Why I'm Poor

The "Just Work Harder" Edition

Image courtesy of @cocktailsandcapitalism

*A reminder the Funds for Palestine guide with 100’s of verified campaigns and Mutual Aid organizations to support can be downloaded here or by clicking the image.

Let’s talk about poverty facts that suck! 

Did you know that poverty is the 4th leading cause of death in the US and that according to the Poor People’s Campaign there were 295,000 deaths that resulted from long-term poverty in 2023? 

My friend Lori Yearwood was one of those deaths.

We are not numbers, we are humans who deserve to live full lives.

I don’t want my own life to be a statistic in 2024 but my chances feel bleak. 

As a person who lives in chronic poverty, it chaps my ass when people make assumptions about our situations. 

For example, they assume we’re poor because: 

• We aren’t intelligent

• We’re bad with money

• We need to spend less

• We’ve made bad life choices

• We’re lazy and need to work harder 

Damn, the way y’all hate us…

But fine, let’s discuss.

- We aren’t intelligent. 

Do you know how resourceful you have to be to survive with no social safety net in a society that wasn’t built for you and that doesn’t value your life? Please be serious 

Resourced people couldn’t last a week below the poverty line. 

What did you say, you could?

Prove it. 

Play SPENT.

If you make it to the end? Contribute to a Mutual Aid fund.

If capitalism takes you out? Contribute to a Mutual Aid fund.

Them’s the rules.

- We’re bad with money. 

I’m phenomenal with money. My problem with money is that I don’t have any. 

• We need to spend less

Alrighty, let’s take a ride.  

My credit is trash. 

(Credit scores are racist as hell but that’s not why I’m here.)

5 years ago my car broke down. I was an Uber driver and needed to replace it with a quickness since that my income. Carvana was the only place that approved a loan. 

I purchased a 2013 Honda Civic (Bluebook value: $6,000)

The predatory details: 

• My car payment is $450 per month 

• The interest rate is 23% 

• I’ve made payments for 4 years. 

Total paid to date: $21,600

Oh, but wait! I have 2 years of payments left. 

At the end of the loan I will have paid $32,400 for a raggedy 10+ year old Honda Civic. 

*Again, the car is worth $6,000* 

This should be illegal. 

But I just have to budget better - is that right? 

It’s expensive as fuck to be poor.

• We’ve made bad choices 

We absolutely have! People with terrible options make terrible choices. 

*Please see above*

• We’re lazy and need to work harder 

Here’s a quick overview of my own “apathetic” work history. 

-In high school I worked two jobs at 15 years old. 

-During undergrad I worked three jobs every single year. 

-After college I worked in corporate for 10 years. (I regret every second.) One day I woke up and realized I was over worked and under paid - can you believe it? I’m playin, of course you can. 

I attempted to find another job but my brain felt…broken. 

My thinking had slowed down, I wasn’t able to process information and I couldn’t comprehend basic instructions. 

My cognitive ability was in decline. 

Unhealed childhood wounds, poverty trauma and untreated c-ptsd had started to impact my ability to function. My entire life had been lived in survival mode. I’d never had the resources, time or support I needed to recover. 

Trauma doesn’t just disappear, babe.

*insert several months of homelessness and living in my car*

I knew I had to be resourceful if I wanted to survive. 

Here are a handful of ideas I’ve created over the years to help me not die: 

Choose Happiness (an online community)

I created inspirational posts, merchandise and self-published a (really terrible) book!

Your Divine Driver

When the pandemic hit, there were folks in my community who needed rides but wanted extra safety precautions taken. Since I was already an Uber driver, they reached out. I created a viable business that served the community and covered my expenses. Later that year my rent increased because, capitalism. I closed up shop and moved to a less expensive state.

Easy Writers Course 

I hosted writer retreats and created a program for authors on how to self-publish.

I looooved this one! But It needed more time…

Black People Trip (An online space for the Black Psychedelic community)

I curated two melanated playlists that featured psychedelic music by Black and African artists, I created an “ad campaign” to destigmatize psychedelic use in the Black community and I started The Black Psychedelic Equity Fund to cover costs for psychedelic therapy and education. 

Then the racists found us. 

They mass reported the community that I’d built for two years, had my account banned and threatened my safety. They warned me not to start any new spaces or they’d target me again.

And that’s my time, folks! My psychedelic career was over.

I despise that they won but I was worn down and didn’t have any fight left in me.  

A lifetime of racist bullshit will do that to you…

But back to my ideas. Every single one of them had potential.

However, the problem with poverty is that I don’t have the luxury of time. My life of chronic urgency hasn’t allowed me space to nurture my creativity.

Rent is due NOW. That bill is due NOW. Find a solution NOW. 

If an idea fails then I have to move on quickly or my life falls apart even further.

And today, I have my Poverty Sucks Substack and (brand new!) Patreon. 

But after a year of writing on this platform, it’s started to feel like another failure.

In the last 30 days I’ve had 120 new subscribers! 2 were paid.

I’ll always fight to keep my head above water but it’s tough to hold on these days.

I is tired.

All that to say, please tangibly invest in creators from the global majority.

• Those you learn from.

• Those who inspire new ideas.

• Those that serve the community. 

Don’t just consume our content, contribute to our care.

I once read a quote that said “it’s hard to be a light when you can’t keep the lights on.” 

And yeah, that part. 

My personal ask as a creative?

If you’re a current free subscriber who values my content and you have the resources, then I invite you to upgrade to a paid subscription. 

Want to learn about Mutual Aid and how to build a new society? Join the Patreon!

Want to send a cuppa coffee of support? You da best, thank you!

You can do that here.

2024 Goal: To only write about poverty and not continue to live in.

This post was lengthy as hell but my point was this: Poor people worker harder than you will ever understand. 

To close this out, poverty isn’t a moral failure of the individual. Please understand that it is a function of our society that was created on purpose. The system isn’t broken - it works exactly as intended.

This can’t be fixed. But for real, we can create it better.

#PovertySucks