Tag: Front and Center Series

Front and Center is a groundbreaking series created in partnership with the Magnolia Mother’s Trust (MMT), which aims to put front and center the voices of Black women who are affected most by the often-abstract policies debated at the national level.

Front and Center: Two Years After Receiving a Guaranteed Income, This Family Is Still Feeling the Benefits

Front and Center: Two Years After Receiving Guaranteed Income, This Family Is Still Feeling the Benefits

Front and Center highlights the success of Springboard to Opportunities’ Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which this year will give $1,000 per month for 12 months to 100 families headed by Black women living in federally subsidized housing.

“I was in the very first round of the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which started three years ago. So it’s been about two years since I stopped getting the guaranteed income payments, but the program allowed me to do so much that’s still benefiting me now. I was able to move out of subsidized housing and into my own place, I was able to get a more reliable car, I did a little traveling with my kids—it allowed me to be able to provide better for them.”

Build Back Better Is in Peril. Low-income Families Can’t Afford To Lose It

Build Back Better Is in Peril. Low-income Families Can’t Afford To Lose It

As families hope Democratic leadership will find a different path to pass Build Back Better policies like childcare or paid leave, another revolutionary policy is just beginning to enter mainstream awareness: guaranteed income.

Guaranteed income involves regular payments directed to specific marginalized groups, as a way to address economic inequities caused by systemic racism and sexism. Economic justice organizations like the Magnolia Mother’s Trust argue that a federal guaranteed income program would not just help low-income families pay their bills, but also reduce financial stress and set their families up for long-term success. 

Front and Center: “Being Part of the Magnolia Mother’s Trust Has Lifted a Burden Off My Shoulders as a Mom”

Front and Center highlights the success of Springboard to Opportunities’ Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which this year will give $1,000 per month for 12 months to 100 families headed by Black women living in federally subsidized housing.

“Being part of the Magnolia Mother’s Trust has really lifted a burden off my shoulders as a mom. And the Trust on top of the [child tax credit] has been so necessary. One helps me pay my bills; the other helps me put away a little bit for the hard times.”

Investing in Social Infrastructure Provides a Recovery Path for All—But Especially Low-Income Families

Investing in Social Infrastructure Provides a Recovery Path for All—But Especially Low-Income Families

Too often, policies that are perceived to be “feminine” or unequally benefiting women are dismissed in favor of more “serious” policies. The two infrastructure bills working their way through Congress are no exception.

In reality, policies like the child tax credit, paid family leave and guaranteed income result in better outcomes for everyone.

Front and Center: Guaranteed Income Helped Me Survive the Pandemic and Find "Moments of Joy," Says Magnolia Mother's Trust Mom

Front and Center: Guaranteed Income Helped Me Survive the Pandemic and Find “Moments of Joy,” Says Magnolia Mother’s Trust Mom

Front and Center highlights the success of Springboard to Opportunities’ Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which this year will give $1,000 per month for 12 months to 100 families headed by Black women living in federally subsidized housing.

“Aside from just being able to survive and buy toilet paper and pay my bills, [guaranteed income] allowed me to—even at a very hard time—have moments of joy.”

Stimulus Payments and the Child Tax Credit Are Transforming U.S. Families—What Happens When They End?

Stimulus Payments and the Child Tax Credit Are Transforming U.S. Families—What Happens When They End?

Neither the COVID-era stimulus payments nor the child tax credit were designed to be permanent solutions—but if they were, they would especially help working moms, low-income women and women of color.

The Magnolia Mother’s Trust puts this into action, demonstrating that giving women an economic safety net leads to families escaping poverty and having the ability to set themselves and their families up for success.

Guaranteed Income Helps Roneisha Know Her Worth

Front and Center: Guaranteed Income Helps Roneisha Know Her Worth—and Afford “a Treat Here and There”

Front and Center highlights the success of Springboard to Opportunities’ Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which this year will give $1,000 per month for 12 months to 100 families headed by Black women living in federally subsidized housing.

“I have this ability through the money from the trust to provide for my family in a hard time, because before I got that call that I was selected to be part of the program I was really struggling to keep on top of my bills and responsibilities.”

Front and Center: This Mom Is “Saving and Paying My Bills on Time” to Buy a Home—With Help from a Guaranteed Income and the Child Tax Credit

Front and Center: This Mom Is “Saving and Paying My Bills on Time” to Buy a Home—With Help from a Guaranteed Income and the Child Tax Credit

Front and Center highlights the success of Springboard to Opportunities’ Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which this year will give $1,000 per month for 12 months to 100 families headed by Black women living in federally subsidized housing.

“A lawyer advised me to file bankruptcy, so I did. And now that’s going to complicate getting a home, which is really frustrating because I had gotten everything else in order. … Now it just feels like I’m at a standstill.”

Returning to Schools Without Mask and Vaccine Mandates, Moms Must Choose: Their Jobs, or Their Kids’ Health

Returning to Schools Without Mask and Vaccine Mandates, Moms Must Choose: Their Jobs, or Their Kids’ Health

Despite children under 12 being unable to get vaccinated and the Delta variant surging across the country, most schools are reopening in-person this month, presenting parents with a tough choice—especially in states and localities without mask and vaccine mandates.

Moms—particularly Black and low-income moms—are bearing the brunt.

Front and Center

Front and Center: Guaranteed Income “Helps Low-Income Women Better Ourselves,” Says Annette, a Mother of the Magnolia Mother’s Trust

Front and Center highlights the success of Springboard to Opportunities’ Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which this year will give $1,000 per month for 12 months to 100 families headed by Black women living in federally subsidized housing.

“If I were able to sit down with our country’s leaders, I would tell them how important a program like the Magnolia Mother’s Trust is. It helps low-income women like myself better ourselves.”