Tag: class

During a rare opportunity to vacation in Hawai’i, Stacy Torres is forced to confront her status as better off than where she came from.

An entire subculture of Bay Area residents survives by reselling wealthy residents’ trash.

The author of “Heartland,” a National Book Award longlisted memoir about growing up poor in rural America, gives her views on politics, identity, and cultural appropriation.

“What seemed to me life-saving was that I couldn’t lie. I couldn’t put a candy-coated gloss on anything.”

Joseph Williams reports on the increasing vulnerability of renters like himself.

Richard Wallace considers his chances (not great) at being memorialized by a blue English Heritage plaque.

Tara Wanda Merrigan recalls navigating between the very different realms of Harvard and home.

Hayat Norimine describes what it was like to grow up as an only child in a Japanese-Syrian household in Pullman, a town in the Palouse region of Washington State.

Amanda Machado adds her voice to the growing chorus of women of color claiming their place in the rugged outdoors.

Eight stories about modern-day child care, from 24/7 facilities to Montessori wonderlands.

 America’s best investment ever, in the whole history of our country, was to invest in the public high school and secondary school at the beginning of the 20th century. It dramatically raised the growth rate of America because it was a huge investment in human capital. The best economic analyses now say that investment in the […]

“There often is a ‘tone’ in writing about the poor. There is a presumption that people of a certain class are mired in misery.”

University Heights High School is located in one of the poorest congressional district in America, and six miles away, the Ethical Culture Fieldston School charges $43,000-a-year for tuition and is attended by the children of celebrities.

“What the fuck is a selfie?” said Miss Sheryl. “When a stupid person with a smartphone flicks themselves and looks at it,” I said to the room. She replied with a raised eyebrow, “Oh?” It’s amazing how the news seems so instant to most from my generation with our iPhones, Wi-Fi, tablets and iPads, but […]

“This is the man who transformed teenage rebellion into a toilet revolution.”

Christine Kim is a civil rights advocate studying at Duke University School of Law. My favorite longread of the week is ‘What’s Killing Poor White Women,’ by Monica Potts, in The American Prospect. Health care is on the national stage. From Obamacare to health care costs to new state-run health exchanges, it seems that each […]

I fucked up with Aunt Mimi, the first time I met her. I was greeted, I was shown the bird feeder where the birds came to keep her company, I was shown around the place. And then I said, “wow, I’ve never been in a trailer before.” I meant it nicely. I liked trailers; I […]