The positive impact of cross-class friendships

A new research study by Raj Chetty, Professor of Economics at Harvard University and Director of Opportunity Insights, published in August this year, suggests a new perspective to upward mobility and reducing poverty. This study analyzed the Facebook connectedness, friendships, and networks of 72 million people. It included 84 percent of US adults aged 25 to 44. The study found that economic connectedness is the now believed to be the most important factor in support of upward mobility.

 The key to reducing poverty is upward mobility which refers to the desire to move children from poverty and disadvantaged neighborhoods to high school graduation. High school graduation is one of the keys to children escaping and breaking generational poverty, for it helps secure high paying jobs usually reserved for others with better opportunities. Previously, the research was that some neighborhoods were better than others at removing barriers to climbing the income ladder. The reason was not always clear, but the new analysis found that the degree to which rich and poor were connected, more than any other factor, explained why children did better later in life.

 At LHCC, we do not view people as rich or poor, the recurring classifications used in the Chetty study. We hope no-one sees classism of any kind, nor as reason for volunteering, and having something to give the world. We view people primarily as neighbors who the Lord leads in our direction, and who we are called to love and care for. Surely, we can learn from our neighbors as much as they learn from us. In the context of building cross cultural relationships, we liken what we do to what might be considered paradise; of being present in a distracted world. Kinship is recognizing that there are numerous chances every day to practice sacred presence with people from different backgrounds, ethnicities and walks of life.  Our intent is to establish ourselves in the here and now and build trust through meaningful relationships that will lead to cross-class friendships.

At LHCC, we refer to our relationships as Kinship.  Kinship is recognizing that there are numerous chances every day to practice sacred presence with people from different backgrounds, ethnicities and walks of life.  Our intent is to find ways to establish ourselves in the here and now and build trust through meaningful relationships that will lead to cross-class friendships.

Here's a quote from the New York Times article that published the details of the Chetty research. “The positive impact of cross-class friendships, what the research called economic connectedness, had a stronger impact than school quality, family structure, job availability or the community’s racial composition. The people you know, the study suggests, open opportunities, and the growing class divide in our country closes them off.”

In my own experience over the past ten years of working with families at LHCC, the hypothesis was that DNA primarily determined upward mobility. Secondarily, progress and success depended on one’s zip code. Now as a result of this new study, our key focus is on cross cultural connectedness.

 LHCC has been working diligently to bring people from different cultures together through the creation of a community hub and the introduction of our kinship project.  These efforts include:

1.   We leveraged the food insecurity lessons learned from the pandemic and launched our first Kinship Kitchen in early 2021. In our Kinship Kitchen, Hispanic adults are trained in preparing healthy meals and food safety, while rubbing shoulders with church volunteers with a common interest in culinary arts.

2.   Community partner organizations, for example, Atrium, Camino and CML come to our safe facility to educate our family partners each week.  Topics include those that promote engagement and empowerment in the areas of health and wellness, financial literacy, food, and technology.

3.   LHCC introduced an enhanced volunteer training curriculum that promoted connecting and building bonds with the parents of the kids who come for tutoring.  We focus on upward mobility and engaging parents in learning about the children’s school-side education systems, the need for competency with English, and children’s various forms of extra-curricular enrichment.

4.   Volunteers, along with the expanded LHCC team and community partners, are connecting with parents as an influential support system. Language barriers are being removed and transactional volunteer help is being replaced with transformational connectedness.

5.   We have been integrating cross-cultural relationships between our American volunteers and immigrant families by extending program offerings that are reaping the rewards of building trust and bonds between rich and poor. 

6.   Thanks to our dedicated volunteers, LHCC was able to start an educational fund to support our most conscientious students who desire to be the first in their family to attend college.

 As a result of these efforts, we have bankers and attorneys reading with students during our education support programs and day camps. Families of Indian descent connecting with Hispanic children and their families. We encourage our students to invite volunteers to meet their parents to share feedback and just say “hola”. 

Angela and Jose’s story illustrates these connections.  Angela started tutoring Jose, a young elementary school student, but soon connected with mom, Maria, of Hispanic descent who does not speak English as a first language.  A cross cultural relationship ensued. When Maria took ill and ended up in hospital, Angela came alongside her as a confidant and advocate to help with communications with doctors and nurses.  They exchanged gifts for birthdays and Angela visited Maria regularly during the pandemic to make sure the family was safe. 
There are also many examples of team members and volunteers, from different backgrounds, cultures and walks of life, who have accompanied our predominantly Hispanic parents to parent-teacher school meetings, to help the parents understand student progress and opportunities for scholastic improvement. Benefits are mutual as parties see the good that can come from being present in a distracted world.

 To summarize, the new idea of economic connectedness is an interesting perspective on upward mobility for sure. It reinforces the adage that "it is not what you know, but who you know." This has also been true for me and my family, as immigrants who arrived in the US many years ago.  As our US network was established and grew from nothing, we experienced a broader network of friends and connections. 

Our LHCC families are so grateful to know just one American family who cares for them. We are hoping for many more opportunities to broaden networks for our family partners by leveraging our networks, so that poverty is not the end game. LHCC families work hard and are growing to assimilate to life in the US by surrounding themselves with supportive Anglo advocates, networks, and community partners. Economic, social, and spiritual connectedness are in our DNA at LHCC.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/01/upshot/rich-poor-friendships.html

(Names were changed to protect the identity of both volunteers and the families they help)