A publication of the INTERCOMMUNITY PEACE & JUSTICE CENTER
Economic Justice At the end of each year, Oxford Languages releases the “Word of the Year” to show English speakers our most commonly used word. What is the 2020 word? When the lexicographers analyzed the data, they found there were far too many words used to narrow it down to one. By March, two of the most common words used were ‘essential’ and ‘worker,’ followed by ‘frontline.’ By April, the usage of ‘furlough’ increased. From May to December, the four most commonly used words were: stimulus, unemployment, layoff, and eviction. A closer look at these words points to the stories we told of COVID-19: that ordinary people, essential and frontline workers, labored at great risk to themselves for the common good. They also endured tremendous challenges under an unjust economic system. In this issue of A Matter of Spirit, we look at how we can create a new reality—an economic system that is just, equitable, and sustainable. Meenakshi Rishi, PhD does a systemic analysis of our current economic system. Peter Henriot, SJ frames economic justice through Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti and the parable of the Good Samaritan. Kevin Schilling highlights the unseen burdens of essential workers and their sacrifices. The young adults of Economy of Francesco ask us to build a better economy. Judy Pigott considers what foundations might do for the good of our Earth and the future. Finally, Maria Bergh shares what economic justice looks like through the lens of the Catholic Worker Movement. We hope that this AMOS challenges you to pursue a more equitable and just world.
NO. 129 / WINTER 2021
A Systemic Analysis
© Thomas Chan
of our Economic System BY MEENAKSHI RISHI, PHD AND JONATHAN MELLIN
An economic system is a scheme of production, resource allocation and distribution of goods and services within a country. While much has been written about the structural inequities that characterize the US economic system,
COVID-19 has visually laid bare the deep cracks in the economic foundations of this country. Even prior to the pandemic, Black net worth was one-tenth of White wealth, and the so-called best job market in US economic history was characterized by a Black and Latinx unemployment rate that was twice that of the White rate.
Among the employed, Black workers face large pay disparities relative to their White counterparts.1 The intersection of race and gender imposes a dual wage penalty on Black women. In 2019, Black women were paid 33.7% less than their White male counterparts, which was a much larger gap than that faced by either White women or Black men. As is now known by all, essential and frontline workers are disproportionately Black and brown. We also know that a majority of them neither have access to health care nor do they possess retirement accounts. Most importantly these workers don’t have sick days. Since the killing of George Floyd in May, we are also becoming aware of the 1
In 2019, the average hourly wage of Black workers was 26.5% less than that of White workers