Make the East Bay What It Seems

(Photo Credit: Braveheart/flikr)

Picture this. A freshly polished loafer sits in the window of a local boutique. One problem: the soles of the shoes are torn and full of holes. 

You might also take a quick look at Contra Costa County and see an affluent community with progressive politics nestled into the rolling hills. However, like the loafer, things are not always as they seem.

To help us better understand the reality of poverty in Contra Costa County the Ensuring Opportunity hosted a convening on May 21st in Walnut Creek.

Rise Together Bay Area started off the day with a discussion of their road map to cut poverty focused on working together with businesses, nonprofits, community organizations and concerned citizens to align resources, pass public policies, and change systems. All with the goal of creating pathways out of poverty for the struggling families in our backyard.

Rise Together Bay Area also shared their latest efforts partnered with the UC Berkeley Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at mapping economic opportunity in the Bay Area. These maps provided more “uh-huh” than “ah-ha!” moments, but served as important reminders of where economic opportunity still lags in our growing region.

And finally, it was Anat Shenker-Osorio of ASO Communications who provided a no-nonsense presentation focused on the best ways to talk about poverty (or anything really). The session was rich of fiery one-liners like “If messages are catnip, it’s not hard to herd cats.”

But beyond the zingers, Shenaker-Osorio made clear that words really matter. And if you and I hope to build a movement around meaningful issues, we must simplify the problem and carefully choose metaphors that support our goal.

All in all, we are eager to continue to engage with the many stakeholders at the convening and work towards identifying how the Council can support economic opportunity, communicate more effectively, and help make the East Bay what it seems.