What COVID Teaches Us About Wealth Inequity

In this episode

COVID-19 has exacerbated the wealth gap between the haves and have nots. In this episode, our guests talk about the lessons they have learned from the impact of federal COVID-19 relief funds on the poverty rate, new data about the “working poor” in Kalamazoo County, and the resilience of the most vulnerable during the pandemic. What are the roles of the government and community organizations in addressing wealth inequity?

See ALICE study discussed by guests.

This episode was recorded on September 23, 2021.

LISTEN 55:00

Host

Dr. Linda Cherrey Reeser is a professor in the School of Social Work and director of the Bachelor of Social Work program at Western Michigan University. She writes about ethics, professionalism and social activism and teaches social policy, social change and social welfare history. Reeser is recognized as an expert presenter on the subject of ethics. She co-authored two books, one on professionalization and activism in social work and the other on ethical decision making in social work. In 2015, she received The Life Time Achievement Award from NASW – Michigan Chapter. She is a member of the NASW Michigan Chapter Ethics Committee and a board member of WMU’s Center for the Study of Ethics in Society.

 

 

 

 

 

Guests

Dr. Don Cooney is an associate professor in the School of Social Work and associate director of the Lewis Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations at Western Michigan University. He is a board member of Mothers of Hope and Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo. Cooney is a candidate for the Kalamazoo City Commission, which he previously served on for 22 years, two years as vice mayor. During that time, he started Kalamazoo Communities in Schools, now in 21 schools; he is currently on that organization’s board. He is the co-organizer of People of Change for people returning from incarceration. Cooney is a leader in anti-poverty work, with more than 50 years of experience as an activist and organizer, including as leader of the Living Wage and Anti-Apartheid campaigns.

 

 

 

 

 

Alyssa Stewart, M.P.A., joined the United Way of Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region (UWBCKR) in 2012 as a member of the Community Impact team. As a community impact associate and then associate director of community impact, she managed UWBCKR’s portfolio of Health investment and initiatives. She joined the leadership team as the director of strategy & engagement in 2016 and then became a vice president in 2017. In her current role, Stewart leads the teams that oversee all grant making and community impact work and that drive UWBCKR’s volunteer and community engagement strategies. Prior to UWBCKR, Stewart worked for the W.E. Upjohn Institute as a manager within its Michigan Works! PATH Program in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph Counties. She holds a bachelor of arts in political science from Albion College and a master’s of public administration – nonprofit leadership and administration from Western Michigan University. 

 

Stephanie (Moore) Williams was elected the first African American chair of the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners in 2019. Previously, Williams served four terms on the Kalamazoo City Commission. Williams successfully fought for a number of causes, including: reducing infant mortality rates in Kalamazoo, particularly within the African American community; adopting a "ban the box” policy aimed at helping applicants with a criminal history to get jobs; championing protections for the LGBTQ+ community regarding employment, housing and public accommodations (Ordinance 1856); and establishing the county’s first-ever Public Defender’s Office. Williams served four years as the chair of the 60th District Community Service Charity board. She continues to work to advance the mission and vision of Mothers of Hope, a local non-profit that empowers and strengthens women, families, and communities to rise above the effects of substance use disorders, poverty, violence and systemic inequities.