About missing class

Missing Class: Strengthening Social Movement Groups by Seeing Class Cultures by Class Action's Betsy Leondar-Wright, published by Cornell University Press in 2014, is the first comparison of class culture differences in progressive social justice groups in the US today. 

Missing Class describes class differences in paths to activism, attitudes toward leadership, methods of conflict resolution, ways of using language, diversity practices, use of humor, methods of recruiting, and group process preferences. Too often, we miss class. Missing Class makes a persuasive case that seeing class culture differences could enable activists to strengthen their own groupsand build more durable cross-class alliances for social change.

“Organizing for change is hard work, but it gets easier when there’s honest talk about difference and solidarity. I think this groundbreaking book will likely start some transformative conversations!”  - Bill McKibben, author, founder of 350.org

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about the author

Betsy Leondar-Wright, PhD, is a long-time economic justice activist. She was Class Action’s Program Director from 2010 to 2015 and currently serves on the board. Before Missing Class, she authored Class Matters: Cross-Class Alliance Building for Middle-Class Activists and co-authored The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the US Racial Wealth Divide. She teaches social movement strategy and race, class and gender inequality at Lasell College.

about class action

Class Action, founded in 2004, is a national nonprofit organization that raises awareness about class  and inspires action to end classism. For more information about workshops to reduce organizational classism, click here.