In the sixth whitest state, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, and the Republican-led legislature have worked to ban abortions after six weeks, and the legislature opted not to extend Medicaid’s postpartum coverage period. It’s in this environment Bailey is fighting to prevent Black birthing people from dying preventable deaths and sustaining childbirth complications.

Studies have found that youth who exit the foster system before aging out of it—either by reuniting with their original family, placement with extended relatives, or by adoption—are significantly less likely to become incarcerated in their late teens and early twenties, to end up in the streets, or to become victims of sex trafficking.

Andrade’s story points to the potential of guaranteed-income programs. These programs, which provide consistent financial support to participants over a period of time, were placed on the national radar in 2020 by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who called for a monthly income for all U.S. residents.