By Katie Fleischer for Ms. Magazine
Broadcast version by Lily Böhlke for Tennessee News Service/Public News Service

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After over a year of dealing with the economic fallout caused by COVID-19, several things have become clear: The pandemic has disproportionately impacted women, especially women of color; and federal policies-not individual strategies-are necessary to help Americans fully recover.

In response to the gendered and racialized impacts of the pandemic, resulting in a drastic decline in women's labor force participation, the Biden administration has attempted to support struggling Americans through policies like the American Rescue Plan-which, among other provisions, provides additional financial support for people unemployed during the pandemic.

But unfortunately, those supplemental unemployment benefits have become increasingly politicized. Conservative politicians critical of policies like unemployment benefits and guaranteed income are attempting to frame people receiving benefits or direct cash as "dependent on the unemployment system" and discouraged from working. In addition to being flat-out inaccurate-the states that ended supplemental unemployment benefits early have not seen increased levels of employment, according to recent studies-these damaging myths target already marginalized groups like low-income women of color.

Nevertheless, across the country, governors in 26 states (25 GOP-led and one Democratic state) have already ended the federal supplemental unemployment benefits-funding provided entirely by the federal government at no cost to state budgets-and the rest are set to expire in early September unless Congress takes action to extend them.

False messaging about who works and why erases the lived experiences of people struggling to support their families and themselves. For example, a Black mother who received unemployment benefits and guaranteed income during the pandemic, Ebony (last name withheld), explained:

"There's this untruth that women like me sit at home and don't do anything. From TV and things, they think that we're at home sitting lazily doing nothing, making all these kids, everyone takes their money and just runs and goes shopping. And that's definitely not the truth. I can't tell you the last time I've been in a mall or whatever, I just go to the grocery store to get things that we need. I'm not lazy, I work my butt off day and night. Nobody wants to be broke, I know I don't."

Reinstating unemployment benefits would make a huge difference for many Americans, particularly low-income women and women of color. But that's just the first step. COVID-19 has laid bare and exacerbated the growing wealth disparities and race and gender inequities endemic to the U.S. economy.

It's time for the U.S. to build an economy that works for everyone and levels the playing field. An economy that doesn't rely on an extractive business model, which demands employees be available any time of day or night, often for poverty wages. An economy that doesn't leave millions of people without a living wage or benefits like paid sick leave, forcing them to live paycheck to paycheck. One where the wealthy pay their fair share.

Instituting new federal policies with economic equality at the center-like guaranteed income-are a stepping stone to this reality.

Magnolia Mother's Trust (MMT) is one real-world example of how the abstract economic policies being debated at the national level can have huge impacts on marginalized communities. Based in Jackson, Miss., MMT is an initiative that demonstrates the power of no-strings-attached financial benefits, providing Black mothers living in extreme poverty $1,000 per month for a year. For many of these women, the combination of increased unemployment benefits and guaranteed income gave them the economic security they needed to take care of their families and work towards long-term goals. By sharing their stories in Ms.'s Front and Center series, they show how cash relief provided a safety net for themselves and their children.

One MMT mom, Tia, explained:

"I know people say that if you have programs like these, people will stop working. I don't personally understand that-I mean, I think it's fine if someone made that choice, but for me I'll always want to be working, I want to be adding to my money, not decreasing it. It's not about not working; it's about just being able to take a little time off-to take a week and spend it with your kids, then go back to work. I wasn't able to do that before, to have that time off without being worried about covering the bills."

"It's been hard," said Sabrina, another MMT mother. "I'm not used to not working and being at the house. And obviously it's also hard because of the income loss. Unemployment helped me sustain. But now the governor just announced that Mississippi is going to cut us off from extra unemployment benefits so I'll be losing that $300 a week. It will be tough."

MMT mother Nikki relies on federal aid because of a disability, but she used to work in child care. "I really, really miss working," she said. "It's hard. I miss my babies-the ones I used to take care of. You fall in love with these kids spending so much time with them."

These moms aren't on "the sidelines" refusing to work; they all have goals for themselves and their families. Sabrina plans to study nursing, buy her own home and send her son to a school for kids with dyslexia. Tia was able to move out of subsidized housing. And Ebony is working to open her own nail salon business and buy a home.

"Invest in yourself," she advised the other MMT mothers. "That can be anything-it doesn't have to be starting a business-it could be self-care or learning something new. But you're the most important investment you can make."

Unemployment benefits are already difficult to access-after waiting for a month, Ebony was only able to receive the benefits she was owed because she happened to do the nails of a woman who worked intake at the state unemployment department.

