The Economy Is Not Like The Weather
Overview: Episode 06
In this Porch Light series episode, L. Joy invites us to continue to imagine what it means to not fight back, but to fight forward and to remake an economy that actually serves the people who make it run. The economy is not the weather, it is not a natural phenomenon we must simply survive. The economy was built by people making choices and writing rules that concentrated wealth, extracted from Black communities, and normalized disinvestment. L. Joy reminds us that the legacy of redlining, predatory capitalism, and the marketing of convenience has left many of our neighborhoods with dollar stores, check cashing counters, rent-to-own shops, and big box stores where local economic eco-systems once thrived. But just like laws can be rewritten, the economy can be redesigned. To dive deeper into the economy, L. Joy brings Donald Hinkle-Brown to the front of the class.
🎧 Listen to the Episode
Lessons from the Porch
The economy is designed and what is designed can be redesigned. Economic systems are not natural forces beyond our control. They are the result of policies, laws, and decisions made by people. If those systems produce inequality, disinvestment, and extraction, they can also be reimagined and rebuilt to create equity, opportunity, and shared prosperity.
Convenience often comes with hidden costs to our communities: The convenience of big-box retailers, online shopping, payday lenders, and financial apps may save time, but it can also divert wealth away from local neighborhoods, weaken small businesses, and reduce community ownership. Understanding these tradeoffs helps us make more intentional choices about where our money and our power goes.
Building democracy also means building economic power: Civic engagement extends beyond voting and advocacy. It includes supporting community financial institutions, strengthening local businesses, advocating for fair economic policies, and creating systems that help people build wealth instead of merely surviving. A healthy democracy depends on an economy where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Follow the money!
This week, trace one dollar of your spending. Pick something you buy regularly, like coffee, streaming, lunch, takeout, etc. and find out where that dollar actually ends up. Does it circulate in your community? Or does it go straight out of it? Align your spending with your values because every dollar is also a civic vote.