Scholars Should Be Agents for Change, Pinderhughes Tells Institute Attendees
"You are the emerging leaders who will address the world's economic, social
and environmental problems," Dr. Raquel Pinderhughes told her Honors
Institute audience. "You have been inspired to use your resources
and your training to address the contradictions in the paradox of affluence."
Pinderhughes,
Professor of Urban Studies at San Francisco State University, is the author
of the landmark study on green collar jobs, which she defines as "manual
labor jobs in businesses whose products and services directly improve
environmental quality."
Pinderhughes presented the Cordier
Lecture, recognizing the contributions of the late Ms. June Cordier, the
first Illinois Regional Coordinator and one of the planners of the first
Honors Institute.
The paradox of affluence in the United States
- the contrast between the extremely wealthy and the unemployed, and the
abundance of consumer items weighed against the threat to the environment
- was the motivation for Pinderhughes to use her academic skills to effect
change, she said.
She described her research that led her to
cite green collar jobs as a solution to the paradox, because these jobs not
only benefit the environment but provide opportunities to low-income
persons facing barriers to employment, and the jobs are in sectors where
dramatic growth is predicted.
"This was an opportunity to address
environmental challenges and also social challenges," she said. Every
city, she pointed out, is facing such urban challenges as shortages of land
and water, problems with landfills, and rising food and transportation
costs, along with the problems of increasing poverty and levels of social
inequality.
Because green collar jobs are manual labor, they
are available to persons with limited skills and education, persons who
have been out of the workforce for long periods, and persons coming out of
prison. For these people, work provides not only an income but structure
to their day and an outlet for their energy, and helps them develop a sense
of community.
Green collar jobs are pathways out of poverty,
she said, generally paying above minimum wage, with health benefits and
other opportunities to contribute to families, such as 401K plans. The
actual job training teaches other skills such as working as a team, fosters
independent thinking and gives the workers dignity and purpose.
During
her presentation Pinderhughes praised Phi Theta Kappa members for their
level of commitment. "You as scholars can see a problem, do the research,
and become involved in social change. You can directly contribute to improving
the quality of life for persons who need this the most."