Instead of cutting access to COVID benefits, now is the chance to expand and solidify them into permanent policy. Only through universal policies like increased unemployment benefits, expansion of the child tax credit and guaranteed income can the U.S. create an economic model that works in a post-pandemic world and allows women, low-income people and people to recover and reach their full potential.

Katie Fleischer wrote this article for Ms. Magazine.

Some Missouri nonprofit groups have teamed up to help those in need in the rural southeastern part of the state.

Many households in these communities struggle to pay their electric bills, as poverty rates are 10% higher than the state average. The local electric utility provider has been criticized for not doing more to help alleviate the financial burden. In response, Renew Missouri is partnering with churches and other nonprofits to help people get signed up for state and federal energy assistance programs.

Jessica Polk Sentell, eastern director for Renew Missouri, works with the Ministerial Alliance at its food banks.

"I have been there with some literature and educational materials," Polk Sentell explained. "To help bring some education and some visibility and some outreach, to these programs that help people pay their energy bills."

She pointed out Renew Missouri's mission is to advance renewable energy and energy efficiency in the state. To be eligible for assistance, you must be a Missouri resident, a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. You must have no more than $3,000 in bank or retirement accounts, or investments and meet the income guidelines for your household size.

Brian Abbott, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Piedmont, also serves as president of the local Ministerial Alliance. He said there are many people coming in for help and while they do their best with food banks and food trucks, it is a growing challenge.

"We don't have the resources, coming out of COVID and a lot of other things that have gone on in the last five years or so in the economy," Abbott emphasized. "It's really left a gap there for us, you know. We're telling a lot of people, 'We understand you may have a shut-off notice, but we just don't have the funds to help with that.'"

The Renew Missouri initiative is also bringing relief to under-resourced Community Action Agencies, which often struggle to connect households with resources to help pay their energy bills.


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A Legislature-backed Commission on Poverty in Massachusetts aims to address the state's historic wealth gap.

The commission will study demographic disparities and existing programs to reduce poverty over the next decade, and has been holding public hearings to gather feedback.

State Sen. Sal DiDomenico - D-Everett - said Massachusetts has the highest median wage for workers in the nation, but one of the greatest gaps between wealthy and low-income individuals.

"So we know we have much work to be done in this commission," said DiDomenico, "to bring more equity to the table when it comes to residents across the Commonwealth."

DiDomenico said it's unacceptable that roughly 70,000 Massachusetts children live in what's considered "deep poverty" - or 50% below the federal poverty level.

He said efforts to undo those numbers should be a top legislative priority.

Sixty years after the launch of President Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty," community action agencies in Massachusetts say data reveal which policies are most effective.

Expanded tax credits and stimulus payments were shown to help cut childhood poverty in half during the pandemic, and efforts continue to grow guaranteed basic income programs.

Laura Meisenhelter is board president of the Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP), a coalition of more than twenty community action agencies.

She said they're responding to local needs while working for systemic change.

"We confirmed," said Meisenhelter, "both large and small changes to public policy and programs and practices can have an enormous impact."

Meisenhelter said agency staff visit clients at nursing homes, aid parents in buying Christmas gifts, and help ensure that people's basic needs such as food, clothing and diapers are met.

She said that need is increasing as the poverty line set decades ago has not kept pace with the increasing standard of living.

The Commission on Poverty's next public hearing will take place later this year in the Fall River and New Bedford area.

The City of Little Rock is part of a national grant program designed to improve the financial status of Black communities.

The Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund's CityStart initiative works with local governments to create programs to help families become more financially stable.

James Owen, policy adviser and special project manager for the mayor's office, said they are being advised by Bloomberg Philanthropies' Greenwood Initiative, which has a mission to address systemic underinvestment in Black communities.

"This CityStart grant is an opportunity for us to mitigate and improve upon some of the policy failures of the past that have really led to some disparity when it comes to wealth and income in different parts of Little Rock," Owen explained.

Grant recipients receive $75,000 to address the issues. Other cities winning grants included Chicago, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Buffalo.

This is the third grant the City of Little Rock has received from the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. All of them have addressed financial and wealth disparities. Owen noted the funding will allow them to hear from the people.

"We don't necessarily think that us sitting up at City Hall, that we have the answers," Owen acknowledged. "We want to hear from the residents, what are their financial pain points? And so we want to do that heavy community engagement work and talk to our residents so that we can address those directly."

Forty municipal governments have participated in the CityStart program in the past. Owen added Little Rock will study what other cities have done to see if similar programs might work there.


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