How We Buy Opportunity


Oct 21
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Zoom

All University of Richmond faculty, staff, and students are welcome to participate as we continue our 2026 Fall read of Matthew Desmond’s book, Poverty, by America. 

Join Intersections on Wednesday, October 21, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. as we discuss: 

Chapter 6: “How We Buy Opportunity”

Meeting via Zoom: https://urichmond.zoom.us/j/84430549599?pwd=S0tjEYfeIZETTKWbt2nteDadrCEF8V.1

Desmond explores the paradox of widespread American affluence coexisting with deep poverty, reviving Galbraith’s concept of “private opulence and public squalor.” As affluent families invest in private alternatives, they divest from shared public institutions, turning essential ladders of upward mobility into commodified goods. He examines how exclusionary zoning legally walls off neighborhoods, concentrates resources in elite schools, and inflates property values, arguing that opportunity hoarding is fundamentally zero-sum and that real integration requires acknowledging the sacrifices it demands of the privileged.

No prepared answers needed. Bring your reflections, questions, and lived experiences.

For more information, contact Dr. Keith W. McIntosh at cio@richmond.edu.