This is part of my coverage of the Secular Social Justice Conference this past January in Houston. I raised money to get me to the conference to report out because conferences like these cover topics that are rarely talked about in the movement. I also raised money to get Josiah Mannion to the conference to take photos. You can see his full conference photoset. If you appreciate the work we do, we’re also raising money cover a portion of our costs to do the same for the Women in Secularism conference in September. You’ll find a donation button at the end of this post.
The second session of the day also consisted of two panels. Choosing was so difficult. Josiah took pictures in the “LGBTQ Queer Atheists of Color” session. I covered the economics session, since I felt my background would be more useful here.
Finding Justice in an Economic System that Proclaims Financial Opportunity for All
James T. Jones, Prairie View University
Darrin Johnson, BSLA
Richard Peacock, Orlando Black Non-Believers
Twaunette Sharp, HBN
Cleve Tinsley, IV, Rice U
Moderator: Donald Wright
I’m really glad the conference ran this session. It isn’t a subject we talk about nearly enough. At the same time, I wish the session had been more focused. I understand why it wasn’t. We have to do the introductions first. We have to do a certain amount of 101-level discussion to make sure we understand the problem before we can really talk about solutions. So, really, any frustration I had with this session is really just frustration that we’re this far behind on this topic.
Live tweeters were more evenly split for this set of sessions. You’re really getting just the highlights here, but you can watch the video of the whole session at the bottom of this post.
Getting ready for speaking in the #EconomicJustice panel here at #SSJCon @SSJCon #HOH
— Ms. Amanda Rosa (@namarose2013) January 30, 2016
"The so-called 'greatest country in the universe'." –Donald Wright #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Even in a recovery under a black president, unemployment and underemployment still fall disproportionately on POC. –Darrin Johnson #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Packed room 4 "Finding Justice in an Economic System That Proclaims Financial Opportunity for All" #SSJCon @SSJCon pic.twitter.com/pxwwb55wb9
— American Humanist (@americnhumanist) January 30, 2016
The wealth of an entire generation of black Americans was wiped out by the recession & isn't coming back. –Richard Peacock #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
African American entertainers and sports figures are among top earners but not top wealth holders. –Cleve Tinsley #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Tinsley: Many structural issues continue to keep black people from building wealth from income. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
#ssjcon
Even under the first black president, things are not better for the black communities and in some cases worse
-Richard Peacock— Reyna Dynam (@RDynam) January 30, 2016
"The worst of times and the best of times" PANEL 2
Finding Justice In An Economic System That Proclaims Finding Opportunity For All #SSJCon— BlackFreethinkers_MN (@BLF_MN) January 30, 2016
James T. Jones questioning the idea that black Americans are better off today then before the Civil Rights Era. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Jones: There are costs to entering the broader capitalist system instead of building more isolated communities working together. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
"The founders who wrote 'All men are created equal' held slaves. Slavery has long lasting repercussions that we can't ignore." #SSJCon
— American Humanist (@americnhumanist) January 30, 2016
Johnson: When a country had to go to war with itself to end slavery, slavery can't be easy to root out of the social fabric. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
"Slavery, Jim Crow, is ingrained in our system." #SSJCon @SSJCon
— American Humanist (@americnhumanist) January 30, 2016
Amanda Rosa of Hispanic American Freethinkers talks about how capitalism negatively affects immigrant communities #ssjcon
— American Humanist (@americnhumanist) January 30, 2016
Amanda Rosa: When immigrants are desperate to escape war and extreme poverty, they can be forced into dangerous labor to stay. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Tinsley: This country was built on sugar, cotton, and tobacco–all slave-labor industries. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Jones: Roanoke died because there was nothing there to capitalize. Black labor made this country & allowed it to become independent. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
"You cannot separate white survival from exploitation" #SSJCON
— Georgina Capetillo (@Georgicape) January 30, 2016
Peacock: Slavery was not abolished for prisoners, driving prisons to become industry. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Twaunette Sharp, Houston Black Nonbelievers, personal story of being homeless and seeing racial injustice #ssjcon pic.twitter.com/hrm0TuHvNd
— American Humanist (@americnhumanist) January 30, 2016
Twaunette Sharp: Services that meet needs of black Americans get shut down (or underfunded), maintaining inequality by design. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
"Is there a dichotomy between economic justice & racial justice?" #SSJCon pic.twitter.com/pEH2dL81kn
— BlackFreethinkers_MN (@BLF_MN) January 30, 2016
Rosa: Voting is less accessible to communities of color, if people even have a candidate who represents their interests. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Rosa: Setting minimum standards (wages, health care, college), it still won't help illegal immigrants who can't seek help. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
An economy for the 1%
(62 people now own the same as half the world.)https://t.co/EiNVpPIiZn#SSJCon pic.twitter.com/1liJGmVZfg
— BlackFreethinkers_MN (@BLF_MN) January 30, 2016
Sharp: We can't eliminate homelessness when we don't have a consistent definition of "homeless". Defining it away instead of fixing. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Rosa: Much homelessness is driven by the unexpected, but we have the capacity to house people. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Johnson: We have the money and space to help people, but when we make money the priority, we'll always have homelessness. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Sharp: Mental illness drives homelessness. We can't address one without the other. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Donald Wright: "There are some capitalists in here who are going to kill me." #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Johnson suggests libraries are in trouble due to the internet, but my understanding from librarians is that funding is the problem. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Jones: When we talk alternatives to capitalism, we have to face the unlikelihood of those in power letting go. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Rosa: I'm crazy to talk alternatives to capitalism? No, I'm angry and tired of seeing needless deaths. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Q: Bernie and "our" revolution? Jones: It would be great it he meant it and followed through. Johnson: We hear this every election. #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
"We've seen Stacy Dash and other traitors talk about respectability politics, which is the most disgusting thing in the world…." #SSJCon
— Stephanie Zvan (@szvan) January 30, 2016
Totally in love with all the panelists with our Economic Justice panel for #SSJCon @SSJCon pic.twitter.com/QEv6aqr6qR
— Ms. Amanda Rosa (@namarose2013) January 30, 2016
A good bit of the value of this panel came from panelists discussing their own experiences and barriers to achieving economic justice. I didn’t tweet much of that, because the hashtag trolls were all over this conference. I would have felt like rewarding their honesty with abuse and mockery. I highly recommend watching the video to catch what wasn’t tweeted.
Want to support this kind of reporting out from Women in Secularism? We could still use a little help to get there: