Member-only story
Black Thoughts
Cancel The Welfare Myth: Nobody Black Thinks A $1,400 Stimulus Check Means Retirement
The stimulus discussion proves we don’t trust people — especially poor and Black folks — to make their own best decisions
When I was a poor, pregnant 21-year-old, I struggled to afford groceries. I signed up for WIC (a federal food assistance program for women, infants, and children) but it didn’t help me buy any of the fruits and vegetables I’d hoped to incorporate into my diet. The only thing I could buy with my monthly paper checks was cereal (unfrosted Corn Flakes and Cheerios without honey), milk, and beans.
Was I grateful for the help? Yes. But to me, the restrictions on what foods this money could buy showed just how much we, as a society, don’t trust people — especially poor Black people — to make the decisions best for them. We say we want to help, but then we dictate how that help looks. Consider what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell ridiculously said last week about the then-potential $1,400 stimulus checks: “There is a concern about making it more advantageous to stay home rather than going back to work.”
Nothing could be further from the truth.
