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.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oakland-500-month-basic-income-residents/
But that's not the track record when it comes to social programs like this one. Minorities, on average, get more funding, more help, and more incentives to apply for these programs. And there's more "charities" specifically designed to target those communities, too.
Interesting... I’ve never needed to apply for any of these programs, but I know people who are on them, blacks & whites. I’m in one of the deep southern states (SC) and the way the welfare/housing/foodstamp programs work here is based on income. It just so happens that blacks tend to earn less, so of course they get more ‘benefits.’
These programs aren’t designed to help people get out of poverty... they’re designed to keep them there.
There was a single mom I met during her last year at a community college. Her and I were the same age (mid 20s), both in college (I was in grad school) so we could relate; and as a black female, I inspired her. All she wanted was a better life for her 2 sons. After she got her associates degree, she landed an entry level 30k a year job - she was on her way! Unfortunately after a couple months of working she realized she couldn’t make it and got depressed. It was awful. Obviously she had no help from family, but her subsidized rent increased almost to full market cost, her foodstamp went down to $20 a month, and she no longer got the couple hundred dollar a month welfare check. I tried to let her know things would get better... but in this aspect we couldn’t relate. My cop boyfriend (now my hubbie) lived with me, we had no children, plus I was buying a townhouse (basically a 2-story apartment, lol). She was paying more for rent than I was on my mortgage! Not to mention, utility rates are higher in certain zones (poorer) so her electric bill cost more than all my utilities combined! I don’t know whatever happened of her (I was reassigned to another area across the city... but occasionally I do think of her, her sons actually, who would be young men now. When I see a hoodlum’s mugshot in our local paper that I recognize from my days policing the city’s ghettos, I’m not surprised. Every familiar face I can’t specifically place, I think of her sons.
All that to say... the saying “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer” is true. Of course, I’m no where near rich, but I bring home 6figs by myself (not to mention hubby’s income) so we live comfortable, as some would say. We’ve mortgaged a 5br cookie cutter house in suburia, which is less expensive than the rent of a descent 2br apartment in the city. Our utilities are so freaking low compared to what lower class areas pay the unfairness of it makes me ill. I really don’t know how people survive nowadays with the cost of everything.