Undue Burden: When Moving for the Movement Is Out of Budget
A guest post from an anonymous queer Black woman, survivor, and reproductive justice advocate from the South
Imagine landing a dream repro job in your dream city only to lose out on this opportunity because you can’t afford the cost of moving. This was almost my reality almost three years ago. After graduating law school I was offered an amazing repro fellowship in Washington, D.C. I was ecstatic. But what should have been a time of pride, excitement, and relief at getting a job, quickly turned into anxiousness, stress, and anger. I wasn't actually sure if I'd be able to take the job because of how much it would cost for me to move to our nation's capital from the south. Moving across the country can cost thousands of dollars—money most of us don't have laying around.
This feeling of nervousness and uncertainty of how I would pay for it, however, wasn’t unfamiliar to me. I felt it all throughout college and law school. While most students were able to focus their full attention on law school without worrying about finances, I couldn't. I worked part-time to get extra cash working the morning shift at Starbucks, often waking up around 4 AM, then immediately driving to my morning classes. It was a struggle.
Our fellowship salary was $51,000, pre-tax, not to mention law school loans that were about to come calling. According to MIT, a living wage for the DC area is at least $41,850 for a single adult without children, and in 2018, Washington D.C. was the third most expensive city in North America, with a person projected to spend between $1,683-$2,890 in basic living expenses each month. Not only had I just graduated law school, but I’d just borrowed money from my local bank to pay the thousands of dollars for bar prep and the bar examination itself.
I was sure the fellowship would offer some financial support for moving to those of us who needed it, especially to those moving to areas where the cost of living is a bit more expensive like the D.C. area. After accepting the fellowship, I decided to ask a current fellow about their experience and if the fellowship program offered moving assistance support to new fellows. To my surprise, the answer was no.
I couldn’t believe there was no moving support, particularly in a field that understands that many of us don't have intergenerational wealth to tap into in moments like this. But, quite frankly, I didn’t have the time or money to dwell on these feelings. I immediately started thinking of ways to support costs for paying my over $2,000 in moving expenses including a flight, packing and transporting all of my things, at least $1,400 for the apartment deposit and rent, and extra cash so I could buy food until my first paycheck. After my dad borrowed money and my aunt loaned me some cash, I was finally able to move to D.C. But even being here was stressful. I used my roommate’s things to avoid buying my own and slept on an air mattress for four months because I couldn’t afford to buy a bed.
At the time, I chalked everything up to being a normal part of moving and transitioning. When I look back now, however, I realize this wasn’t normal and not ok. Here I was a queer, Black woman from the South, and I got the bare minimum support from an organization and a movement that often claims or co-opts the work of Black folks. It was painful to get up everyday, working to create a world where every person has the rights and respect to live in safe communities and care for their bodies, while I was sleeping on a floor. I'd also just left a relationship that was emotionally and sometimes physically violent. At best, my experience felt unfortunate and inconvenient, at worst it felt dehumanizing.
I was living paycheck to paycheck. Due to the financial toll, my credit score worsened. I couldn’t afford to pay rent, buy necessities and also pay previous financial obligations such as bar exam loans or the credit cards I used to survive while in school, causing them to go to collections. We all know credit scores are capitalist, white supremacist bullshit, but also it's a very real thing that impacts our ability to live. Because of my credit score, I’m facing continued issues when moving, including application denials or having to pay a higher than normal deposit, which requires more money upfront. While my salary has increased since, so has the cost of living in Washington, D.C. Contrary to what people may think, salaries under $70,000 for a single person in the D.C. area is still not enough for people to thrive and begin raising a family, especially for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) who often have to provide financial and other support to the people in their lives and payback school loans.
I know I'm not alone in my experience and I hope that by sharing my story I can serve as a call to action for the movement to do better.
Pay people what they deserve, which are salaries to thrive not just survive. Workers deserve a living and thriving wage so that we too can live and support our families, afford healthcare, and not have to worry about whether we can afford rent, food, or a bed to sleep in. As your organization is hiring for new positions or fellowships, calculate whether the salary being offered is actually a living wage, and if not, make it a living wage or cut down on the hours until it's at a living wage.
If your organization requires employees to uproot their lives to join your organizations (are you sure the job cannot be done remotely?), it should have policies and resources in place to help them with the financial burden of moving. Even an offer of $500 can help defray the cost of hiring movers, shipping belongings, renting a moving van, or any other cost associated with uprooting our lives for the movement.
Talk to your employees to see what they need from leadership to feel supported. It sounds simple, but asking new employees and colleagues what the organization can do to make them feel supported can go a long way, especially for those of us who feel uncomfortable asking for things we may need. Proactively offering to cover moving costs or other assistance like recommendations for finding an apartment or trusted movers via locals is helpful—especially if this is that employee's first time moving and living in this new city.
Annual salary increases. Salary increases are vital to support employees as they incur new financial costs and to keep up with the increasing cost of living. When doing annual reviews, do not wait for the employee to bring up salary increases. You’re the employer who knows your employees' work and the increasing cost of living even in a pandemic. Designate time in reviews to discuss raises and if possible, work with your employee beforehand to set an agenda if they wish. This can help minimize anxiety beforehand.
Pay your interns. Just pay your interns! And no, one measly stipend doesn’t count. If your interns are moving to work with your organization, please see the above section on supporting moving costs.
Post salary ranges in job postings. Before anyone puts in the energy, time and effort to work for your organization, give them the courtesy of knowing what they will be paid. Potential employees deserve to know if they can afford to live in this new city on the salary you'll be offering for their dream position.
Economic justice is reproductive justice but unfortunately the repro movement has a long way to go before we achieve either. We often talk about the need for more diverse candidates and the need to center the leadership of people most impacted by systems of oppression but if organizations continue to be unaware or simply ignore the economic realities that many of us face, the movement will continue to suffer. Stop claiming Reproductive Justice if you aren’t willing to do the work to achieve it. Quite frankly, if more diverse candidates are unable to apply or take positions because of the economic realities they face the leadership within the movement will continue to be what it always has been, cisgender white women.
Because of my experience I’m calling on the movement to do better. Whether you know it or not, many of your employees and colleagues are bearing the brunt of our movement's inability to do the work for true liberation.
If you want us to uproot our lives and move to an overpriced city for your organization, the least you could do is pack a box or two.