I hear you on that! I wish Angel Investors existed for investing in the Angels of the world. I'm a business owner and still don't have financial security yet despite years of hard-work and grind. Most business advice given by somebody who doesn't look like me is full of crock and doesn't work, hence, I always having to think outside the box (which is also exhausting!).
It should also be criminal for our education-for-profit system to convince 17 - 25 year olds to take out thousands of dollars in loans to pay for an education and tell them it's necessary to better themselves and obtain careers. Yet upon graduation (if you're able to make it that far), you're expected to start repaying those loans after six months, regardless of if you can find a job by then yet alone a job that pays a proper living wage. (P.S. The IDR repayment plans are b.s. too, but I'll save that tirade for another day.)
Furthermore, student loan borrowers, especially Black & melanated folks, often cannot get access to more money for starting a business or buying a house due to the student loan debt and debt-to-income ratio. Business grants are tough to win and they only award funding to less than 3% BIPOC. It's crazy how even if you have a good business plan and good credit many folks still can't get funding to grow a profitable business to support and take care of themselves. It's just a vicious systemic cycle by design that hits many people hard, but especially Black + Indigenous or those who don't fit in mainstream boxes. We definitely need revised cooperative-based economic models that value people over fake currency. Where do I sign up to burn this current mutha down? LOL!
I wish I could like this comment 100 times over because YES to every word of it! This society was not built for our success. We create it (because that’s how we do!) but it’s often only a handful who “make it.” This mutha has to burn all the way down, lemme go grab my matches lol.
I support this idea even if it's not perfect. A fund like this can make waves and bring about (I would hope) systemic change. Someone you might want to talk to about starting such a fund would be Chamieka House-Osuya of The Snack Sack. She started her mutual aid group for Black and brown folx, particularly women and children. https://www.thesnacksack.org/
"All this shit is made up. We can make it up better." AMEN. I love the idea of creating instead of (only) criticizing. We need both!
That’s a fair point, we need both! I’m always open to critique as long as it adds to the conversation and moves us forward. Folks love to tell me why my ideas won’t work (they seem to find joy in it, it’s odd) but they don’t bring any constructive ideas. I’ll check out the Snack Shack, thank you for that connection! We absolutely can make this shit up better, I genuinely believe it.
I read the whole title and I was like immediately "no shit Sherlock". My own mother is currently unable to work and guess how she can stay afloat? Money, from me. But me being the stereotypical depressed bisexual millenial disaster, do I sacrifice a lot to be able to financially support my household and her too? Yes I do, and I shouldn't have to. I'm aware that my autistic arse is incredibly lucky to be able to hold a job (the statistics are very much against me), but it comes with a price. My physical and mental health. And I don't want to make this about me, I apologise if I still did - the post resonates with me because of this, and because I know that so many people are not as privileged as I am, even with all the hardships I face. I support your idea and I think, if we could make this on a big scale (I'm thinking about international scale, because why stop before that?), we could do so much. I haven't the faintest yet how to do it, but since I found your posts, I really wanna do more about this, and like you said, not just mutual aid, because that's a mutual-band-aid indeed.
I’m so sorry to hear it’s been rough on your side too. No one should struggle this way for their basic survival. And no apology needed, this is your space as well. I don’t have the answers but I have ideas and I know we *have* to do something. This type of existence is not sustainable nor should it be. We all deserve so much damn better. With you in solidarity, Beáta.
I love this idea. It makes sense. That's your whole problem, right there, Robin--you're making sense in a world that likes to live in la-la-land, where there's no responsibility and no accountability. No one wants financial responsibility for anyone but themselves (even though they already pay for loads of other people through taxes, insurance premiums, and the general cost of products and services).
You are proposing an opportunity to make life better for EVERYONE, because when we make life livable for Black women, the rest of us will get to benefit from all of your talents as managers, leaders, creators . . . everything that will get unleashed when you're able to dig out from under a lifetime of baggage and being made to feel "less than." Imagine what the world could look like then--with more people energized and inspired to invent and design and problem-solve!
Your idea is a perfect example of the saying, "A rising tide lifts all boats."
(I am relieved to hear your surgery went well and that you can already see a difference!)
Lori, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” I wish more folks supported that concept. I think about all the energy I waste on capitalist BS that I could use on creativity and building a better society. We absolutely live in an individualistic la-la-land that it a nightmare for way too many of us. This is exhausting. There is so much work to do.
But on the bright side, I now have two functional peepers to do the work with!
Universal healthcare and basic universal income would be super nice, too, but honestly? The elite would just start raising prices to put everyone where we are now. So I don't know what the answer is but I don't have a lot of hope in any of it.
Oof, I feel you. Universal healthcare and basic universal income would be amazing. I do believe it’s possible but not in this country - this place doesn’t value human life enough. What an terrible place they’ve created all for the benefit of an elite few.
