We organize 18-35 year olds with access to wealth who are among the richest top 10% of individuals or families in the U.S.
Over the years one of the frequently asked questions we’ve received is “what do you mean by ‘wealth,’ and until now we have left it broad and open to self-identification. The project of defining what ‘wealth’ means for our base began in earnest in 2015, as a result of a racial justice assessment process where one key recommendation was to create a definition of wealth so that young people of color with wealth could more easily identity as part of RG’s base. In general, in order to build our power we need to be specific and clear about who our base is, which means defining “wealth.”
Here’s where we landed: For our purposes, you are a young person with access to wealth if you or your significant other fall roughly in the top 10% of net wealth for young people (18-35).
This definition is not intended to be a rubric to decide whether someone can engage with RG or not. Rather, it is a clarification of who RG’s work targets and is most relevant to.
As has always been the case, RG’s membership and leadership are made up from people across the class spectrum. RG’s programming is centered around organizing young people with access to wealth, but this does not mean that someone who is not wealthy cannot be part of creating and leading our work. In fact, part of what makes RG’s organizing powerful is our cross-class leadership. If the definition of wealth does not apply to you but you find RG’s work meaningful, we encourage you to stay involved with the understanding that our programming and organizing will be primarily oriented towards people in the top 10%.Some people with class privilege who don’t fit into the definition may still find parts of RG’s programming resonant and helpful. This definition is meant to identify the people who will find RG’s organizing and programming most relevant.
