“The time for bold action to tackle wealth insecurity, especially for Black and Latinx Atlantans, is yesterday. We have tip-toed around the issue for far too long. We need to be ambitious, ask big questions, and cast hesitancy aside.” – Amir Farokhi
Background
The current public health and economic crises have revealed the fragility and failures of our economic system in unprecedented ways. However, prior to the pandemic many Americans, including Atlanta residents, did not need a crisis to highlight the urgency and scale of our country’s growing income inequality because they live it every day. Now more than ever, bold, paradigm-shifting solutions are needed.
Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and home to Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he preached and called for guaranteed income, is a neighborhood steeped in social justice advocacy. Today, it is economically diverse and includes residents who face some of the greatest economic challenges in our city.
The Old Fourth Ward Economic Security Task Force seeks to advance dialogue and tangible solutions toward Guaranteed Income and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) while examining the future of workers. The Task Force seeks to reframe how Southern cities and states, which are steeped in economic inequality and a unique racial history, address economic insecurity. Our goal is to thoughtfully examine and re-imagine immediate and long-term solutions and build a framework for implementing those solutions.
Sponsors
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Economic Security Project
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Georgia Budget & Policy Institute
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Office of Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi (District 2)
