Joy is untouched by circumstance

5 questions for guaranteed income pioneer and faithful daughter Aisha Nyandoro

I really got to know Aisha Nyandoro’s genius while reporting on her work in Jackson, Mississippi where she has created the very first guaranteed income program for single, Black mothers in history. She talks about the moms she works with in a way that makes her faith in their capability and deservingness undeniable and infectious. And in painting such a vivid picture of their worthiness, she exposes the flip-side: the brokenness of our dysfunctional, predatory economic system.

Aisha has an ebullience about her that is hard to describe. She draws out the end of her declarations, like honey drips from every sentence. She laughs easily. She looks for the connection. But she also suffers no fools. She knows exactly how wrong the nation has the story about her moms and she will be damned if they don’t wake up and get it right this time around.

Aisha on CNBC

I thought, at this moment when we are rightly looking to the leadership of Black women, and considering new economic systems and new moral stories, she would be the perfect person to talk with…

Courtney: I know we’re both big fans of GirlTrek, and the Daughters Of campaign. Will you introduce yourself in that way first?

I am the daughter of Cynthia Dorsey Smith. The daughter of Dr. L.C. Dorsey. The daughter of Mary Francis Jones. The daughter of Mary Davis.

Let me take a breath; introducing myself like that in this moment in time is much more powerful than I would have imagined.

Unfortunately, I don’t know a lot about my maternal great grandmother or great-great grandmother. I feel fortunate to even know their names.

Both my mother and maternal granny are dually responsible for my commitment to family and community. Their words and actions helped mirror for me what love in action looks like.  My mom was a community health worker during her career, she is now returned and relishing in her role as grandmother (she moved in with my family three weeks ago, to “ride out the pandemic”; this has been a tremendous source of joy for me and my boys). My granny was a civil rights advocate. She spent her life fighting for equality, while simultaneously serving as the matriarch of our family.

You’ve been giving out cash since 2018, long before this moment, where it has become a far more palpable option to the general public. What would you say have been a few of your biggest learnings about how guaranteed income has to work in order to be successful?

I love that guaranteed income is “having it’s moment in the sun,” so to speak. But it also saddens me immensely that it is taking a health and economic crisis for us as a country to recognize that people should be given both dignity and agency when it comes to the ability to make decisions for themselves and their families. Cash provides agency and breathing room; creating a space for you to not only think about what you need in that moment, but also plan for the future.

The biggest learnings I feel are needed for a guaranteed income is for more people to subtract moralism from poverty. As long as the majority of Americans view poverty as a personal failure, rather than the result of systematic inequities that have existed since this country’s founding, guaranteed income (money without restrictions) will not be implemented widespread.

When Springboard first started exploring the possibility of implementing a guaranteed income program, raising resources was extremely difficult. The main excuse for wide-spread implementation was limited data, as well as, unfamiliarity with the model in the United States. This is no longer the case. Springboard has successfully implemented a pilot and currently is implementing a demonstration project.

Initial data findings for the pilot were: 100% said they have enough money to meet their basic needs, 100% reported worrying less because of their unmet needs, and over $10,000 in predatory debt paid off. Families used the money for transportation, home ownership, paying bills, educational expenses and credit improvement.

Between Springboard and the other demonstration projects being implemented across the country, we can no longer hide behind the convenience of saying data doesn’t exist, that it is an unknown concept in the United States. The reality is we lack the desire to give people money without strings, because we inherently do not trust poor people.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Now one of the answers it seems to me, is a guaranteed minimum income for all people, and for all families of our country.”

What's next for Magnolia Mother’s Trust? 

March 13th, the second iteration of the project, 80 mothers in Jackson, Miss. received their first check. Given the coronavirus crisis, the timing in fact could not have been more fortuitous. It was a relief to know that there were 80 mothers in my community who now can be a little less worried about how they are going to provide for their families’ basic needs in the coming months as we address the uncertain new reality of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But it keeps getting better. Last week we were contacted by a donor allowing us to increase the number of women served. July 1, we will add an additional 30 mothers to the Magnolia Mother’s Trust. That’s right, 110 black mothers will receive $1,000 a month for 12 months, during a pandemic!

In addition to the money, these moms will have access to a community of support (which is desperately needed now) and their kids will receive a children’s savings account to help them prepare for their future. These women are already seeing the impact of the virus with schools closed, limited safe child-care options, work hours being cut; the coming months will be stressful for all of us, but for many the impact will be devastating. My God, what an honor to lead in this moment.

One of the Magnolia moms.

You took a job that could have been pretty straight-forward--nonprofit exec, public housing leader--and transformed into a revolutionary calling. Where did you get the radical imagination from? 

I just smiled; “radical imagination.” I like that terminology, friend.

This radical imagination is not mine. I am very clear, I am simply a vessel being used to implement a mission much greater than my own. I feel very honored that in this moment, God saw fit to allow me to lead this work during this time of radical change and transformation.  I also feel very honored that the ancestors are holding me; that prayers do not die even though sometimes they are unseen.

I have been sitting with that a lot lately; the honor of living in purpose during this time. I have been staying grounded in my purpose, staying on message with the need to liberate cash now, and speaking more boldly about the systematic inequalities that most of my colleagues and I have been yelling about in our echo chamber for years. So I guess this radical imagination comes from my faith and my ancestors; it is beautiful being planted and rooted together, blooming in this season.

You have been thinking a lot about the urgency and pain of this moment, alongside unapologetic joy. What are you doing to stay joyful and keep your mamas in touch with their joy?  

“Joy is untouched by circumstance.” – Anonymous.

This has been my mantra since my family began sheltering in place on March 15th.

I am radically connected to joy and ensuring that joy is manifested daily for my boys. I am manifesting radical joy as a part of the revolution!  And I will admit this has been harder than I ever imagined. I have had to shed the weight of everything that I thought gave me joy – my travel schedule, feeling fancy on panels, room wine at a hotel after a satisfying work day (LOL).  Recognizing that none of those worldly pleasures were connected to who I am at my root. Giving myself an abundance of grace. Letting go of the past, the Aisha that existed prior to March 15, 2020 no longer exists. How do I introduce myself to this new person who is emerging? How do I offer her kindness?

I am finding joy by staying grounded by my ancestors (#daughtersof, black girl magic is all in my ancestry line), sustained by what holds me (my two delicious little black boys; I love those kids) and inspired by what’s in front of me (my work is dope as hell; I am liberating capital with a gender and racial equity lenses).

Isn’t she the best? Told you. You can donate to the Magnolia Mother’s Trust here. Follow Aisha on Twitter and Springboard to Opportunities, her organization, on Instagram.