The March for Basic Income: Our Fight for the Future Continues in New York
“I found that people know best how to solve their problems. We need to empower each other to do just that because the world as it is now is not the world that we want to leave for our children.” — UBI Advocate Shane Moynihan
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Grassroots organization
On Saturday, September 25th, 2021, many New Yorkers and people from neighboring states took to the streets of Harlem in support of Basic Income. Organized by The Income Movement, these activists and NYC-based political club, New Leaf Dems, showed up to attract support and awareness on Universal Basic Income. The event was an excellent all-around experience. Speakers who contributed their time at the rally were City Councilman Carlos Menchaca, community activist/emcee James Felton Keith, and artist/activist Keiko Sono, and many more.
“We’re finally starting to see narratives shift around moralism and poverty in this country, namely that poverty isn’t a lack of character, it’s a policy choice,” said Stacey Rutland, the founder of Income Movement. IM is The Income Movement, a grassroots organization dedicated to fighting for economic justice, was formed in 2019. Since then, the movement has continued to grow at an accelerating rate due to the economic fallout in the wake of Covid-19. “Billionaires increased their wealth by $1.8 trillion during the pandemic; meanwhile, millions of Americans are facing evictions or housing instability and families are going to bed hungry.” Rutland continues, “The economic fallout in the wake of the pandemic has made it all the more clear that we must ensure everyday people can cover their basic needs. This is why we are fighting for a basic income.”
