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Story: "Not Those People"
Julia Dinsmore, a writer, mother, and activist, knows first hand about life below the poverty line in the U.S. Julia describes the struggle to overcome "systemic barriers" and break out of the vicious cycle of poverty and welfare. Despite her circumstances, Julia refuses to be a passive victim in a system that penalizes initiative. Early in her life, she found her voice as a poet and a storyteller, and realized that one person can make a difference. Julia's poem, "I am not those people," was once read on the Senate floor and epitomizes the struggle of the human spirit against despair and economic injustices.
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| Key Terms |
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| Class |
Classism |
| Economic Justice |
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights |
| International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) |
Minimum Wage |
| Poverty Tax |
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) |
| Welfare |
White Privilege |
| Victim |
Survival Skills |
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Click here to take a Survey
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| Before Viewing |
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What is class? What are the indicators that help determine an individual's class (e.g., clothing, housing, income)?
What do you think are the main causes of poverty in the Twin Cities?
What does "below the poverty line" mean? How would you define poverty?
From where do your ideas about poverty come? What are the sources of your information?
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| After Viewing |
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- What motivated Julia Dinsmore to challenge her situation and become an activist? How did learning about storytelling traditions from different cultures help Julia?
- How did she challenge her church and what did she achieve as a result?
- What systemic barriers does she refer to when she talks about a system that "penalizes initiative and reinforces victim's behavior"?
- Who are the people Julia describes in her poem, My name is "Not Those People".
- What does Julia mean when she speaks of a "community's self-sufficiency"?
- What is white privilege? In what way do you think Julia is privileged?
- What was the role of the church in establishing the Legislative Committee to End Poverty by 2020? Do you know of any other faith-based organizations that are trying to address poverty, homelessness, and other societal issues in their communities?
- What are the goals of the Legislative Committee to End Poverty by 2020? What recommendations would you make to the committee members?
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| Suggested Activities |
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International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Introduce the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/b2esc.htm
Match the conditions described in Julia's poem to articles in the ICESCR. Identify social and economic rights found in the ICESCR but not mentioned in the essay or the poem.
Discuss:
- For which social and economic rights does the U.S. appear to be doing well? For which social and economic rights there is a need for substantial improvement?
- What is the responsibility of the government to ensure that everyone achieves these human rights as fully as possible? Are there some conditions, such as inadequate nutrition of children, which the government should address? Are there other conditions, such as homelessness of adults, which it should not address? What actions should the government take?
- Are there some areas in which the USA is doing as well as expected and others in which we should expect better results? Do you think the U.S. can do better? What makes you think the way you do?
- Who besides government should assume responsibilities for addressing human rights problems? What can businesses and community organizations do? What can individuals do? What can you personally do?
- Resources
Contact Julia Dinsmore at dinsmorejk@comcast.net to invite her to your screening event and panel.
Encourage participants to explore the "A Minnesota Without Poverty" website at www.mnwithoutpoverty.org
In 2004, 35 religious leaders in Minnesota committed themselves to the principles outlined in "A Common Foundation: Shared Principles for Work on Overcoming Poverty." The principles in this document informed the creation of the Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota, which was established by the 2006 Minnesota Legislature. Invite participants to add their names in support of the principles of the Common Foundation at http://mnwithoutpoverty.org/index.php?option=com_signfoundation&task=signFoundation&Itemid=51
An additional resource for this section is the interactive online calculator at the Service Employee's International Union (SEIU): http://www.seiu.org/issues/good_jobs/notebook.cfm
Participants can enter their monthly expenses, such as rent, food, recto calculate if they could make it on the minimum wage. They can then "Get the Facts" about minimum wage and other statistics at:
http://www.seiu.org/issues/good_jobs/minwage_factsheet.cfm
Other useful sites:
Twin Cities Compass www.tccompass.org
Mind the Gap Report www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2005/10cities_sohmer/20051027_mindthegap.pdf
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