Economic Justice: Carrying Forward Dr. Kings Poor People’s Campaign

On January 24, 2019 as part of OSU’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, students, faculty, staff and community members came together at the HSRC for Economic Justice: Carrying Forward Dr. Kings Poor People’s Campaign.  In addition to providing access to basic needs resources, the HSRC also serves as a community space for dialogue around social justice issues such as class(ism), poverty, and food insecurity.

Participants of Economic Justice spent the afternoon sharing a meal while discussing the lasting relevance of the Poor People’s Campaign and its guiding values. The Poor People’s Campaign was a movement organized in 1968 by Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The campaign brought together multiracial poor and working class people to advocate for the “abolition of poverty” through the creation of an Economic Bill of Rights. The proposed Economic Bill of Rights included: a meaningful job and living wage for every employable citizen, a secure and adequate income for all who cannot find jobs or for whom employment is inappropriate, access to land and capital to secure full participation in the economic life of America, and for people to play a significant role in determining how government programs are designed and carried out.  Source: https://www.crmvet.org/docs/68ebr.htm

Dr. King and campaign organizers called for a mass mobilization of an “army of the poor” to Washington D.C. to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience and petition the government to take action towards eradicating poverty. Tragically, Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, a day after he marched for economic justice with striking sanitation workers in Memphis. While Dr. King’s vision of “a radical redistribution of economic power” was not realized, 50 years after his assassination, the “evils of racism, poverty and militarism” remain as relevant today as they were then. Our group discussed the vision laid out in Dr. King’s Economic Bill of Rights, and updated it to reflect the needs of today.

Economic Bill of Rights for 2019

  • Free/Universal Education
  • No borders/requirement of citizenship to access rights
  • Universal healthcare
  • Access to mental health care and time to self-care
  • Give program power to people for whom the government is working for
  • Those most affected should have the right to determine how assistance programs are designed and administered
  • Votes for prisoners
  • Redistribution instead of “access”
  • Extra-low income housing/access to good housing
  • Meaningful jobs should be beneficial for humans and the ecosystem
  • Universal Basic Income
  • Political processes
  • Who determines what is “meaningful” and “adequate”?
  • Job should be expanded to calling/vocation/passion
  • Access to land as a means of livelihood=unplugging from capitalism

Specific to OSU

  • Increased funding for higher education from the state so students don’t feel the blunt of tuition
  • Lower tuition and book costs
  • Having accessible and environmentally friendly course materials
  • Universal meal plans
  • Free housing
  • Cap top administrators salary to a percentage of average employee salary
  • Students have a real seat at administration table
  • Freedom to teach/to express speech that critiques government and OSU
  • Livable wage for all faculty (specifically adjunct faculty)
  • Instructors treated like real employees-not second class
  • Unionization and organization beyond labor lines
  • More community gardens

In the poor people’s campaign, King advocated for nonviolent direct action that pushed America toward a social revival of morals grounded in love. He believed that systemic injustice and exploitation dehumanized people, both the oppressed and the oppressors, preventing them from truly loving each other. He understood that by expressing love through acts of nonviolent resistance to specific structural injustices–we are ultimately practicing love by eradicating systems that prevent people from seeing each other as fully human.

In order to realize our hopes and dreams for a more just future and society, our group discussed and shared actions we can take today to carry forward Dr. King’s values of racial and economic justice. 

Actions for Carrying Forward the Poor People’s Campaign

  • Organize poor people as an equal partner in our community
  • Welcome folx into the womxn & gender space by putting on events about self-care and love
  • Engage more with others by talking, smiling, hugging, etc.
  • Keep an eye out for individual suffering & work to support the victim more
  • Vote in local elections
  • Choose a committee on campus to bring the voice of economic justice to the conversations
  • Focus research on equity concerns
  • Show up and lobby
  • Be brave in teaching–ask tough questions, paint the big picture, challenge students to reflect on how they are now part of the problem and can be part of the solutions–despite precarity of employment
  • Approach others with a mindset of charity (assume the best of others)
  • Go outside more–more face to face connections
  • #TrySocialism
  • Listen to others with non-judgement and an open mind
  • Share my wealth
  • Volunteer to help those in need
  • Be the change we want to see!

The issues of racism, poverty, economic inequality, and militarism are as much of an issue in 2019, as they were in 1968. An Economic Bill of Rights rooted in the values of Dr. King and the Poor People’s Campaign in needed now more than ever. Despite the injustice that persists today, people left feeling a sense of hope in what we can accomplish together as a collective.

Food Recall: Raw Beef Products

URGENT FOOD RECALL

JBS Tolleson, Inc. Recalls Raw Beef Products Due to Possible Salmonella Newport Contamination

Oct 4, 2018 – JBS Tolleson, Inc., a Tolleson, Ariz. establishment, is recalling approximately 6,937,195 pounds of various raw, non-intact beef products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Newport, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

For more information and to view a list of the products please visit this site: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2018/recall-085-2018-release

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations and institutions nationwide. These products may have been distributed through the Oregon Food Bank Network.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160°F. Other cuts of beef should be cooked to a temperature of 145 °F and allowed to rest for at least 3 minutes. The only way to confirm that ground beef or other cuts of beef are cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, http://1.usa.gov/1cDxcDQ.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact the JBS USA Consumer Hotline at (800) 727-2333.