I hear you on that! I wish Angel Investors existed for investing in the Angels of the world. I'm a business owner and still don't have financial security yet despite years of hard-work and grind. Most business advice given by somebody who doesn't look like me is full of crock and doesn't work, hence, I always having to think outside the box (which is also exhausting!).
It should also be criminal for our education-for-profit system to convince 17 - 25 year olds to take out thousands of dollars in loans to pay for an education and tell them it's necessary to better themselves and obtain careers. Yet upon graduation (if you're able to make it that far), you're expected to start repaying those loans after six months, regardless of if you can find a job by then yet alone a job that pays a proper living wage. (P.S. The IDR repayment plans are b.s. too, but I'll save that tirade for another day.)
Furthermore, student loan borrowers, especially Black & melanated folks, often cannot get access to more money for starting a business or buying a house due to the student loan debt and debt-to-income ratio. Business grants are tough to win and they only award funding to less than 3% BIPOC. It's crazy how even if you have a good business plan and good credit many folks still can't get funding to grow a profitable business to support and take care of themselves. It's just a vicious systemic cycle by design that hits many people hard, but especially Black + Indigenous or those who don't fit in mainstream boxes. We definitely need revised cooperative-based economic models that value people over fake currency. Where do I sign up to burn this current mutha down? LOL!
I wish I could like this comment 100 times over because YES to every word of it! This society was not built for our success. We create it (because that’s how we do!) but it’s often only a handful who “make it.” This mutha has to burn all the way down, lemme go grab my matches lol.
Pass that sign up sheet over here when you're done with it, please!
Sign up sheet headed your way!
I support this idea even if it's not perfect. A fund like this can make waves and bring about (I would hope) systemic change. Someone you might want to talk to about starting such a fund would be Chamieka House-Osuya of The Snack Sack. She started her mutual aid group for Black and brown folx, particularly women and children. https://www.thesnacksack.org/
"All this shit is made up. We can make it up better." AMEN. I love the idea of creating instead of (only) criticizing. We need both!
That’s a fair point, we need both! I’m always open to critique as long as it adds to the conversation and moves us forward. Folks love to tell me why my ideas won’t work (they seem to find joy in it, it’s odd) but they don’t bring any constructive ideas. I’ll check out the Snack Shack, thank you for that connection! We absolutely can make this shit up better, I genuinely believe it.
I read the whole title and I was like immediately "no shit Sherlock". My own mother is currently unable to work and guess how she can stay afloat? Money, from me. But me being the stereotypical depressed bisexual millenial disaster, do I sacrifice a lot to be able to financially support my household and her too? Yes I do, and I shouldn't have to. I'm aware that my autistic arse is incredibly lucky to be able to hold a job (the statistics are very much against me), but it comes with a price. My physical and mental health. And I don't want to make this about me, I apologise if I still did - the post resonates with me because of this, and because I know that so many people are not as privileged as I am, even with all the hardships I face. I support your idea and I think, if we could make this on a big scale (I'm thinking about international scale, because why stop before that?), we could do so much. I haven't the faintest yet how to do it, but since I found your posts, I really wanna do more about this, and like you said, not just mutual aid, because that's a mutual-band-aid indeed.
I’m so sorry to hear it’s been rough on your side too. No one should struggle this way for their basic survival. And no apology needed, this is your space as well. I don’t have the answers but I have ideas and I know we *have* to do something. This type of existence is not sustainable nor should it be. We all deserve so much damn better. With you in solidarity, Beáta.
I love this idea. It makes sense. That's your whole problem, right there, Robin--you're making sense in a world that likes to live in la-la-land, where there's no responsibility and no accountability. No one wants financial responsibility for anyone but themselves (even though they already pay for loads of other people through taxes, insurance premiums, and the general cost of products and services).
You are proposing an opportunity to make life better for EVERYONE, because when we make life livable for Black women, the rest of us will get to benefit from all of your talents as managers, leaders, creators . . . everything that will get unleashed when you're able to dig out from under a lifetime of baggage and being made to feel "less than." Imagine what the world could look like then--with more people energized and inspired to invent and design and problem-solve!
Your idea is a perfect example of the saying, "A rising tide lifts all boats."
(I am relieved to hear your surgery went well and that you can already see a difference!)
Lori, “a rising tide lifts all boats.” I wish more folks supported that concept. I think about all the energy I waste on capitalist BS that I could use on creativity and building a better society. We absolutely live in an individualistic la-la-land that it a nightmare for way too many of us. This is exhausting. There is so much work to do.
But on the bright side, I now have two functional peepers to do the work with!
Universal healthcare and basic universal income would be super nice, too, but honestly? The elite would just start raising prices to put everyone where we are now. So I don't know what the answer is but I don't have a lot of hope in any of it.
Oof, I feel you. Universal healthcare and basic universal income would be amazing. I do believe it’s possible but not in this country - this place doesn’t value human life enough. What an terrible place they’ve created all for the benefit of an elite few.
Yes and yes. And fuck yes.
Big if true!
I have a hint of an idea but it’s a start!