Recently, a billionaire bought shoes in Pilsen for children who are going back to school. Billionaires have access to some of the greatest wealth that has ever existed on the planet, so many believe that they need to make sure they are helping people. This basic idea works on the idea that “with great power comes with great responsibility.” The one percent have an almost impossible level of power in the world so with that, must come great responsibility. Yet, most billionaires simply engage in nothing more than charity for a good image.
Billionaires simply take advantage of the wealth inequality, and “give back” through charity for brownie points. The problem is that the people in this income level have enough power and influence to wipe out things like world hunger but choose not to. These people have enough power to build entire private armies but expect people to be excited when they use a fraction of a fraction of their wealth to do a nice thing once.
Pilsen’s Struggle
Considering the fact that Pilsen is a low-income community, it is very possible that many of those families may not have been able to get those shoes for their children for school. “Pilsen has a poverty rate of 27%. This is higher than Chicago’s 20% poverty rat,” according to Metro Planning. It is very telling that for the most vulnerable people in society to have the things they need, they must rely on the whims of the wealthy.
Whether or not a rich person is feeling generous that day, children should have shoes for the new school year. They should have the things they need because they are human beings. According to the constitution it is these same human beings that endowed certain unalienable rights just like everyone else. The Constitution says that all who live in America are endowed with certain unalienable rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The families of Pilsen are legally endowed with the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
American Freedoms
These children weren’t free to pursue their lives to the fullest extent because they didn’t have new shoes. Having to wear worn shoes for school isn’t great, especially when that child wants to play during recess. The shoes may fall apart or may be critically damaged even through light play because they are already worn.
While it is great that they now have new shoes, one must ask why they couldn’t afford new shoes in the first place. Why is Chicago, and America in general, burdened by such an overwhelming wealth gap? Why is it that these families couldn’t afford shoes for their children for the school year?
Two Cities
Chicago is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and yet it has been wedged into two different cities. The first is a city of beautiful skyscrapers, culture, food, and art. The other city is a city full of violence, homelessness, and concentrated poverty. One could drive from the innermost parts of the city and simply drive away from the city to demonstrate this fact. The city of Chicago does not have to be this way. There are many ways to combat poverty like lowering general expenses and raising the minimum wage. There doesn’t have to be two Chicago’s, or two cities.
Moreover, every child in Chicago could have a family that can afford to buy them new shoes for the new school year. However, the minimum wage still isn’t a livable wage. Rent is still rising and the impacts of historical redlining are still being felt to this very day. Black and brown families are being hit every day by things like a lack of affordable housing, rising food prices, and rising gas prices. With all of these expenses and low wages, parents simply can’t afford new things which means that for children in those families experiencing the weight of generational poverty, new shoes for the school year are unattainable. This shouldn’t be the case, and yet it is and has been for a long time.
Written by Kenneth Mazerat
Sources
CBS News: Kids get new kicks in Pilsen for back to school
American Government Archives: Declaration of Independence: A Transcription
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of duncan cumming’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of duncan cumming’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
