Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

‘Crucial Conversations’ explores the middle class, stories of wealth, status and power

Photos and story by Alfredo V. Moreno

Class is related to wealth and money, but it involves much more than that – from education to dress to the shows we watch, the words we use, and the clothes we wear.

Colleges and universities, like Portland Community College, often talk about education as a bridge to the middle class, but what exactly is that? Who does the middle class include and exclude, and why does it get so much attention?

When does talking about class turn into class warfare, or pandering, or simple confusion? What measures and markers help us recognize class and to what extent is class useful for seeing our state, our neighbors, and ourselves?

This is the focus of “The Middle Class and Other Stories about Wealth, Status, and Power,” a conversation with Adam Davis from 2-3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the Event Center (Building 9), Rock Creek Campus. The event is free and open to all. Refreshments will be provided.

The event is the second of three in the college’s 2019-20 “Crucial Conversations” series, presented by the PCC Foundation and sponsored by Oregon Humanities. Now in its second full year, “Crucial Conversations” events are held each term at the Rock Creek Campus.

Adam Davis is the executive director of Oregon Humanities. His previous roles include directing the Center for Civic Reflection, where he designed and implemented “Justice Talking/The Meaning of Service,” a nationwide discussion program for AmeriCorps, VISTA, and other service organizations. Davis edited “Taking Action” and co-edited “The Civically Engaged Reader” and received his doctorate from the University of Chicago.

Through the Conversation Project, Oregon Humanities offers free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state’s future.