BRATTLEBORO — The class divide in the United States is growing, yet class is rarely talked about. Let's break the silence!
Cross-Class Dialogue Circles will happen in Brattleboro over six sessions, every other week, starting in early March. The days and time will be decided by the people who sign up.
These circles are a powerful way for people across the class spectrum to come together to talk about their experiences with class, listen to one another's stories and perspectives, and then to work together as change-makers for economic justice. Engaging with one another across class is empowering, healing, and liberating.
A person of any class background has a role to play in the movement for social and economic justice. The disconnection and isolation between people from different classes hurts our communities and movements.
We in southern Vermont can be better equipped to work effectively for the just society we want and need when we can create trust and understanding across differences of class and power, and when we can use all our different strengths in bending the arc of history toward justice.
Davey Shlasko of Think Again Training and I are co-facilitating this program. Davey is a facilitator, author, and consultant, of mixed, mostly-working-class class background, who has been working on classism and other social-justice issues since 2000.
While I identify as middle class with owning class privilege, I have worked with a variety of organizations and groups on understanding classism and other social justice issues, with the goal of contributing to change.
Funding is needed to start the first dialogue circle - to cover facilitation, child care, food, and materials. The first circle will then fund the next circle and so on and so on. The money you give to this project is the catalyst for far-reaching change. Contributions of all sizes are welcomed. To give, see the Indiegogo fundraising campaign.
The dialogue circles are hosted by ACT for Social Justice and will take place at the Root Social Justice Center. Contact me if you would like to participate, or to contribute financially to the project, at angelaberkfield@gmail.com or 802-254-3400. We are looking for applications by Feb. 21.