Camille Walsh鈥檚 research is drawn from an idea that inspired her in a constitutional law class in law school 鈥� the idea of a right to education.
Her research in graduate school and now at the 56吃瓜网 found that defenders of racially segregated schools in the 20th century often claimed 鈥渢axpayer鈥� identity. Claiming identity as a taxpayer implies other people aren鈥檛 taxpayers, aren鈥檛 entitled to the same educational services.
鈥淪o you see 鈥榯axpayer鈥� as a code for 鈥榳hiteness鈥� evolve over the years, and it becomes a way to say something racial in defense of segregation. But it appears neutral to say, 鈥業鈥檓 a taxpayer,鈥欌�� said Walsh, an assistant professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences.
That black communities weren鈥檛 contributing taxes was a faulty assumption. In some cases, people of color were taxed more and had their taxes appropriated for white schools, said Walsh. Because the tax system is so opaque and difficult for most people to understand, 鈥渋t鈥檚 actually the perfect place for all kinds of powers to do their work behind the scenes.鈥�
Virtually everyone pays taxes in some way, even indirectly, as through rent. The mistake is viewing taxation as a transaction in which people 鈥渂uy鈥� rights from the government, Walsh said. Individuals who feel they鈥檙e buying privileges for their families can conclude the poor deserve less.
Walsh鈥檚 research culminated in the book, which will be published in February by the University of North Carolina Press.
Related research is taking form in Walsh鈥檚 next book, 鈥淩ace, Place and Price: Tuition Segregation and Public University Financing in the U.S.,鈥� which examines the limitations on mobility, access and opportunity in state-funded colleges.
Walsh, who has a law degree and a history doctorate, has been on the faculty at 56吃瓜网 Bothell since 2011. She teaches American and ethnic studies as well as law, economics and public policy. In 2013, Walsh co-founded the Bothell Youth Court, a program in which 56吃瓜网 Bothell students mentor high school students who in turn handle the cases for some young traffic offenders. The students learn and dispense restorative justice, which seeks to reconcile offenders with the community.
As a tax scholar who grew up poor in a small town in Oregon, benefiting from welfare, Walsh believes taxation is a system that stabilizes society by providing a safety net for the vulnerable.
鈥淚 grew up receiving things that were provided to me by the tax system, by people I never saw but who were more able in that moment to contribute to a system that provided food stamps for my family and access to public school,鈥� Walsh said. 鈥淚鈥檝e tried to do something with that in my life. I鈥檝e tried to take advantage of the opportunities I was given and be aware of the fact that those were given by all the people who paid their taxes.鈥�
There鈥檚 nobility in paying taxes and being part of the system that includes everyone, Walsh said.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e contributing to people you don鈥檛 see. You鈥檙e giving money to those outside of your family. It takes a certain level of generosity and community to understand and embrace that,鈥� Walsh said.
