Skip to content

Could a guaranteed income pave the way for racial justice?

A UBI pilot supported over 100 formerly incarcerated people in Chicago. It could be a blueprint for reparations

Could a guaranteed income pave the way for racial justice?
Protesters march in support of Black Lives Matter in June 2020 in Chicago | Natasha Moustache/Getty Images. All rights reserved
Published:

Rachel Pyon is the research director at Equity and Transformation, a non-profit community organisation working to mobilise Chicago’s informal workforce. She also manages the Chicago Future Fund, a guaranteed income programme for formerly incarcerated people. Deon Hodrick is a recipient of the Chicago Future Fund and a guaranteed income advocate. And Matthew Harvey is a research assistant and storyteller at Equity and Transformation.

We caught up with them at the 22nd Basic Income Guarantee Conference in San Francisco, California to discuss how their work is helping to support formerly incarcerated people and grow community through a guaranteed basic income.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.