Philanthropy has a way of changing the initiative to help a
bigger goal and contribute to a bigger cause. Case in point is our decision-making
criterion, before the pandemic many of us did not focus on how these organizations
will operate in a crisis period, which is fair because that was not our reality
when evaluating these organizations. But as the transmission of COVID-19 picked
up, the class switched gears and started to look at how the organizations are
reacting and adapting to this pandemic. This can also be seen in terms of
education and how philanthropist is rearranging their agendas to fit the now.
The now being how the new normal of remote learning is affecting the education
system and students directly especially those that come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
So, this is when the world elites and the elite philanthropic organizations
decided to step in and help bridge this gap.
It is no secret that the American school system suffers
from the achievement gap and without the help of philanthropist COVID-19 only
seeks to widen this gap. A federal report stated in 2017 “more than 12 million
students did not have broadband internet in their homes” and this was just evaluating
disadvantaged communities. Bridgette
Davis, a researcher and doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago who is
studying 31 low-income students navigating their first year of college states,
“We’re on the edge of the precipice.” Meaning there is a chance that students
of low-income families will not make it past the grade they are in or in terms
of college will not re-enroll in the fall. And now we find ourselves doing
exactly what Andrew Carnegie stated in his Gospel of Wealth “wealth…is destined some day to solve the problem of the rich and the poor, and to bring "Peace
on earth, among men goodwill."
To bridge this gap philanthropists such as Bill Gates and
his foundation have prioritized supporting teaching by expanding access to
interactive and high-quality print materials. Or you have the Chan Zuckerberg
Initiative which has awarded over 1.6 million dollars to education and expands
the access to broadband internet across the San Francisco Bay Area. All this
was done in hopes of helping disadvantaged communities and this is only the start
across the country philanthropic organizations are donating millions of laptops
and their resources to combat the financial hardship remote learning has
promoted. Let it be known that this blog post is not to critique how billionaires
are spending their money it is instead to applaud them. I do not think this is
an instance of billionaires pulling a PR move, instead, I do believe they are
doing what we are doing as a class. Trying to implement a change on a local
level on issues that are apart of a bigger movement.
Nia Johnson
This is awesome, Nia! I have been thinking a lot about COVID-19 as the wake-up call that our society has needed. I think that in normal life, people are so busy running around, enjoying their routines, that they do not take the time to ask major questions. However, as things have slowed down, America has the time to sit and think. Children from disadvantaged families simply do not have the resources to succeed academically during a pandemic. I have read a lot about internet providers such as AT&T who have offered free internet to students so that they can continue to study online during COVID-10 (https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-internet-providers-free-wifi-20200315-6k7pzukriffdfcic5odfizmnri-story.html). Obviously, this is great. However, I'm wondering what is going to happen when COVID-19 ends. Will AT&T stop providing internet to children in need? If companies like AT&T have the resources to be charitable, why don't they assist those in poverty 365 days out of the year? 6 months after we discover a vaccine for COVID-19, these children will still need internet access to be successful in school. We also need to consider the public schools that we will be sending children back to. For example, DC is one of the poorest school districts in the United States. In a Washington Post article, children reported that they did not feel safe in their daily commutes to school (https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/it-makes-me-angry-for-dc-students-safe-passage-to-school-can-prove-elusive/2019/07/06/998e09b0-8b8e-11e9-adf3-f70f78c156e8_story.html). I am hoping that COVID-19 will force America to think about underprivileged children and their battle for education in unsafe, academically disappointing schools.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you talked about this issue. Educational equality has been one of my major core values. I believe that all humans, irrespective of their race, gender or socioeconomic status, should be given the opportunity to succeed in life. I know this sounds impractical—especially in a capitalist nation like the United States. We, however, shouldn’t conclude that it is impossible to create a fair and equitable education system for all Americans. The key to this is love, passion and the willingness to surrender a bit of one’s power and resources to those who need it the most. Upper and middle-class Americans can make a difference if and only if we periodically and constructively distribute our resources to the struggling class. We should make it our moral duty to give those aspiring to be successful in life the opportunity and resources to do so. America does not need to resort to socialism.
ReplyDeleteYou said that “there is a chance that students of low-income families will not make it past the grade they are in.” That can’t be more accurate. I had a couple of friends back then in Nigeria who had to drop out of school at a very young age. Why? They did not have the chance to attend well-equipped and well-funded schools; and it’s not just them. A study done by UNESCO Institute for Statistics reveals that “almost 9 million children of primary school age… don’t go to school in Nigeria.” (https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/too-many-nigerian-children-dont-go-school). This is a lot. We might not have the ability to help children in distant regions, but we can at least do something for American children who can’t afford to attend good schools. We “all” deserve proper education.
I think part of this trend we are witnessing, 'that children from low-income families' underperform is because of a lack of inspiration. Many of these students, for whatever reason whether it be classroom sizes being too large or disengaged teachers, but young kids often do not feel excited to learn with hopes of accomplishing big dreams. My cousin who attended Sachem school district often said the counselors and faculty never reached out to the struggling students and that he and his friends grew to resent school. It is a shame because they are creative minds with endless potential but the education system isn't equipped to fill the needs. Equality of opportunity should be in education as well as in the workforce.
DeleteThanks for bringing philanthropy into a topic that has had a lot of discussion lately! COVID-19 has illuminated a lot of problem areas within America, including inequality, which will likely grow along with the pandemic. While you point out the big examples of philanthropy, I think it is also important to note the smaller ways that individuals are trying to reverse the expansion of inequality.
ReplyDeleteRecently, NYT published an article that pointed out that a majority of "essential jobs" are filled by minority women, arguably one of the most overlooked groups in America. Not only are these women putting themselves and their families at risk, they are doing so while being underpaid. Additionally, under the stresses of COVID, many minimum wage workers are reporting that customers are more rude, terse, and unforgiving during these times. Aside from all the negativity, there are also a lot of positive ways that the greater community has thanked essential workers, and not just those working in healthcare. A simple thank you or a tip can go a long way, but if possible, I suggest donating. Donate not only to COVID relief funds, but also to the programs that would be most utilized by low wage essential workers. It's all about finding philanthropy in the small things.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/us/coronavirus-women-essential-workers.html
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-14/how-to-thank-essential-workers-coronavirus-outbreak
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ReplyDeleteHi Nia, I really like this blog post because it sheds light on another perspective of billionaire philanthropy. Critics of billionaire philanthropy often times try to limit the ability that the wealthy have on deciding where to donate their money, but it is clear that many wealthy philanthropists have a similar mission to our class. With the emergence of COVID-19 protocols, these philanthropists want to be a part of a larger mission to help thin the inequality gap between the rich and the poor, and should not be ridiculed for masking a donation to have different intent. With times like this, where disadvantaged communities face even more difficulty, especially with education, it makes a difference when many acknowledge the magnitude of educational equality and take an initiative. Remote learning has been a significant transition for many, but it is not imaginable how difficult it must have been for students who do not even have access to internet back at home. Not only are different organizations and universities acknowledging this inequality, but they are providing whatever resources they can to students of underprivileged backgrounds. For example, Binghamton University has various programs which are reaching out to these students and supplying internet service. The question arises of if these resources should have been accessible to these students even without the current COVID-19 circumstances. If these philanthropists are motivated to provide educational equality during this pandemic, the aftermath of COVID-19 should direct them to ensure a more long term solution for these students.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting perspective on billionaire philanthropy, and a very different perspective than the one we've talked about a lot in class, so thank you for bringing it up! In general I believe that billionaire philanthropy is often a PR stunt that looks good in the news because it addresses shallow, relevant and familiar issues that are very visible to the public, rather than addressing the root causes that are often complicated and therefore not very news-worthy. Not to mention the fact that billionaires often profit off of the root causes so they would want to leave them the way they are. However, I think you make a very good point that sometimes billionaire philanthropists do donate in an admirable way that fights a root cause rather than just a surface issue. In this case, I think your achievement gap example addresses both. Donating laptops to students in disadvantaged communities helps to fight the achievement gap between wealthier and less wealthy students and helps those students immensely during online schooling. But, in a way, it's also a surface-level issue that they're addressing. It looks great in headlines, but it doesn't change the fact that laying off their own workers or paying them a low wage also contributes to the achievement gap (For example, Amazon is laying off thousands of delivery drivers: https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-delivery-drivers-layoffs). I guess the problem is that the achievement gap is a cycle with lots of complicated causes and effects, but like you said, we should appreciate their contributions, because it still helps fight the cycle.
