By J. Gabriel Ware, YES! Magazine
Ebony, a single mother of three, works two jobs to make ends meet and takes in around $11,000 a year. In addition to a part-time job at a beauty supply chain, she works as a communication specialist at a Jackson, Mississippi, nonprofit, a temporary position that could end in December.
She’s hoping her employers will keep her on, and she’s doing all she can to inspire them, including showing up for work an hour early.
“I want to make a good impression,” she says about showing up to work early. “It would be great if [the employers] tell me, ‘You worked so hard, how about you go ahead and stay with us?’”
Staying on could mean that Ebony’s annual income could double next year if she’s selected to participate in an upcoming guaranteed basic income pilot project for low-income single Black mothers in Jackson.
African American women have the highest poverty rate in the nation, and nearly two out of five African American female-headed households with children live in poverty.
The project, the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, will award 16 low-income single Black mothers with $1,000 a month for a year. No restrictions will be made on how the money is spent. They will be selected through a lottery drawing in November, with disbursements beginning in December. Every qualified mother who applies will be entered. Names will be drawn from a hat.
The Mother’s Trust is an alternative or supplement to failing and conditional welfare systems that place restrictions on recipients and take away benefits the moment they begin to make strides.
One such example is Mississippi’s Work First program that forced primarily African American mothers to abandon education programs to work low-wage jobs if they wanted to receive needed cash assistance. That program failed in the ’90s.
Such conditions leave little room for single Black mothers to create opportunities for themselves, says Aisha Nyandoro, executive director of Springboard to Opportunities, the organization spearheading the project.
“The Magnolia Mother’s Trust is about addressing some of the economic, social, and racial inequalities that we know occur within these communities,” Nyandoro says. “And we’re looking to find solutions to stop the cycle of poverty.”
She adds that the Magnolia Trust is a cushion that allows women to pursue other ways of improving their lives (such as getting an education or starting a business), knowing that they can depend on the $1,000 a month for the year.
Springboard to Opportunities, a nonprofit resource connector for families living in affordable housing in Washington, D.C., Mississippi, Alabama, and Maryland, surveyed single mothers in Jackson and found that an overwhelming majority expressed a need for more cash.
Although other guaranteed income programs exist, the Magnolia Mother’s Trust is the first of its kind that specifically targets single Black mothers. And while money for the program was raised through the Economic Security Project, a network that funds unconditional cash and basic income projects in the United States, the mothers themselves play a central role in crafting the program.
Ebony was part of a task force that Nyandoro developed to help set the program parameters, including determining the stipend amount and the length of the program. The women, who are potential participants, were instrumental in adding complementary pieces such as leadership training and community service components aimed at helping them stay connected to and supportive of one another.
They also developed an in-house counseling service for the program. Kira Johnson, a licensed clinical social worker who will counsel the women, says her services will include individual, relationship, and family counseling.
Researchers have drawn a connection between poverty and mental health and found that women living in poverty were more likely to develop mental health problems than their male counterparts. And children growing up in poverty have fewer friends and higher levels of anti-social behavior, such as bullying, than children from more advantaged households.
“Usually, there would be an issue that comes up—whether it’s housing, relationship, anxiety, stress and/or depression. My job is to help them navigate through that issue.”
Johnson says she’s looking to convene monthly group sessions with the women but will hold individual sessions whenever needed.
Because the program carries no conditions outside of income, the mothers will not be required to participate in the counseling services, leadership training, or community service.
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