The Magnolia Mother’s Trust is now the longest-running guaranteed income program in the United States. But the program, which gives Black mothers in Jackson, Mississippi, $1,000 a month for one year, no strings attached, was never meant to last forever.
The Magnolia Mothers Trust
Black Women Best: The Framework We Need for an Equitable Economy
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis have cemented an American truth
that’s been ignored for too long by too many: Through its policy and political choices, the
US continues to prioritize the interests of a wealthy, predominantly white few over the
well-being of all its people, but especially over the protection of Black and brown lives.
Biden Has Helped the Quiet Revolution of Giving People Money
The expanded Child Tax Credit also marked a bigger shift in American social policy: It was one of the first new programs in decades to provide Americans a government allowance in cash with virtually no strings attached.
Front and Center: ‘We Should Have Daycares and Vouchers so People Can Actually Work,’ Says Mississippi Single Mom
In 2020 alone, officials in the Mississippi state government spent over $94 million in federal welfare funds considered by state audit to “suspect spending.” “What good could have been done in Mississippi with this $94 million? How many families could’ve been impacted?” said Aisha Nyandoro.
Aisha Nyandoro is an Emerson Collective Dial Fellow!
Our very own Aisha Nyandoro is an Emerson Collective Dial Fellow! Her cohort of social entrepreneurs, lawyers, technologists, activists, & educators are all united by a vision of an equitable future. Check out her Summit Dial Talk here.
How the Magnolia Mother’s Trust Is Changing Lives
In 2018, Springboard to Opportunities, a Jackson, Mississippi, non-profit, had a simple idea: what would happen if they gave Black mothers a monthly stipend, no-strings attached? The Magnolia Mother’s Trust is now in its fourth year of giving mothers a $1,000 monthly stipend for 12 months. And the results speak for themselves.