ReplyDeleteHi Nia! I think you bring up a very important point. Throughout this course some of us have discussed and expressed our dislike towards billionaire philanthropy. However, during a dark time like now I think it’s important to shine light towards anyone doing good work, similar to way you did. Recognizing that these donations are important to communities regardless of whether the donor benefits or not, is worth the consideration. I know many people may have their opinions about whether this is a publicity stunt or not, but at the end of the day we see communities that have been affected being helped. My only hope is that billionaire philanthropists continue using their platform in order to continue these efforts post COVID-19. I would assume this is where those against billionaire philanthropy question the true intentions of this “helping hand”. Will they be as committed to helping students close the achievement gap post COVID-19? Will handing out laptops and WIFI hotspots benefit students in need long term, or are they just tackling the surface level? In regard to this, I believe only time will tell.
ReplyDeleteHey Nia! This post was great to read, I definitely agree with other comments that you brought up a perspective to billionaire philanthropy that we haven't really considered in class. I myself have never been a huge fan of billionaire philanthropy, as many of these billionaires use their donations to boost their own egos and reputations, and they end up receiving huge tax breaks in the end so they aren't really sacrificing as much as they lead people to believe. However, with the emergence of COVID-19, I would definitely agree with you that these billionaires are now genuinely donating to bring needed change to the world. I love that they are donating these massive amounts to directly solve problems created by the virus such as students at a learning disadvantage. Without the help that these billionaires and other philanthropic organizations have provided, I'm not sure they would be able to get help anywhere else. The federal government is already so busy trying to put out new fires that arise everyday from COVID, so receiving things such as laptops from them is highly unlikely. I can only hope that they continue to donate to such important causes such as education when all of this is over. Thank you for bringing up a new perspective to billionaire philanthropy.
ReplyDeleteHi Nia, I really liked your post and I agree with the points you brought up. I really liked witnessing our change in decision making from the beginning of the semester until now. It shows the broad scope of non profit organizations and how things change with different situations. In addition, the sad reality is that many students do not have the same necessities as others and are severely disadvantaged in the education system. I think that affirmative action should really be about socioeconomic class instead of race. However, thankfully there are many good organizations that aim to help low income students. I like your points about implementing a change as I think that's what our generation is really about. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHey Nia! I really liked this post as you did a good job giving the other side of the billionaires in philanthropy debate. After a lot of our readings in class, my suspicion of billionaire philanthropists increased. For example, hearing how Bill Gates was using his philanthropic influence to pass charter school bills which would enrich him personally in Washington. However, I think you did a really good job at showing the other side of this argument. Billionaires are in a unique position due to the huge amount of money they possess, and also have the unique ability to give huge sums to beneficial organizations. As someone who is passionate about education, I totally agree that with this pandemic students are losing valuable instruction time and are going to fall behind academically. I especially liked the point you made about low income college students, who were already struggling to afford the insane costs of higher education before the pandemic. I was glad to hear about the Chan Zuckerberg initiative, as broadband internet is something that people assume everyone has, which is not the case at all. Internet is not only essential to modern life and work, but also to education as well especially in the time of social distancing and remote learning. Overall, I enjoyed your post and the perspective you shared about billionaire philanthropy!
ReplyDeleteHi Nia! This is an interesting take on big philanthropy. Of course, I agree that it is good for students to receive the tools necessary to sustain their education. However, I do not feel that the recent donations contribute to the bigger cause of educational equality, as you argued. It is only a short term, superficial fix. For example, in a few years, the students who received laptops will have to deal with them getting old and slowing in function, being put right back behind their wealthier peers. There are also tens of thousands more students who are also disadvantaged and in need of a laptop, and there will be a whole new batch of disadvantaged students in a few years. As you said, these current donations have only come as a result of the pandemic and remote learning, even though students need a computer to complete their homework during any regular semester. It is highly unlikely that philanthropic organizations will distribute laptops to all children in need and continue doing so into the long term, but only at episodic moments where educational inequality is in the public eye.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, as Ezekiel mentioned, there are other issues like the lack of personal support minority and low-income students receive at school, and these remain regardless of whether students have laptops. Educational equality can only come from public policy changes. We have to end de facto school segregation, equitably distribute educational resources, and better train faculty. We have to increase incomes, public safety, and housing stability to make sure students have the home environments most conducive to learning. These are all bottom-up improvements to our system that billionaire philanthropy cannot, will not, and should not perform. We do not have any power over where a billionaire puts their money, and they could just as easily donate to a cause we are against as one we support. On the other hand, we have the power to change our government through voting and organizing. We should focus on preserving our government as a democratic institution, and it should be the one responsible for taking actions toward the ends that big philanthropy claims to advance.