Guaranteed Basic Income Teach-In & Fundraiser
Tuesday September 27
6:30-7:30pm
Virtual Zoom Teach In
Access Update: ASL/English Interpreters and auto generated captions
Register Here
Join Let’s Get Free in learning about Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) with some organizations that are already trying it out! This one hour virtual teach-in is a fundraiser for A Softer Landing Fund, a new initiative to support people who have served long sentences coming home from prison. Panelists Brittany Pope (Bread for the City – DC) and Richard Wallace (EAT -Chicago) have both implemented GBI programs for formerly incarcerated people. Participants will hear an overview of their projects including success and challenges and have the opportunity to ask questions. Evan Casper-Futterman (Economic Democracy Learning Center – Bronx) will help us discern the nuances between mutual aid, guaranteed basic income and situate projects like these in a broader economic context.
Collectively we have raised $13,000 (!OMG! THANKS EVERYONE) so far but are still a long way from reaching our goal of $50,000. Sit with us for an hour, think about economic solidarity and kick down for the cause. Any amount is a great amount.
This event is organized by Dustin Gibson, kai koehler and etta cetera, the working group for A Softer Landing Fund.
Ways to Donate:
Venmo: @Lets-GetFree
Cashapp: $letsgetgreepgh
Check: Let’s Get Free 460 Melwood Ave #300 Pittsburgh, PA 15213
What is “A Softer Landing Fund”
A Softer Landing Fund is a guaranteed income initiative that will distribute recurring, cash payments with no strings attached to a number of formerly incarcerated people who are connected with Let’s Get Free. This pilot initiative will last one year and prioritize women returning from long sentences.We named our project A Softer Landing because even if you have a lot of support coming home from prison it is still very hard. There is the idea that often when you leave prison you enter into “financial incarceration”. You have to pay to be on parole, pay for unnecessary urine tests, face employment and housing barriers from felony status, are ordered to pay court and restitution fees, exclusion from social welfare programs, and more.
Wisdom Sharing by:
Brittany Pope serves as Economic Security Supervisor at Bread for the City, a non-profit organization in Washington, DC, which provides comprehensive services to DC residents living with low incomes, while also striving to help them develop power to determine the future of their own communities. She leads the Economic Security team, which focuses on coordinating, supporting, and advocating for guaranteed income projects and policy change. Brittany holds a master’s degree in Social Work from Catholic University, with a concentration in Social Justice and Change. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Brittany believes in uplifting its community and striving for a just society for all.
Richard Wallace is a diversely talented artist & director with extensive experience developing effective campaigns to engage and empower working-class Chicagoans. Knack for effective coalition building and fundraising lends to a unique ability to align organizational goals with mission, practice, and desire to make a difference. Driven by a passion for racial equity; empowering working-class Chicagoans in the fight against anti-black racism in the US and abroad; and building strategic coalitions and networks that reinforce a social mission through the betterment of the community. Wallace currently serves as the Founding Executive Director of Equity and Transformation (EAT)
Evan Casper-Futterman, PhD is a 3rd generation New Yorker. He is the Program Director of the Economic Democracy Learning Center for the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative. He earned a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans in 2011He received his PhD at the Bloustein School of Urban Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, studying economic democracy and development. He has taught undergraduate courses at the Macaulay Honors College at City College (CUNY) and in the Geography department at Vassar College, as well as graduate courses at Hunter College and the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. He is a co-founder and former board treasurer of the Cooperative Economics Alliance of NYC and is the Secretary of the board for the Bronx Community Land Trust.
