Public Assistance

Today I felt the need to address the misconception that come with "public assistance". Yes, the "public assistance" most commonly known as welfare. Did a picture of a poor black mother with two children clinging to her tattered jeans come to mind? Well if not that is good, but for most that is what comes to mind. How do I know you ask because where I am living that appears to be the sentiment. (BTW I live below the Mason Dixon Line)


Come. Gather around the fire and let me tell you a story:

My roommate (who usually has so many profound things to say about race (sarcasm)) tells me about a conversation she had with a neighbor.


Neighbor: Some people are so greedy when it comes to welfare. They just keep taking assistance and don’t try to work or do anything. They have babies just so that they can get paid to stay on welfare.

Roommate: AS if? (or in put any ditzy saying by a privilege white blonde)

Neighbor: yea they get like 1000 per child. They need to stop giving assistance after two children.


Now the above dialogue is what I imagined the conversation to be like because I was not present for the conversation. (Sidenote: During my roommate’s summary of the conversation I noticed that she conveniently gives our neighbor all the credit for making all of those remarkable comments). After explaining the conversation she then surmises about the condition of woman on welfare—basically attempting to give me the inside scoop on why women were on welfare.


I began to tell her that many of those women end up in situations that they cannot help. And despite the common misconception many of them are not lazy, but the government slyly provides assistance that barely allows them to support themselves. For example, Its like they will help you if you make 1.00 but they will only help you by giving you 1.25. And if you dare get a job that allows you to live on a 1.50 then you are cut off. Keep in mind that the average cost of living in this scenario is 2.00. So what can you really do in this situation? Her response, “Oh.”


Now even though she didn’t say it out loud she was referring to black mothers on welfare assistance. How do I know you ask, because we were just talking about black people and Atlanta and New Orleans and when I shut her down with other comments I guess she felt she wanted to bring up another point.


It wasn’t until later that I began to recognize my own ignorance in our discussion. I was trying to defend mothers on welfare and in turn I was justifying that there are some mothers who just have babies to stay on welfare. By trying to defend this stereotype I was only working to justify it. You see stereotypes are all encompassing, because they are generalizations about an entire group. However often times people try to dismantle stereotypes by saying “all black people are not like **insert description**”. But when you make that statement you are implying that there are SOME people that DO ACT according to this stereotype. That statement also justifies that those the DO NOT conform to this stereotype are ONLY the EXCEPTION. It all works to further validate the stereotype. So when it comes to stereotypes defense serves as justification.

So what do you do then? Well I would say bring some numbers to the table. By that I don’t mean have charts and spreadsheets handy but know the basics. Also challenge that individual to give you cold hard facts. In most cases they will look stupid not know and shut their mouths and keep assumptions like that to themselves.


For example: Did you know that the majority of people on welfare are WHITE!


A 1994 census data study shows that most people who depend on welfare are White and live in suburbs or rural areas. The findings are contrary to the popular belief that most welfare recipients are unemployed, inner-city minorities whose families have gotten public assistance for generations. The study reveals that Whites make up 48 percent of the poor, followed by Blacks, 22 percent, and Hispanics, 22 percent.


There you have it, cold hard facts that cannot be refuted or turned around to be the exception.

Now for the 2010 census the numbers may have changed, simply because of the recession. Black unemployment is 16.5% in comparison to Hispanic unemployment at 12.6% and 8.7% for whites (thegrio.com). This is not including the LGBT community, which tends to have a 40-60% unemployment increase compared to the rest of the population. In a March 2009 study by the Williams institute states, “Transgender survey respondents are twice as likely to be living below the poverty line of $10,400 per year when compared to the general population. Approximately 23% of the transgender community earned wages below the national poverty level last year. Survey respondents report a 14% unemployment rate; during the months that the survey was distributed the statewide unemployment rate averaged 7%.”


Furthermore most who do receive government assistance would have difficulty making ends meet with the amount of money they receive. Data shows that people are welfare still have to work to provide for their families, and that becomes a difficult task when you’re assistance is based on how much you make. So in essence you are not laying back taking in that good ole welfare check. People on welfare are not lazy.

Let’s knock that stereotype….


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