Pritzker Fellow Sarah Smarsh on "Class & Rural America: Part 2"

(Current UChicago Students Only)

Wednesday, January 26

12:30-1:45 PM

For well over a century, industry has siphoned talent and labor to urban centers. This "rural flight" has resulted in population loss, hospital and school closures, and economic blight for small communities across the country. Socioeconomic class has always been tied to place, to some extent, as some locations carry more prestige, power and wealth than others, but today many inhabitants of small towns, rural lands and tribal communities are fighting to merely survive. We will look at the connection between place and class, strategies to reinvigorate ailing spaces, and why it matters to all of us.

Special Guest: Benya Kraus, Co-Founder of Lead for America

Suggested Reading & Viewing:

• "Asian Americans in Rural America," Minnesota Women's Press
• "Small Town Natives Are Moving Back Home," Wall Street Journal
• "Hollow," Elaine McMillion Sheldon

Pritzker Fellows seminars are off the record and open to current UChicago students only. Seating in the IOP Living Room is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

This convening is open to current UChicago students who are compliant with UChicago vaccination requirements and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.

If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact Ashley Jorn (ashleyjorn@uchicago.edu).