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I'd like to share a message specifically for the Googlers on HN. I am a poverty fighter. I run a nonprofit that helps kids in high-poverty communities. I just

by jchung 13y ago

I'd like to share a message specifically for the Googlers on HN. I am a poverty fighter. I run a nonprofit that helps kids in high-poverty communities. I just want to say that I know that there are tons of googlers who care deeply about helping fight the persistent causes of and horrible effects of being forced to struggle with poverty. I see it every time a googler volunteers to help a school, donates a dollar to a charity, or builds something that could help people in need. And because volunteers are a primary part of our program, I see Googlers giving a lot. I just want to say thank you. I think you can guess why these protesters have decided to pick you to focus on. I just hope that you keep in mind that their opinion does not represent those in the greatest need. Please continue working to make the world a better place for those who are struggling to break out of a cycle that's incredibly hard to beat. Even if they protest, please keep volunteering. Please keep donating. Please keep building. Please don't stop keeping the poor in your thoughts. Thanks.

sophacles 13y ago
So because there are some people in greater need, these people deserve to have their communities disrupted?
- jchung 13y ago
  Sorry? I'm not sure what you mean.
  - sophacles 13y ago
    Your post reads like "ignore the protests and keep donating. The worst off people who need lots of help need you around, they make the points of the protesters irrelevant." My point is that the people protesting, are protesting because their community is being disrupted - apparently an irrelevant concern because there are people who are even worse of. That is a fallacy of course - just because someone has it worse than me, doesn't mean I shouldn't fix problems in my spot, nor should I accept a worsening of my position because of it.
    - jchung 13y ago
      I think I understand what you're saying, but it's not what I'm trying to say, so let me clarify. I'm not from Oakland, I don't live in Oakland, and I'm not trying to say anything about whether Googlers should be living in Oakland. What I am saying is that whether Googlers live in Oakland or not, I hope they continue to donate to causes in Oakland. I hope they continue to give career advice and mentorship to kids in Oakland who dream of working at Google someday. I hope they continue to try to fix problems that the citizens of Oakland face, and those faced by other communities like Oakland where people are struggling to get by. I hope that clears up what I'm saying. What I fear is that, as a result of these protests, the Googlers (and non-googlers in tech for that matter) who have been actively helping fight poverty in communities like these no longer continue to be as active in helping those communities. That would be terrible.
eli_gottlieb 13y ago
All right. GiveDirectly refused to process my debit card. Where do I donate?
- jchung 13y ago
  If you want to find poverty, there are a few ways to go. The obvious ones are to support education (helping kids break out of poverty), to support what we call "survival" which includes things like soup kitchens and shelters (which are designed to help people cope with poverty), or healthcare in countries which don't have free healthcare like the US (which help prevent late-in-life entrance into poverty due to unexpected health problems). My nonprofit organization CareerVillage.org helps kids get career advice https://careervillage.org/about/#make-a-donation https://careervillage.org/about/#make-a-donation
  - eli_gottlieb 13y ago
    40x18 ($720), donation completed.
    - jchung 13y ago
      Wow that's a lot of Chai!!! Thank you so much eli_gottlieb we'll put it to very good use helping kids in low-income communities. I'll send you an email separately with more.

by jchung 13y ago

sophacles 13y ago

So because there are some people in greater need, these people deserve to have their communities disrupted?

jchung 13y ago
Sorry? I'm not sure what you mean.
- sophacles 13y ago
  Your post reads like "ignore the protests and keep donating. The worst off people who need lots of help need you around, they make the points of the protesters irrelevant." My point is that the people protesting, are protesting because their community is being disrupted - apparently an irrelevant concern because there are people who are even worse of. That is a fallacy of course - just because someone has it worse than me, doesn't mean I shouldn't fix problems in my spot, nor should I accept a worsening of my position because of it.
  - jchung 13y ago
    I think I understand what you're saying, but it's not what I'm trying to say, so let me clarify. I'm not from Oakland, I don't live in Oakland, and I'm not trying to say anything about whether Googlers should be living in Oakland. What I am saying is that whether Googlers live in Oakland or not, I hope they continue to donate to causes in Oakland. I hope they continue to give career advice and mentorship to kids in Oakland who dream of working at Google someday. I hope they continue to try to fix problems that the citizens of Oakland face, and those faced by other communities like Oakland where people are struggling to get by. I hope that clears up what I'm saying. What I fear is that, as a result of these protests, the Googlers (and non-googlers in tech for that matter) who have been actively helping fight poverty in communities like these no longer continue to be as active in helping those communities. That would be terrible.

eli_gottlieb 13y ago

All right. GiveDirectly refused to process my debit card. Where do I donate?

jchung 13y ago
If you want to find poverty, there are a few ways to go. The obvious ones are to support education (helping kids break out of poverty), to support what we call "survival" which includes things like soup kitchens and shelters (which are designed to help people cope with poverty), or healthcare in countries which don't have free healthcare like the US (which help prevent late-in-life entrance into poverty due to unexpected health problems). My nonprofit organization CareerVillage.org helps kids get career advice https://careervillage.org/about/#make-a-donation https://careervillage.org/about/#make-a-donation
- eli_gottlieb 13y ago
  40x18 ($720), donation completed.
  - jchung 13y ago
    Wow that's a lot of Chai!!! Thank you so much eli_gottlieb we'll put it to very good use helping kids in low-income communities. I'll send you an email separately with more.