NOTE: I published this piece in March, 2024, on my personal Substack, Clarity. I'm republishing it here as is, with one statistical update, because the question it asks is still urgent, and because it's a question that drives what the Village Green covers. It is not a critique of inclusion work — it's an observation about an unspoken prerequisite for inclusion, and who falls through the gaps when they can’t meet the prerequisite.
Last spring three experiences in quick successtion got me wondering about the word “community,” and how we conceive of it in regard to wealth.
Here in South Berkshire County, Massachusetts, where I was born and raised and still live, I used to manage a fund that paid for local low-income kids to attend summer camp. Though the money was spent down during Covid, a guidance counselor reached out last April, seeking support for one of his students. He had a kid I’ll call Tim who wanted to attend a couple of weeks of camp, but his family couldn’t afford the tuition…
