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.

Wisconsin is among the states where guaranteed-income programs have been tested.

A new report says, despite controversy, similar efforts are useful in helping struggling households land on firmer financial ground.

The city of Madison gained attention for a program that ran from 2022 to 2023, where eligible households received $500 in monthly payments.

Elsewhere in the U.S, the nonprofit Up-Together has helped cities facilitate payments that come with no strings attached.

The group's Director of Media Relations Rachel Barnhart said last year, they helped 26.000 families access $18 million in unrestricted cash. Based on their outreach, all of it was spent on basic necessities.

"Like housing, food, utilities, transportation, child care," said Barnhart.

She said respondents note the assistance has improved their mental well-being, while allowing some to enroll their kids in after-school activities.

There has been pushback, with skeptics arguing these programs discourage people from working.

Even though Madison's effort was privately funded, Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin sought to prohibit taxpayer funding of these initiatives. The bill was vetoed.

Barnhart said in addition to their own surveys, her group is working with researchers to convey the effectiveness of this aid amid some of the resistance.

She said a key example from Texas shows how important the payments are during an escalating housing crisis.

"What the Urban Institute found in Austin," said Barnhart, "was a majority of the cash payments was spent on housing, and we saw an increase in housing stability. "

She suggested a growing patchwork of these payments would serve as a shield against evictions as tenants struggle with skyrocketing rents.

There are longstanding forms of cash assistance, like the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

But those come with more requirements, and Barnhart argued there's an uneven approach among states to distribute the aid to recipients.




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Gov. Janet Mills has signed legislation to increase temporary assistance payments to families experiencing deep poverty.

Payments will increase by 20%, meaning a single-parent family of three will now receive nearly $870 per month.

Ann Danforth, policy advocate with Maine Equal Justice, said the aid will help families get beyond just surviving.

"It enables parents to be able to have child care, to go to work," said Danforth, "and enables kids to grow up in strong families, where they are then able to participate in the workforce, too."

Nearly one in eight Maine children live in poverty. The bill passed both chambers with unanimous support, signaling what Danforth said is a greater understanding that poverty impacts us all.

Childhood poverty in the United States was cut nearly in half during the COVID-19 pandemic, as expanded federal and state tax credits put cash in parents' pockets to help cover their basic needs.

Danforth said Maine lawmakers heard testimony from families utilizing these rebates and temporary aid, providing them with direction on what policies work best.

"All of the research and data from these policies reinforce what people with low income tell us," said Danforth, "which is that when we give people the resources and supports they need and trust them to do what's best for themselves and their families, we all win."

Danforth said she'd like to see a renewed expansion of the federal Child Tax Credit and further consideration of direct cash payments in Maine.

She said these policies not only help families pay for rent and food but help lift the constant stress that comes with poverty, giving parents time to plan for the future.




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Arkansas is taking critical steps to address its high maternal mortality rate, especially among women of color.

In the Natural State, Black women are three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than are white women.

Angela Duran, executive director with Excel by Eight, partners with families and communities to improve health and education outcomes for children up to age eight.

She said that as a result of focus groups and surveys, her organization has developed a new policy agenda that prioritizes maternal health.

"We are looking at is making sure that women have the right health insurance to cover them from prenatal to birth to postpartum," said Duran. "We have met some amazing doulas in the state of Arkansas, who have been very supportive to women, particularly some African American doulas, and been working with Black women around the state."

Duran said Arkansas now offers insurance to women up to 138% of the federal poverty level as a result of the Medicaid expansion.

She added that women at higher incomes can also access health insurance with low or no premiums, co-pays and deductibles.

Duran commended Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' signing the executive order to address maternal mortality and increase access to doulas and various forms of health insurance.

Arkansas has a maternal mortality rate of approximately 44 deaths per 100-thousand live births.

Duran said her group's policy objective centers on examining populations that face disenfranchisement from systems for various reasons, hindering their ability to navigate existing structures effectively.

"In addition to maternal health, knowing that it has a stronger impact on Black women, we look at ALICE families - which stands for Asset-Limited Income Constrained and Employed," said Duran. "So, it's people that are working, doing the right thing, and still don't have enough income to meet their basic expenses."

Duran added that a prenatal care model called Centering Pregnancy helps to improves outcomes for Black and white women.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is launching a mobile version to reach underserved communities. It creates support groups for expectant mothers at similar stages.




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