A program to give $500 monthly checks to low-income families will explicitly exclude white residents.
The mayor of Oakland announced that the privately funded program will issue $500 monthly checks to households if they 1) have an annual income of less than $59,000 2) have at least one child & 3) are not white.
Participants will be randomly selected from a pool of applicants who meet the eligibility requirements.
“Half the spots are reserved for people who earn below 138% of the federal poverty level, or about $30,000 per year for a family of three. Participants will be randomly selected from a pool of applicants who meet the eligibility requirements.
Oakland’s project is significant because it is one of the largest efforts in the U.S. so far, targeting up to 600 families. And it is the first program to limit participation strictly to Black, Indigenous and people of color communities.
The reason: White households in Oakland on average make about three times as much annually than black households, according to the Oakland Equity Index. It’s also a nod to the legacy of the Black Panther Party, the political movement that was founded in Oakland in the 1960s.
“Guaranteed income has been a goal of the Black Panther platform since its founding,” said Jesús Gerena, CEO of Family Independence Initiative, which is partnering with the program in Oakland. “Direct investment in the community in response to systemic injustices isn’t new.”
Sen. Tom Cotton:
Attorney Harmeet Dhillion: