Blog

As we wrap up celebrating Women’s History Month we want to continue lifting up the stories of our amazing mothers! There’s a lot to cover in this one so buckle in, y’all!

Our founding CEO, Aisha Nyandoro, announced that she is now a regular contributor for Forbes and published a piece that you can read here.

NIGHT OF STORYTELLING EVENT ANNOUNCED!

You can RSVP here.

The Magnolia Mother’s Trust was featured on Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien.

You can watch the full interview here.

We shared continued quotes, statistics, and historical info about the women who came before us to truly blaze a trail for us all. You can follow us on Instagram to see more!

NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS

• Spring block parties will be starting back up in April!

• Mississippi decided to not opt-into the federal SUN Bucks program so we will be filling the gap with cash disbursements. Outreach and sign-ups coming soon!

• Our next global fellowship experience will begin accepting applications soon!

FRONT AND CENTER FEATURE: JAVONICA

You can see her story published with Ms. Magazine here.

With gratitude,

The Springboard Team

Women’s History Spotlight: Johnnie Tillmon

We couldn’t possibly get any further into Women’s History Month without giving a moment to share with our community a quote from Johnnie Tillmon.

Johnnie was ahead of her time and was an activist in the 1950-1960s to be one of the very first people to speak clearly about the welfare system in this country. Even more so, she spoken directly about what a guaranteed income was and what it could do for mothers in our country. We have so much to thank her for and so much to learn from her legacy.

“I’m a woman. I’m a Black woman. I’m a poor woman. I’m a fat woman. I’m a middle-aged woman. And I’m on welfare. Welfare is a women’s issue. For me, Women’s Liberation is simple. No woman in this country can feel dignified, no woman can be liberated, until all women get off their knees. That’s what the National Welfare Rights Organization is all about – women standing together, on their feet.”

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM

We posted about her on our social platforms today and will continue sharing about her work through this year. Happy Women’s History Month!

Our latest feature in the Front + Center series with Ms. Magazine is here!

Javonica shared her story of having two kids of her own, being pregnant with her third, navigating the TANF program, and what is was like being selected for the Magnolia Mother’s Trust year long guaranteed income program.

“When I’m between jobs, it’s always been a struggle to make ends meet. For a while, I was getting about $100 a week in child support. I would also babysit when I could. My sister would send me money if my kids needed anything, but it was still hard. I tried to apply for TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and went to the orientation, but they make you do community service to get it or just take whatever job they give you if you don’t already have one. And I would’ve maybe done that, but the administrator made it really clear that you were not allowed to miss any shifts and that they don’t care if you don’t have reliable transportation so again, not having a car kept me from being able to access it. And that if I missed a shift, that would also put my food stamps at risk, and I really couldn’t afford to lose those. So I just withdrew my TANF application.

I wish the people in charge of these systems would improve how they work, mainly in having some level of kindness when it comes to the people you have to deal with. They make you feel a certain kind of way when you apply for these programs. Even when I was working, I felt looked down on and demeaned with the way they talked to me—when really I feel like you should care about people if you’re in that line of work. And then they lose your paperwork, and you have to call and wait forever. I’m not even exaggerating, I’ve had to call 20 or 30 times to get through for food stamps before when they messed up my application. The only option to bypass that is to go in person, but again, I don’t have transportation to do that.”

We are forever grateful for our mothers stepping forward and sharing their stories with us in their own words. Thank you, Javonica, for your strength and for your honesty!

Somehow February ended? But also felt like forever?

Either way. We’re still here and our latest Springboard newsletter has arrived!

This month was jam packed with Black History month content, hosting leaders in the GI movement here in Jackson, along with navigating the continued anxieties from the news in our country. Yes, we’re tired, too. But we’re also excited to share with the world some pretty great things we are continuing to work on within our community.

For more of our BHM posts, follow us on Instagram.

Announcement: Upcoming Night of Storytelling on April 16th. You can find the RSVP link here.

Our February newsletter includes updates on our efforts to implement the SUN Bucks program in Mississippi and articles that highlighted the issue, a new story we released in the Front + Center series, key updates on our resident relationships, and information about our policy and advocacy work. 

We’re pretty proud of what our team pulls off in just one month and we are even more proud to share it loudly with the world. Subscribe to our newsletter today! 

With love,

Team Springboard 

This week we published content on our social media channels to feature historical Black women as we continue to celebrate Black History Month. So many of these figures have influenced the paths Springboard takes towards working to make a guaranteed income a reality and to open up more opportunities for Black mothers in Mississippi.

These women were movers and shakers in their separate paths. While we still have such a long way to go, we believe it is important to use this month to lift up their stories and continue to remind each of our mothers in The Magnolia Mother’s Trust that they deserve the space to dream big, do hard things, and work towards the future they see for themselves.

Next week we will be featuring stories and quotes from Harriet Tubman, Shirley Chisholm, Katherine Johnson, and Dorothy Vaughn. Follow us on Instagram!

Our Front + Center series with Ms. Magazine continues on this year. We are excited to announce the release of the first story of 2025! Meet Tashai.

Tashai speaks on her journey of receiving the child tax credit and having to work only one job which allowed her more time with her children and have the time to do things she is passionate about. Tashai is dreaming big and plans to go back for her bachelors one day. We are so proud of you, Tashai! Thank you for sharing your story with us.

“When I received the child tax credit payments during COVID, it was a game-changer. I was able to get a car and secure an apartment. I wouldn’t be able to work without that car, and obviously I need a roof over me and my kids’ heads. If I still had that, that regular monthly payment like that, it would mean I could potentially work just one job instead of two, giving me a chance to breathe and spend more time with my children. 

When I was part of the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, I was able to just work one job, and that was so much better. I used my work check to pay my bills like rent and utilities, then used the Trust money to cover household expenses and food. And I hate that it’s over, I really wish leaders would create a policy like that that would be permanent.”