Equity and Racial Inclusion in NYC’s Budget
2025-05-29 15:30 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Wollman Hall, 65 West 11th Street, New York City, NY, 10011, United States
In November 2022, voters overwhelmingly passed three ballot measures to establish a lasting equity infrastructure, requiring New York City to eliminate structural racism. A key part of that work is ensuring that the City’s budgeting process and investment strategy align with these goals.
Join the Institute and the NYC Commission on Racial Equity for a conversation on racial inclusion and equity in the proposed NYC fiscal year 2026 budget.
Speakers:

Linda Tigani, Chair and Executive Director, NYC Commission on Racial Equity (Moderator)
Rick McGahey, Senior Fellow, Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy (Special Presenter)
Zara Nasir, Executive Director, The People’s Plan NYC
Hadia Ali, Youth Organizer, YA-YA Network
Barika Williams, Executive Director, Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD)
Darrick Hamilton, Founding Director, Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy

This event is co-sponsored by our partners: Council Member Dr. Nantasha Williams, Mayor’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice, the Center for Community Uplift at Brookings, and the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies.
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Presented by the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at the Milano Schools of Public Engagement, and The NYC Commission on Racial Equity.

Public Banking: Financial Infrastructure for Guaranteed Income and a Just Economy
2025-06-17 14:00 - 15:00 | NY
Guaranteed income—regular, unconditional cash payments designed to reduce economic insecurity—has emerged as one of the most promising pathways to abolish poverty in the United States. But as communities across the country pilot these programs, a major challenge remains: our current financial systems often fail the very people guaranteed income is meant to support.
Enter public banking—a growing movement to create government-owned financial institutions that are explicitly built to serve the public good. With the right guiding mandates and structures, public banks have the potential not only to solve the logistical hurdles of distributing guaranteed income at scale, but to power a more just, resilient, and inclusive economy. At a time when the federal government is slashing funding for local action on climate and infrastructure, public banks offer an opportunity to reclaim public power to shape our economic future.
Join us for a virtual roundtable to explore the possibilities that lie at the intersection of the guaranteed income and public banking movements. We’ll share new research from the Institute’s Policies for Action Guaranteed Income Research Hub, hear from leading scholars and advocates, and begin imagining how to create the financial infrastructure to support dignity, equity, and collective well-being.
Featuring:

Representative Rashida Tlaib, U.S. Representative, 12th Congressional District of Michigan
Terri Friedline, Professor of Social Work, University of Michigan
Darrick Hamilton, University Professor and Founding Director, Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, The New School
Amy Castro, Co-Founder and Faculty Director, Center for Guaranteed Income Research, and Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Trinity Tran, Executive Director and Co-Founder, California Public Banking Alliance
Graham Steele, Academic Fellow, Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Stanford Law School/Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Fellow, Financial Regulation, Roosevelt Institute

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Exploring Baby Bonds
2026-03-31 - 2026-05-05 | Virtual on Zoom
New National Polling on Baby Bonds
What the Data Means for Policy Now
March 31, 1–2 p.m. EST The Wealth–Health Connection
Evidence for Baby Bonds as a Public Health Strategy
April 16, 2–3 p.m. EST A Mother’s Day Special
The “Superbundle” Approach to Maternal Health and Wealth
May 5, 2–3 p.m. EST Register for Session 1Register for Session 2Register for Session 3This session features researchers from Johns Hopkins University – Dr. Catherine Ettman and Dr. Andrew Anderson – presenting fresh 2025 national polling data on support for Baby Bonds, highlighting public opinion trends, messaging insights, and emerging connections between health and wealth. A bipartisan panel of state leaders including Comptroller of Maryland Brooke Lierman (D), Vermont State Representative Ashley Bartley (R), and Washington State Treasurer Michael Pellicciotti (D) will discuss policy implications. ln session 2, leading health scholars, Dr. Sarah C. DeSilvey, Dr. Patricia Welch Saleeby, and Dr. Tiffany Younger will focus on how wealth - not just income - shapes health, stress, and long-term wellbeing. This conversation will explore Baby Bonds as an evidence-based strategy addressing social drivers of health and reducing disparities. The final session spotlights Vermont’s maternal health “Superbundle,” an integrated model combining basic-needs support, direct cash assistance, and Baby Bonds to improve maternal and child outcomes while building long-term financial security. Join Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak and national partners like Dr. Megan Smith of the National Diaper Bank Network, Hilary Hahn of the MOMS Partnership, Madeline Brown with the Urban Institute, Suzanna Fritzberg of The Bridge Project, and moderator Kenn Harris.

Where Do We Go From Here: From Civil Rights to Economic Rights
2026-04-23 18:00 - 19:30 | The Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street, NY, United States
A robust and historical grounding for inclusive economic rights that connects labor, community, and economic and racial justice movements and points us toward a progressive economic agenda in the present.
Register HERE
Featuring:
Honorable Nina Turner
Demos President,Taifa Smith Butler
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, Fred Redmond
The Roosevelt Institute President & CEO, Elizabeth Wilkins
Institute Founding Director, Prof. Darrick Hamilton
and moderated by
Rockefeller Brothers Fund Democratic Practice Director, Keesha Gaskins-Nathan
