Even a UBI+ is insufficient – we cannot focus on single policies – we must address anti-blackness, criminal justice racism, and a truth and reconciliation process to solve.

If we want to see real change in America, we have to come to terms with the fact that anti-Black sentiment, xenophobia, and sexism have permeated our history and led to unconscionable economic stratification. We have to be prepared to see, name, and face some uncomfortable truths about how racist and gendered our underlying beliefs are in regard to who is deserving and who is not and who (had) has access to opportunity and who (did) does not. And, we have to be willing to do something about that learning through our policies moving forward by incorporating an intersectional race and gender equity lens in the design of our policies. Practically speaking, this means never assuming a “tide that lifts all boats” strategy in policymaking but rather using policy to right the wrongs of our past by being intentional about who a policy is intended to lift. We have to be willing to center and honor Blackness and the Black experience and use that frame to draft and implement policy—with the understanding that by centering Blackness, we create a pathway to economic prosperity for all. Reckoning with Race and Gender in America to Promote Healing and Transformation While a tiered guaranteed income program gets us on a pathway to gender and race wealth equity by ensuring more money gets in the pockets of women and people of color, this policy must be paired with a truth and reconciliation process that takes us through a complex discussion and reckoning on the impact of race and gender in this country. Lessons can be learned from the process done in South Africa and Rwanda post Tutsi genocide. This will help build the political and public will needed to implement a tiered disbursement system. At the core of a truth and reconciliation process is the recognition that injustice took place and a retelling of history that uplifts the voices and experiences of those who survived those injustices. This involves acknowledging how things came to be, naming responsible parties, and admitting the consequences—intentional or not. Lastly, healing needs to occur for communities that have been shortchanged, stolen from, and discriminated against. As part of our reconciliation process, we must recognize the long-term trauma that exists in communities from having to live in constant flux and scarcity for generations. Once we acknowledge this trauma, impacted people need tools to think differently and adjust to a society where everyone is truly seen and given the opportunity to thrive. We cannot expect people to just know how to live in this new world as America has never been a fully inclusive place. We need to uplift and tap into community based interventions that provide holistic support systems, including mental and physical health programs, cross-cultural unity building, anti-bias curriculum, and restorative justice programs. Eliminating State-Sponsored Wealth Extraction Policies That Are Executed through the Criminal Justice System We must recognize and eliminate the ways in which our state and local governments continue to strip and extract wealth from communities of color and women through our criminal justice system. The move towards mass incarceration and the criminalization of poverty have led to what amounts to debtor’s prisons where people are incarcerated simply because they cannot afford to pay a fine or fee or post bail (Los Angeles Times Editorial Board 2019). States and municipalities have to stop balancing their budgets on the backs of poor people of color and women through oppressive fines and fees, and we need to end the practice of money bail. Recognizing and eliminating all of the ways in which government extracts wealth from poor communities of color is a key step in reaching racial and gender equity. Curbing Corporate Power Policymakers and the public at large have to also take a hard look at how corporate America’s profit-motive outweighs the need to protect and care for people. The prioritization of profits over people has led to unprecedented levels of corporate power and greed, has left working people with little to no power, and has forced most of us to live deeply constrained lives with little to no room for economic mobility. By taming the power of those at the top of our economy and reviving worker power, we can build an economy that works for the many, not the few who can pay to play. CONCLUSION The pursuit of racial and gender economic equity should guide every single economic policy debate. A better nation is possible, and we need to have the tough conversations to get there. To achieve an inclusive, more equitable economy, we stop relying on single policy interventions and recognize—and implement—the plethora of complimentary approaches that are capable of redefining the American economy and our society.