By Tom Huber
A few years ago, my good friend Alex suggested the formation of a new Green Tea Party. His main thesis being that if we are to restore unity in the country it will require finding common ground between enviro-progressives (Greens) and neo-conservatives (Tea Party). Solidarity between these two often-opposing groups could flourish if they focus on what they have in common; they both share a felt-sense of economic insecurity while those at the top experience a gross surplus in wealth. This concentration of wealth among the rich, if not confronted and re-structured in a meaningful way, will further fuel a deep resentment among the disenfranchised across the political spectrum.
President Trump got this “half-right” in the recent election by opportunistically tapping into this frustration on the far right, while Bernie Sanders was successful in appealing to the left. But since the election, Trump has continued with his hostile, bombastic modus operandi creating more chaos than constructive change. In so doing he has further divided the country, energizing the undercurrent of growing civic unrest that is erupting on multiple fronts. The only thing he is unifying is his opposition. At no time in our nation’s history has there been a greater need for a people’s movement to inspire and power collective action for a more equitable and caring union.
So it is with this deep need for unity and advancing opportunity for all citizens that I’m pleased to invite the local community to celebrate the rich history and success of TRiO Programs in America. This year, TRiO Student Support Services at Paul Smith’s College will recognize National TRiO Day by hosting a “Green Tea Party” on-campus. Please bring your favorite mug and enjoy cake and tea from around the world (including a batch of local medicinal mushroom tea) on Thursday, February 23rd from 3 – 5 p.m. at the Joan Weill Adirondack Library. TRiO Programs around the U.S. annually celebrate National TRiO Day at the end of February to commemorate TRiO’s 50 year history providing access and educational opportunities to first generation, low-income students and those with disabilities in pursuit of a college degree. Unlike student financial aid programs which help students overcome financial barriers to higher education, TRiO programs provide valuable supportive services to students from working families to successfully enter college and graduate.
“Drinking a cup of tea, I stop the war.”
This line originates from a Haiku poem written by Zen poet, Paul Reps. As the story goes, Reps had traveled from the U.S. to Korea to visit a Zen master when he was denied entry due to the Korean War that had just broken out. In a moment of despair he collected himself and proceeded to mindfully pour himself a cup of tea from a thermos in his travel bag. As he sipped his tea he wrote a poem while deeply contemplating his situation. When he finished, he quietly presented his poem and passport to the clerk at the passport office. The clerk read the poem slowly, smiled knowingly, and then without speaking stamped his passport permitting him entry to the country.
This story captures a truth that regardless how contentious our outer reality appears, if we are to make a positive difference we must first collect ourselves and settle the internal warring factions within. In such a way, “we stop the war” and disentangle ourselves from reacting negatively to “the other side,” and develop a more measured, mindful, and creative way leading to clear-headed action.
This centered way of being is not the same as denying or retreating from the discordant rhetoric and executive actions from President Trump and his inner circle of advisors. By “drinking a cup of tea” we practice a display of respect and kindness regardless of our political differences. It is important to not let the will to power and an untamed need for greed amongst the richest few corrupt the many, or the one (ourselves). Sometimes we need to act, even when we doubt if our actions will result in change. By holding the president and the party in power accountable, we find a power source within ourselves through banding together and working for social justice even when the odds are against such action, quickly resulting in measurable progress.
Any efforts at even symbolically establishing a Green Tea Party by reaching out to the other side, will find its common-unity in the economic insecurity that both sides have long experienced, especially during this age of the 1 percenters. Will the president work to address this inequity in some substantial way besides calling for a massive tax cut for the rich to spur the economy and stimulate the proverbial “trickle down” that the Republicans have promoted since the time of Reagan? Will his budget include an investment for expanding TRiO programs that have been underfunded for a generation? (Currently, only 5% of eligible Americans are served by a TRiO program.) Can this actually happen under a Secretary of Education who herself has little knowledge or awareness of Pell Grants for low-income students or the Americans with Disabilities Act? As one more billionaire on a cabinet of billionaires, does she have what it takes to understand or care about the overwhelming burden that loan debt imposes on so many students who seek a more prosperous future?
I have long struggled over reconciling why so many underprivileged Americans have voted for candidates who seemingly do not have their best interests at heart. Moreover, they seem to lack awareness of the social movements and governmental programs that were designed to address income inequality in America. Certainly, TRiO programs established in 1965 following the passage of the Civil Rights Act is one of these educational opportunity programs. Without providing greater access to affordable educational attainment, I see no credible way in addressing the lack of opportunity among millions of Americans.
So I will be watching closely when the president releases his budget to Congress to see if he truly intends to invest in making the lives of Americans better by funding green job training programs, increasing Pell Grants, holding the line on higher interest rates on student loans, and hopefully expanding the reach of TRiO programs with increased appropriations. Instead of just naming February Black History Month, he has the political power to make a real difference in the lives of black Americans and all Americans of color who have not benefited from the recovery since the last recession. He can lead his party in supporting voting rights, and address the root causes of poverty in urban and rural communities by working with Congress to pass appropriation bills for funding meaningful reform in housing, human services, education, and labor policies. Bringing prosperity to underrepresented communities will not come unless we confront our lack of commitment as a nation in making a significant investment in addressing educational and economic inequality. None of these issues will be solved with easy fixes in the form of executive actions. It will require working with Congress to craft legislation to address the root causes of poverty and injustice in America.
White Trash and Class Matters
The 2016 publication by Nancy Isenberg, “White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America”, underscores the need for our society to come to terms with class discrimination as much as discrimination based on race. This multi-chaptered volume in American history is still playing out today in the rhetoric of a Trump Nation which seeks making a white “America First.” Feeling victimized, denigrated, and left behind by the elite for many generations has created a growing resentment and deep mistrust of the political establishment. This animosity has been a contributing factor why some disenfranchised voters have abandoned the Democratic Party, the defenders of the social safety net. Some in this camp feel emboldened by the results of the last election, and a long-felt apathy is being transformed into a more active engagement. Feeling a sense of empowerment and inclusion in the political process can be a positive force for a civic-minded engagement if constructively connected to a social movement for the betterment of historically underrepresented Americans.
When it comes to higher education, a study recently released by the Equality of Opportunity Project explored the role that college plays in class mobility. The results were clear – the most elite U.S. colleges enroll more students from the top 1% than from the bottom 50% of the income distribution. With a billionaire recently confirmed by the narrowest margin as the nation’s Secretary of Education, it is hard to imagine greater access by the poorest Americans to the top colleges being accomplished by a change in educational policy. The current consensus is that Trump was elected president as an anti-establishment candidate by what he called “the under-educated.” Can these citizens be made whole and given a chance to thrive in a significant way without a corresponding change in expanding educational opportunity?
I fear what may occur in our country if we do not become more unified in solving the deep problems of race and class. I hope that an expanded investment in TRiO programs can be considered by the Trump Administration as one significant strategy in a multi-pronged approach to create “justice and equality for all.”
Tom Huber lives in Rainbow Lake and directs a TRiO Student Support Services program at Paul Smith’s College.