Disparities Action Team
Meeting Minutes
2.13.15
Attendees: Andrea Waner, Sarah Klaassen, Debra Howenstine, Carla Johnson,
Stephanie Browning, Sarah Rainey, Stan Hudson, Jenny Grabner, Shannon Canfield,
Sally Beth Lyon, Jason Wilcox, Rebecca Estes, Rebecca Roesslet, Candace Iveson,
Mahree Skala, Carla London
1. Meeting introductions and agenda review
2. Candie Iveson- Income Inequality presentation
 GINI Coefficient- unit of measure for income equality
 Few countries have more income inequality than the US
 Income inequality is rising in the US, more rapidly than in other countries
i. Globalization- losing middle wage jobs to other countries
ii. De-unionization
iii. Education and technological change
 Top earners are seeing the greatest increase in earned income
 Recession of 2007 has brought more attention to income inequality
 Policy changes post-depression andpost- war improved our income
inequality for a few decades (1960-1980).
 Mobility- ability to improve economic situation over time (within own
lifetime and between generations)
i. We have upward absolute mobility but downward relative mobility
1. We are all moving up but some are moving down
2. Stickiness at the end- the bottom 20% of income earners
and the top 20% of income earners…kids born in these
quintiles are 40% likely to remain in the quintile into which
they were born. Born poor, stay poor. Born wealthy, stay
wealthy.
ii. During the recession, the number of households falling from the
next to the bottom to the bottom quintile doubled
iii. The bottom 20% lost 9% of their income
iv. The middle 20% lost 4.6% of their income
v. The top 20% increased income by 7%
vi. Mobility varies by race and education
vii. Health outcomes- limited economic mobility is one serious
consequence of income inequality
1. The spirit level: Why more equal societies almost always
do…reading resource
viii. Very limited opportunity to build human and/or social capitol, both
of which impact mobility
 Solutions
i. Most rely on government action
ii. Before the Depression, there was no middle class. Policy created
the middle class
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iii. Stateofworkingamerica.org
iv. 1980’s: de-unionization, de-regulation, led to a flattening of the
bottom income earners (90%) and a rise in the highest income
earners (1%). Tax cuts in 2000 and 2001 benefitted the highest
income earners.
v. American perception of income inequality is very different from the
reality
vi. March, 2012 Pew research study
vii. Where there is a sense of unfairness there is an opportunity
viii. Technological advances may help mediate this if they improve
health outcomes and/or access to education
 Presentation Q & A
i. Economics as if people matter- exercises for demonstrating the
differences in wealth
ii. White families, on average, receive $80,000 from the death of
parents, black families receive $2,000
iii. Live-able wages would benefit the economy of the entire
community
iv. Unnatural Causes video shows different families with different
incomes and the impact of that
v. CMCA has a video of those they serve which was compelling
Follow-ups: Klaassen will share CMCA video, London will share the Scholastic
presentation
BIC-33 RSVP’s, lunch at 11:30
Several members of this group attended a “Dismantling Racism Training”,
sponsored by Russell Chapel CME and Calvary Episcopal
 Looking at the faith community as an existing resource
 Community health workers may be premature
 Recommendation to survey the local churches and see what activities are
going on and what would they be interested in
 May look for other groups in the community: basketball leagues at the
ARC, barber shops, beauty shops
 Carmen will invite someone from Missouri Faith Voices to speak with this
group
Action team members are free to invite anyone they wish to join this group
Steve Calloway has been unable to attend recently but still plans to be involved
in this group