Courtesy of Hope Davis.
This is an As Told To essay based on a conversation with Hope Davis, a participant in the ACLU of Louisiana's guaranteed basic income program, which focuses on reparations for people who have experienced racist policing. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I had never heard of the ACLU before in my life, but they ended up helping me with some legal troubles. With support from their staff, I felt like I had a family member on my side and like somebody actually cared.
After deciding it was not in my best interest to seek restitution in the courts, they approached me with this new opportunity. They explained that two donors who had learned about their ancestors' history as enslavers donated $1 million to a program that would provide a guaranteed income and a number of other services to people who've suffered from unconstitutional policing.
We set up a meeting, and the ACLU staff asked me and some others what we needed to be whole. We told them counseling, expungement services for unjust charges, and access to financial fitness courses. To this day, it's unbelievable they picked me. I never thought in a million years that I would be in a position where somebody is giving me $1,000 a month for a year, or reparations of any sort. It is overwhelming, and it also came at a very critical time in my life.
I'm a mom and a widow. I am a certified chef, but I lost my job after reporting sexual harassment, so this program came at just the right time when the payments began in November. It's helping me pay a lot of personal bills, and it's helping me do activism work. This reality has inspired me and given me the strength to pour myself into my community.
Working in a community is something new and different for me. I got our tenant organization up and running again, so the stress for me right now is getting people involved in rebuilding and redeveloping our community. We meet monthly, so I have to run copies and buy lunches, gifts, books, things like that. I feel good when I'm getting a gathering together and can give something back.
The guaranteed monthly income program has really given me peace of mind. I am able to provide lunch for our community meetings and buy books and materials about Black history and systemic oppression so we can learn and study together. I provide rides to doctor appointments and support women and young mothers in learning about the resources available to them. I've also become a gardener and have taught families in the community how to grow food.
Even when I worked, we still struggled. Sometimes, I had two jobs. It was hard. The rent was always high. I was evicted at one point, sleeping in my vehicle for four or five months while trying to find a place to live.
I know people who lost their jobs and don't know how to apply for unemployment. I know women who are pregnant and don't know how to apply to get WIC. I went out into the neighborhood looking to see who I could help because I've seen situations like this all my life where people can't find help even when programs are out there. So that is my endeavor, that is my passion, to find those programs and bring them to the neighborhood. And I'm using the funds to help me do that. From here, I know I can build a life that I deserve and that uplifts the people around me.
July 6, 2024: This story was updated with additional context about the ACLU of Louisiana program and Davis' experience.
