Megan Langman’s Contemporary Issues in Literature course has introduced many of her high

school students to critical social matters such as Islamophobia, homophobia, and the neglect of lower classes within the socioeconomic system. As members of the class, we have created a plan in order to combat this neglect. Together, we will host a donations drive for Joseph’s House in Camden, New Jersey.

In our class, we read Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson–a tale of racial discrimination and blatant classism, of heartbreak and trauma. Through the struggles of key character Monday Charles, we learned that to be that of lower-income in the United States is to be a victim of government abandonment and/or mistreatment. It is often assumed that this forsaking of the poor is only applicable to the lowest of classes. However, the middle class is among the highest ranks of those struggling in modern society. In neighborhoods where adults have median incomes of $66,000 a year, infrastructure is decaying more and more every day. An article by Governing.com has explored this idea in the suburbs of Philadelphia: “The houses may be structurally sound, but not enough attention is being paid to the condition of things like driveways, curbs, and retaining walls”. 

Middle-class societies also don’t reap the benefits of poverty programs. Rather, they rely on aid from shelters and local food banks. They are also losing their houses to predatory lending and foreclosure. For this reason, we are organizing a drive for Joseph’s House, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing supplies and shelter to the homeless. We will be collaborating with Project Lit and will be collecting items from January 5th-14th. Clothing, non-perishable food items, cleaning products, and activities are all welcomed and can be collected in D-9.

Click here to read more about Joseph’s House.