, but this book puts them in a different light, reminding us that poverty is both a black and white issue. Barber seems to think that by working together the problem might be solved. I was buying into it until he reminded readers that one man, Joe Manchin, put a kibosh on legislation he had run on.
July 16, 2024
Here's the concept (I think): poverty is viewed as a minority problem, but if the white poor and all the other poor people join forces and march together and establish a collective voting block poverty would end. America would be saved ... This assertion isn't without merit. Still, nothing in this book explains how this new alliance could be practically built ... So you're left with a sermon and a biography of the minister giving the sermon and some fairly eye-opening statistics about America's poor ...
July 5, 2024
This is a book that will make you think about poverty. Why do we only think Blacks live in poverty? Why do we think that whites in the same circumstances are responsible for their poverty? This book takes a look at all poverty and how much of the country really lives this way. How can we make change happen so everyone has enough? A very thought provoking book.
Thank you to #goodreads, #WilliamJBarberII, and Liveright for a copy of this book.
#WhitePoverty
Thank you to #goodreads, #WilliamJBarberII, and Liveright for a copy of this book.
#WhitePoverty
July 24, 2024
If a Black minister wrote a book endorsing Bernie Sanders' platform, this would be it. Barber makes an inspiring and compelling claim for unity politics against capitalism and rampant poverty in the US. Poverty kills in this country-- and although a greater percentage of Blacks are poor, a greater number of whites are poor. Told with 85% organizing/personal stories; 15% current events and statistics, Barber is an open book about who he is and why he's writing this book.
This book makes a powerful argument that more people and more politicians should take note of. May we be worthy of the "moral fusion movement”, a multi-racial/multi-ethnic coalition of justice-loving Americans he describes.
This book makes a powerful argument that more people and more politicians should take note of. May we be worthy of the "moral fusion movement”, a multi-racial/multi-ethnic coalition of justice-loving Americans he describes.
August 2, 2024
This was a great read that really did a good job deconstructing four major myths about poverty in America: 1) White people have a shared political interest across class lines, 2) Only minorities want political change in America, 3) Poverty is only a Black issue, and 4) We cannot overcome division in America. These myths were expertly dispatched and disproven by Rev. Barber, and it was a great read before I get back to the classroom.
September 16, 2024
p90 Ida B. Wells "was a witness to the fact that you can't expose a myth by simply calling it out. You have to help people see the reality that the myth is designed to obscure."
p109 noted the book, Democracy in Chains by Duke University historian Nancy MacLean.
p133 "The data tell us poverty is worst in places where antigovernment, reactionary conservatives control local and state government..."
p137 Discussion of Frances Perkins (America's first female labor secretary) and A. Philip Rudolph (who founded first labor union for Black workers in US)
p143 "I call this reality James Crow, Esquire--the result of Jim Crow's son going to law school and coming back to undermine democracy through more sophisticated means."
p176 "Transposed to our time, the breach is when we say, 'one nation under God, indivisible' with our lips while we see the rich and the poor living in two very different Americas."
p109 noted the book, Democracy in Chains by Duke University historian Nancy MacLean.
p133 "The data tell us poverty is worst in places where antigovernment, reactionary conservatives control local and state government..."
p137 Discussion of Frances Perkins (America's first female labor secretary) and A. Philip Rudolph (who founded first labor union for Black workers in US)
p143 "I call this reality James Crow, Esquire--the result of Jim Crow's son going to law school and coming back to undermine democracy through more sophisticated means."
p176 "Transposed to our time, the breach is when we say, 'one nation under God, indivisible' with our lips while we see the rich and the poor living in two very different Americas."
September 22, 2024
A bracing, passionate reminder of how far and wide poverty is embedded in American society across racial lines. One of the more jarring statistics Barber mentions points to just how underreported this phenomenon might be: "According to the government's official poverty measure (OPM), an individual who earns $14,000 a year--or a family of four that gets by on $28,000--is not poor. But try existing for a month in America today on $1,167."
September 23, 2024
This book started fairly scholarly but then became more of a book filled with personal stories about Reverend Barber's work. The personal stories were interesting and easy to understand. I wish there would have been a more scholarly ending with some conclusions and policy proposals. Still, an important book that shows the importance of building a coalition to help all poor people. The author did not read the audiobook but the narrator was good.
June 23, 2024
In sharp contrast to the religious leaders enjoying their private jets and television shows Barber illustrates the reality on the ground of poverty in America. His Jesus is indeed the protector of the meek and he hopes to help them inherit at least enough to live amid the worst wealth disparity of any time in our blessed country.
August 21, 2024
A must-read book that shines a light on the lies meant to divide us, and a proposal on how to form coalitions that benefit all those who need it the most.
My notes and opinions: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/white-...
My notes and opinions: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/white-...
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