“I’ll Meet You at the Corner of Hope and Trust.” Reflections working with the Aspen Institute’s Community Advisory Group

By Callie Greer, Appleseed Community Navigator

Appleseed’s Community Navigator Callie Greer

Since 2021, I’ve been a part of a community roundtable called the Community Advisory Group (CAG) at the Aspen Institute’s Financial Security Program. Six individuals were chosen and invited to lead the roundtable, and the main topic was poverty and how it’s the catalyst that precipitates life without wealth. Poverty could result from an event or situation that happens unexpectedly, prematurely, suddenly or happens continually and it’s just always been that way. These six well-rounded, fully invested, seasoned and directly affected members who are experts in the field of “life without wealth” are Alana Gracey (Michigan), Kadisha Davis (New York), Eboni Worsley (Arizona), Rosazlia “Ms. Rose” Grillier (Illinois), Victor Inuk Gavilanes (New Jersey), and myself, Callie Greer (Alabama).

Collectively, we’ve been directly affected by gun violence, other forms of violence, homelessness, unemployment, food deserts, incarceration, and all the other struggles that come with what I’ve coined life without wealth. Since 2022, we’ve looked at this issue from every angle we can think of and some that have just showed up. We looked at how our children and grandchildren could benefit from having $1,000 deposited in a savings account that generated interest and would become available when they become adults. We have also discussed financial literacy classes and been encouraged to think and live for the long ride and the future. I know many of us would be successful with this added critical thinking. But folks like myself (60 years and older) without any savings, life, retirement, or otherwise, can only wonder, what if? And we can continue to do the work of making systems better for the next generation. But what if there was a government program that invested in folks like me, and at the tender age of 55 invested in a retirement savings account that as long as the person was employed, the government would deposit a match up 5% of the earned income into that savings account? I know there are unanswered questions about that, but there’s not enough time or space here to answer all of them. For now, we’re imagining creative ways to tackle life without wealth and all that comes with it.

As we approach 2025 and our fourth year as the CAG, we’re focusing on a more person-centered approach. For me, this is what folks like Alabama Appleseed and Aspen Institute have been doing all along without naming it. For example, Alabama Appleseed is learning from our formerly incarcerated clients that, with support, people who have served decades in prison can thrive in our communities. We are seeking resentencing opportunities for those who have life without parole sentences for crimes where there was no physical harm caused to anyone and the material harm can be restored. While Alabama Appleseed has had good success with the latter, they can only do it on a person-centered level, case by case. They call it “Second Chance.”

What does that have to do with our Community Advisory Group? Glad you asked. Aspen Institute would have this conversation with “You” one on one or in a small CAG, but we know that’s not possible. But they have reached out and invited us in and they are following our leads. For real, real! And getting it done, because at the end of the day week, month, year, or this blog, it’s all connected, and if we would stop rerouting the dots and follow the well-documented, marked trail, it would have long ago lead us to a place called, Fairness Justice, Humanity, Respect, and Love for each other.

Am I my Sister’s Keeper? Yes I am. So as we venture on this well traveled road and reconnect those disconnected dots, I invite you to dream with me. After all, it’s that time of the year, isn’t it? Where miracles happen, warm blood flows through cold hearts, folks give you an unexpected smile, we look for some way to bless someone else? Dream with me of this place where I’m not worried about if you’re warm or not. Or if the lights are on or if there’s enough food not just on the table but in the fridge, too. Where everyone got one thing they needed and it really changed the way they looked at humanity. Dream with me of a place called Justiceville. I’ll meet you on the corner of Hope and Trust, and we’ll walk down Restored Lane and have a cup of equal justice and share whatever wealth we have with each other, and maybe there will be none lacking. Will you dream with me?

About the Program
The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program’s (Aspen FSP) mission is to illuminate and solve the most critical financial challenges facing American households and to make financial security for all a top national priority. Core to the Aspen FSP’s theory of change is that for policies advancing financial security to reflect the experiences and needs of the people being impacted, those people need power and influence over how those policies are designed, delivered, and evaluated.

Aspen FSP established the Community Advisory Group (CAG) in December 2021 to inform the program’s research, activities, and publications. CAG members bring both lived and professional experience of communities most impacted by financial insecurity to FSP’s work. The group is composed of 6 leaders with current or previous experience with financial insecurity who are working to advance financial security in their communities through organizing, advocacy, or direct service and would be most impacted by changes to policies or market practices. Through monthly virtual meetings, CAG members discuss their own work, provide input and feedback on FSP’s portfolio and prepare for engagement in FSP public-facing events.