Thread by @UnitedWayDenver

It's time for another #CourageousConversations! Keep an eye on our account and follow this thread for highlights from the panel.

An incredible, poignant opening from our own @saphyr29, she notes "Can we really be free, when we're experiencing inequality?" #CourageousConversations #LiveUnited #CommunityUnited

Our first speaker @chandrachilders starts off noting that the terms "equality" and "inequality" are great in theory, but are often open to political manipulation and incorrect conceptualization #CourageousConversations #LiveUnited #CommunityUnited

Chandra continues, noting that when she talks about inequality, she's discussing it more on a structural level. She uses the analogy of a birdcage, that removing a single wire does not free the bird, and each individual is facing a different set of wires. #CourageousConversations

"Segregation is the perfect mechanism to channel resources toward some people and away from others," @ChandraChilders notes, showcasing something we can all see in our own neighborhoods and cities. #CourageousConversations #CommunityUnited #LiveUnited

Sharing basic facts of inequality, Chandra notes that in 2019, the top 20% of households in America receive well over 50% of the income in this country, and 5% of that top 20% have over 20% of the income in the entire country. #CourageousConversations

When discussing the recession caused by the pandemic, @chandrachilders notes that it is important to understand WHO the vast majority of job losses happened to - and that it has not hit everyone equally. #CourageousConversations

She adds that not only have women lost jobs disproportionately in the pandemic, but even among women the loss of jobs was not at all equal, touching briefly on the reality that BIPOC women were even MORE disproportionately impacted. #CourageousConversations

Chandra notes that in 2019 the gender wage gap closed a little, but it's important to realize that the only reason it closed at all was because of the massive amount of job loss among our lowest-earning workers (even before the pandemic). #CourageousConversations

Income versus wealth - @chandrachilders explains that WEALTH is far more important. Income is a flow - you work, you earn money, you pay bills. Wealth is what you are able to retain and save - the stuff that allows you to survive (or not) a pandemic. #CourageousConversations

Chandra notes that it's important to look at representation in the workforce - statistically, who is overwhelmingly getting jobs with better pay and benefits provided and who doesn't. #CourageousConversations #LiveUnited #CommunityUnited

Education level is a factor to ensuring better employment, etc. However, it is not the only factor. @chandrachilders shares as an example that even as Black and Latino women earn bachelor's degrees in increasing volume, their access to higher-paying jobs does not increase...

accordingly. It will take policies well beyond education in order to shift this landscape and change this reality. #CourageousConversations #LiveUnited #CommunityUnited

There is a common argument put on the table that women "choose" jobs for flexibility when they have children. In two ways, @ChandraChilders breaks down this argument. 1. In all reality, flexibility is more often found in higher-paying jobs. And...

2. Society has made that choice for women - they are expected to be the caretakers. Chandra notes that when a child is sick at school, they are far more likely to call the mother. It is so often not actually a woman's choice. #CourageousConversations

"the fraying of the fabric" - @chandrachilders discusses how inequality has impacts and consequences for EVERYONE in a society. With greater income and wealth comes greater power - and that trickle-down effect can be detrimental.

Diving deeper, Chandra explains that when the top have so much wealth, they aren't spending, they aren't keeping the economy going, while the people at the bottom are scraping just to get by and, in turn, paying into the economy in much greater %s. #CourageousConversations

Bringing the conversation to state level, Chris Stiffler discusses what a healthy local economy looks like, explaining that when our wealthiest earners save instead of re-investing in the community, there is so much less to go around. #CourageousConversations

Chris reinforces Chandra's comments earlier - noting that higher earners put 7 cents of every $1 back into their economy, whereas lower earners contribute 22 cents of every $1. So a better distribution of wages is critical for healthy economies. #CourageousConversations

Chris shares poverty data based on age of children in the house, noting the large drop in poverty levels when households go from having 5-year-olds to 6-year-olds - because of kindergarten and schooling. #CourageousConversations

When Colorado passed Prop EE, this was part of the discussion. Adding affordable childcare access to earlier ages removes barriers to work for parents. This is the critical work we at Mile High United Way are undertaking through our United for Families program, too.

Discussing Colorado's tax code, he showcases the reality that households with lower incomes typically pay larger %s of their incomes than those with higher incomes. This disparity is only worsened and deepened for BIPOC when broken down by race. #CourageousConversations

Because Colorado depends so heavily on sales tax, our tax code is regressive, Chris notes, which accounts for the approx 6% of income BIPOC low-wage earners are paying versus the <1% top earners are paying in taxes. #CourageousConversations

So often, the question is "what can we do?", but @saphyr29 notes as she invites the panelists to discuss, it's equally important to consider "what can we STOP doing?" #CourageousConversations

.@chandrachilders starts off, noting how important it is to focus on the care structure within our society. The onus being on women's shoulders to care (for children, elders, etc) forces women out of the workforce before they're ready far too often. #CourageousConversations

She adds that we need to stop acting like workers and workers' voices are considered evenly in conversations. Workers, she notes, are at an incredible disadvantage and that needs to be acknowledged as well as corrected. #CourageousConversations

Chris notes that there are other ways to combat this - if you can't increase wage (which should still happen), you can make things cheaper. If you make the same amount of money but transit costs lower, that's more disposable income, etc. #CourageousConversations

In closing, @saphyr29 shares Nelson Mandela's inspiring words: "It always seems impossible until it's done." #CourageousConversations

Some of the participants will stay to join breakout groups to further the discussion, but if you didn't get a chance to join there, feel free to continue the conversation here. Use the hashtag #CourageousConversations and tag us in your thoughts. Thank you for joining us today!

And an incredibly heartfelt message of gratitude to @chandrachilders and Chris Stiffler for coming to the table armed with knowledge, heart, and one heck of a vision for how we can move forward together. 💙💙💙#CourageousConversations

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And if you're interested in learning more about our whole Courageous Conversations series, including sound bytes from previous sessions and registration info on our next events, check out all things #CourageousConversations here: unitedwaydenver.org/courageous-con…