Despite working two jobs and caring for her children, Tashai struggles to make ends meet—highlighting the urgent need for policies that provide true economic security for families experiencing poverty.

A groundbreaking Ms. series, Front & Center first began as first-person accounts of Black mothers living in Jackson, Miss., receiving a guaranteed income from Springboard to Opportunities’ Magnolia Mother’s Trust (MMT). Moving into the fourth year and next phase of this series, the aim is to expand our focus beyond a single policy intervention to include a broader examination of systemic issues impacting Black women experiencing poverty. This means diving deeper into the interconnected challenges they face—including navigating the existing safety net; healthcare, childcare and elder care; and the importance of mental, physical and spiritual well-being.

My name is Tashai, and life recently has been a whirlwind of working, caring for my three children and trying to stay afloat financially. I had a baby this past June, which was a financial challenge given I wasn’t able to work during that time, but my expenses were up having my kids home during the summer and that added grocery bill. 

When the summer cash disbursement from Springboard came through, it was a lifeline for me, since I was pregnant and out of work aside from some little side jobs I’d take on here and there. The $40 I received might seem small, but it made a huge difference. I could buy toilet tissue, take care of my personal hygiene needs, and even get some extra food for my kids. I was able to buy things in bulk for their snacks at Sam’s Club, so it saved me money in the long run.

I’m back to work now, working the assembly line at Nissan on the overnight shift making $16 an hour, but that isn’t enough to cover everything. I’m glad to be working, but it’s hard to get ahead when your benefits are cut because you work a little more. I was really relying on food stamps for a lot of the summer when I wasn’t able to work being home with my newborn, but now that I’m working my food stamps have been cut by more than half. And the costs at the store just feel like they keep going up.

My days are a constant juggle. I try to cook dinner by 6 or 7 p.m. before heading to work, making sure my kids are fed and bathed, then dropped off at my mom’s house to be at work at the factory by 8. Then I pick the kids up in the morning and get them off to school. Then I have another job in an elderly home I do for about five to six hours a day. I’m lucky if I get four or five hours a day of sleep, but it’s what I have to do to make sure my kids are taken care of and I have enough money to cover all my bills. But I really wish I could just have one good-paying job.

If I could change one thing about support systems like SNAP, it would be how they calculate benefits. All of the fixed costs I have are not taken into consideration, which I think they should be to fairly base the amount you get on. And I’m fortunate that I have my mom to help with my childcare, because I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for outside care, and then how am I going to work if I don’t have someone to watch my kids? But even still, it’s so hard for me to make ends meet.

I’m lucky if I get four or five hours a day of sleep, but it’s what I have to do to make sure my kids are taken care of and I have enough money to cover all my bills.

When I received the child tax credit payments during COVID, it was a game-changer. I was able to get a car and secure an apartment. I wouldn’t be able to work without that car, and obviously I need a roof over me and my kids’ heads. If I still had that, that regular monthly payment like that, it would mean I could potentially work just one job instead of two, giving me a chance to breathe and spend more time with my children.

When I was part of the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, I was able to just work one job, and that was so much better. I used my work check to pay my bills like rent and utilities, then used the Trust money to cover household expenses and food. And I hate that it’s over, I really wish leaders would create a policy like that that would be permanent.

If I had that financial stability again, I would work my one job, and then I’d go to the gym. With the extra time I’d have, I’d be cooking for my friends and neighbors because that really brings me joy. Cooking is my passion. I graduated from a culinary arts program last year, and am thinking of going back to school for my bachelor’s degree. I’d really love to cook, but so far the most restaurant work I’ve had is being a manager at McDonald’s. It’s good to have managerial experience and it’s a job that I can go back to or get another manager role that will pay me better than entry level, but my real dream would be to open my own food truck one day. 

I’d serve comfort food—burgers, wings, fries, things like that. I’ve got it all planned out: Monday through Friday I’d have that menu, except Saturdays I’d do soul food and every day I’d have a special, but you can get the regular items off the menu as well.

One day I think I’ll get there. I’m trying. I’m working on it.