About Oregon Food Bank

Oregon Food Bank works to eliminate hunger and its root causes… because no one should be hungry. Oregon Food Bank believes that hunger starves the human spirit, that communities thrive when people are nourished, and that everyone deserves healthy and fresh food. Oregon Food Bank helps feed the human spirit of 740,000 people through a food distribution network of 21 regional food banks serving Oregon and Clark County, Washington. Oregon Food Bank also leads statewide efforts to increase resources for hungry families and to eliminate the root causes of hunger through public policy, local food systems work, nutrition and garden education, health care screening and innovative programming. Find out how to feed the human spirit at oregonfoodbank.org.

Get to Know out Staff: Erica

Name: Erica

Pronouns: she/her/hers

HSRC Job Title: Food Security Programs, Graduate Teaching Assistant

Major/minor: College Student Services Administration Master’s Program

Career Aspirations: I hope to work as an academic advisor or study abroad advisor when I finish my program because I love building relationships and working one-on-one with students.  I aspire to be in a position where I can support students through their academic and personal struggles while helping them to recognize their own strengths and resiliency.

Why did you want to work at the HSRC?: The HSRC is an amazing community. I love working with a team of people who are passionate about helping students meet their basic needs so they can thrive. Working here has given me the opportunity to develop a more holistic and deeper understanding of what is means to support students.

What will you be working on? I will be working together with the HSRC’s student staff to oversee and develop our food pantry, SNAP outreach and other food security programs. I am also excited to help develop and facilitate events centered around classism and class inequality.

What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy taking time to get to know people and spend quality time with friends. Live music and nature bring me a ton of joy. I also love to watch cartoons and eat pizza.

What’s your favorite yummy and cheap meal that you like to make?:  Since cheese is my favorite food, mac & cheese is my go-to yummy and cheap meal. I like to add spices, brocoli, muchrooms and chicken to give my mac & cheese an extra kick.

Do you have any tips for students on how to save money? Meal prepping is one way that I save money. I find that purchasing groceries at Winco and preparing my meals for the week ahead saves me money, and helps me to eat healthier. As a busy grad student it’s a challenge to find time to cook and save money by not eating out frequently.

What are you favorite things to do in Corvallis? Interzone is my favorite local spot to hang out and drink coffee. I also enjoy walking through Avery Park’s rose garden and Bald Hill.

Where is your favorite spot to relax on campus? I really like the Graduate Resource Center because it has a massage chair and is usually a pretty quite place to study with free printing.

What is your favorite tv show? I love Bob’s Burgers! All the characters are authentic and hilarious.

How do I know if I have Work-Study?

What is Federal Work-Study?

Federal Work-Study provides funding for part-time jobs for undergraduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses.

Who is eligible for Federal Work-Study?

To be eligible for Federal Work-Study, you need to have completed the FAFSA application by the priority deadline.  Students must be enrolled at least part-time to receive Federal Work-Study funds. The OSU Financial Aid Office determines the eligibility of all students who apply for Federal Work-Study funding.

How do I know if I have been offered Work-Study?

To check if you were offered Federal Work-Study funds as part of your financial aid award, log into myOSU, go to the “Paying for College” tab and follow the link on the right side to view your Financial Aid Award. You should see Federal College Work Study listed with an amount if it has been offered to you. You may then choose to accept this amount. You can watch this video for more details about how to accept your Federal Work-Study funding.

Finding a job

Once you have accepted your Federal Work-Study, you need to find and apply for a job in order to receive these funds. There are both on and off campus employers that may hire you as a Work-Study student.

All student jobs at OSU can potentially be Work-Study jobs (certain restrictions may apply). To search for positions with the OSU Office of Human Resources go to https://jobs.oregonstate.edu/.  Select the STUDENT bar, then search the postings which are available under the Position Type: Student. Some jobs may be listed as “Work-Study only,” and others may not. You will need to let your prospective employer know that you have a Work-Study award so that you can be hired as a Work-Study student.

If you would like to consider off-campus employers, these jobs are posted through the Career Development Center using Handshake. Search for off-campus work-study eligible jobs here. Click the “Jobs” tab at the top and use the filter to check-off work-study jobs.

You may work up to but not more than 20 hours a week combined for all student employment, including Federal Work-Study jobs.

Work-Study and SNAP

Did you know students with a Work-Study job may be eligible to receive SNAP  benefits (food stamps) to alleviate some of the financial burdens related to purchasing healthy, nutritious, foods? You can apply for SNAP online here, or contact the HSRC for any questions about how to apply.