Black Women Best — Turning Trickle-down Economics on its Head

Turning Trickle-down Economics on its Head

When I began working on this film in 2015, Bernie Sanders campaign was striking the hearts of millennials, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez kicking in on his campaign. Why was this old Jewish guy filling stadiums with young people and people of color?  One could argue Bernie was taping into the nerve of a great historic wound… a paradox of the American experiment — how to create a better society.  One camp has claimed by making life function exceptionally well for the wealthy, all boats will float higher. The other camp has claimed for centuries that wealth doesn’t trickle down, and that society should ensure every person has a decent life.  Taxing the wealthy while ensuring universal access to the necessities of life, such as food and shelter, access to land, health care, higher education, maternity leave, child care and so on. By doing so, you also expand the purchasing power of the poor, aiding the wealthy who aren’t over-the-top greedy. Alleviating historic injustices. It is ironic that Christian conservatives argue the strongest for the over-the-top greedy approach. Kick the poor. Reward the rich.

I began filming three societies — Kerala, Cuba and Slovenia — with the help of World View Production’s Bob Maraist in Cuba. We filmed programs similar to what Sanders had advocated for, but they began 60 years earlier. In some ways, their focus seemed common sense. Help those with the greatest need first. Land-reform, literacy, programs that helped people of color, especially women, get a plate at the table. White middle-class folks like me are doing OK.  The upper and uber class certainly don’t need tax breaks. This week, an NPR headline caught my eye.

“To help everyone, help the most marginalized first, says new congressional report.”

In Kerala we filmed women involved in possibly the world’s largest micro-credit and micro enterprise government supported effort on planet earth called Kudumbashree.

Its meaning in Malayalam?  Prosperity of the Family

With over 4 million women members, the focus is women empowerment and eradicating poverty. The women form into neighborhood groups that will spawn small cooperative businesses. They make loans to each other, but also the government helps out by offering skill-building and matching their loans with subsidies. The success rate is impressive.

Back at home, this report suggests doing similar to what Kerala did decades ago — offering financial incentives, tax credits and benefits to women of color. Could this be the best way to help the entire economy – for all?

The full report is titled: AN ECONOMY FOR ALL: BUILDING A BLACK WOMEN BEST LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

A few excerpts:

“Black women and other structurally marginalized groups have endured an economy and society that don’t just exclude and fail us, but that also derive benefit and profit from our perpetual subjugation. Since the founding of this country — a project made possible through Black women’s stolen and coerced labor, both as enslaved people and child-bearers — the lives and livelihoods of Black women have only been valued when we are producing wealth for others. In limiting our ability to thrive, this society limits our collective thriving. In harming us, we are all harmed.”

“Willfully inflicted, the costs and consequences of this societal harm are steep.