Tackling the Legacy of Slavery with Guaranteed Income
“Why does everything have to be about race?” “Why do you people always have to bring up slavery when there is a problem with Black people?”
These are statements I have often heard whether through conversations with peers or through online platforms. So, why do we often bring up racism and slavery when talking about problems that Black people face? Well, it’s simple. The legacy of slavery in the United States is still deeply entrenched in every facet of our lives.
As of June 2024, the United States, on average, incarcerates 614 people per 100,000 adult residents while Florida alone incarcerates 705 people per 100,000 adult residents. This is not mere coincidence. In the past 160 years, those who benefit from free labor – confederates, politicians, and money-hungry companies – have made deliberate efforts to keep the legacy of slavery alive.
So how exactly did Florida get here?
Florida’s History of Labor Exploitation
Under Spanish rule, Florida had become a safe haven for many people escaping slavery from the mid 1500s to the early 1800s. However, when the United States formally got control over Florida in 1821, Florida became the perfect destination for plantation owners seeking to expand slavery.
With the advancement in transportation such as the use of steamboats and railroads, the demand for enslaved labor in Florida surged. By 1860, 44 percent of the people living in Florida were slaves.
On December 18, 1865, Slavery was abolished and the 13th Amendment was adopted as part of the United States Constitution. Though the 13th Amendment freed slaves, in some way it ended slavery in one form only to continue it in another one. The 13th amendment had one exception for slavery and involuntary servitude — punishment for a crime.
Many states saw this as an opportunity. States across the south, like Florida, began enacting “Black Codes” which essentially restricted the rights of the formerly enslaved, limiting employment opportunities and land ownership yet also making it a crime to be Black and poor or unemployed.
Some of the excerpts from the Florida State Constitution of 1865 in layman’s terms read:
Only white men could run for political office.
Forced labor was illegal except as punishment for a crime.
Black people are not allowed to testify in criminal cases unrelated to other Black people.
Only white men can serve on juries.
Only white men were able to serve in the state military.
Punishments like public whippings and standing in a pillory were allowed to be added if the punishment only included a fine, jail time, or both.
Anyone who encourages or tries to start a rebellion among any group of people in Florida, either by speaking, writing, or other means, will be guilty of a serious crime and can be sentenced to death.
Black people or people of mixed race are not allowed to own or carry weapons or ammunition unless they get permission from the county's Judge of Probate, with recommendations from two respected citizens.
Black people are not allowed to attend white-only public events, religious gatherings, or ride in public transportation reserved for white people. White people cannot enter spaces reserved for Black people either.
People without jobs or "visible means of living" could be arrested and forced into unpaid labor.
Interracial relationships were criminalized. White women faced fines and jail time, while Black men were whipped and placed in pillories.
Anyone with "one-eighth or more" Black ancestry was legally defined as a person of color, ensuring even distant Black heritage subjected individuals to discriminatory laws.
On top of that, in 1877, Florida Governor George Franklin Drew signed a law allowing convict leasing, meaning imprisoned people could be lent to private companies to do labor for a rate much lower than that of a free person. Because of the history of slavery, the newly implemented Black codes, and the legalization of convict leasing, Black men were disproportionately impacted and were often arrested for minor, nonviolent infractions.
“Florida’s lawmakers crafted the perfect formula to exploit Black bodies, protect their dominating economic interests, and keep the legacy of slavery alive,” said policy analyst Tachana Joseph-Marc in her article talking about the impact criminal fines and fees have had on Black Floridians.
Present-Day Impact
This is not just a thing of the past, Florida’s prison system continues to operate as a free labor generator as of today. In any given year, as many as 3,000 people experiencing incarceration in Florida are forced to work long and dangerous jobs for the city and state. The ACLU found that in 2022, the labor of incarcerated people across the US produced over 11 billion dollars in goods and services each year. Despite generating that much money, many people are not getting paid for their labor as Florida is one of seven U.S. states that does not require incarcerated people to be paid for labor.
“There’s no way we can take care of our facilities, our roads, our ditches, if we didn’t have inmate labor.... We could not tax our citizens enough to replace the value that the inmate labor contributes to our community,” said Former Commissioner of Gulf County, Warren Yeager to the Florida Times-Union.
This illustrates how mass incarceration has continued the state’s dependency on forced labor, thereby incentivizing the continuation of criminal justice policies that arrest and imprison people to save money for the state.
Florida’s history has long been shaped by systems of labor exploitation—from slavery to Black Codes to mass incarceration. These systems left a lasting legacy of inequality, especially in economic opportunities for Black people.
Yet, throughout this history, impacted communities have fought tirelessly for justice, showing resilience and strength in the face of systemic barriers.
Today, we honor this resilience by addressing the roots of economic injustice. As an economic justice organization, Community Spring understands how economic injustice in our community is particularly tied to the historic and ongoing oppression of Black people. The US has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Florida’s incarceration rate is even higher, and Alachua County, where we are based, outpaces Florida.
Many people coming out of the prison system are already in debt; however, after release, they encounter additional struggles such as finding employment and paying fines and fees associated with the criminal justice system. This inability to pay can result in re-incarceration. It is really not hard to follow the line of injustice and systemic failure that perpetuates the cycle of poverty and incarceration.
Solutions and Hope
One of the ways we are resisting the legacy is through guaranteed income. Our guaranteed income program, Just Income, offers unrestricted cash assistance to people returning to our community with a felony record. The program runs annually, with participants receiving $800/month for a year.
Developed and managed by formerly incarcerated people, our guaranteed income program is testing a simple and refreshing solution to poverty and inequality. Our past work has demonstrated that a guaranteed income can help overcome barriers to successful reentry and unlock the inherent potential of our justice-impacted neighbors.
By providing direct financial support to those most impacted by inequality—such as the formerly incarcerated—we are not just righting historical wrongs but building a more equitable future. Programs like ours support individuals to meet their basic needs, plan for the future, and thrive. Together, we are creating pathways to economic justice and breaking cycles of poverty.
We want to show supporters and skeptics alike that poverty is a failure of systems, not people.
