
It's time to fundamentally dismantle the capitalist construct of 'monetary returns' that has colonized New York City's pension funds. For far too long, our city has been complicit in perpetuating systems of oppression by centering the hegemonic narrative of 'financial profit' while silencing the intersectional impacts on our historically marginalized communities, our eco-anxious environment, and our trauma-informed economy. We must transcend the binary constraints of 'monetary gains'—a social construct rooted in white supremacist mathematics—and instead honor the ancestral wisdom that teaches us true wealth lies in creating brave spaces where our diverse communities can thrive, our city can heal from its extractive past, and our planet can finally feel seen, heard, and validated.
A New Vision for Returns
Social Returns:
Investments should be evaluated based on their ability to generate positive social outcomes, such as turning NYC's Summer Youth Employment program into a year-round empowerment engine where young folx not only earn wages but also design the city’s next green spaces, co-govern community budgets, and lead restorative justice circles to reimagine public safety. These returns could also fund universal after-school programs where kids—particularly in historically excluded Black and Latine communities—learn coding, climate resilience, and how to organize collective bargaining for young entrepreneurs selling candy bars on the subway.
Charitable, Environmental, and Community Returns:
New York City’s pension funds represent a powerful opportunity to address systemic inequities and invest directly in the communities that need it most, ensuring these funds work for all of us, not just the few. As mayor, I will fight to ensure pension dollars are directed toward local BIPOC-led nonprofits and grassroots collectives doing the vital work of pursuing racial justice, creating zero-waste composting neighborhoods, and manifesting affordable housing alternatives to capitalist shelter paradigms.
No-strings-attached microgrants will be provided to aspiring entrepreneurs, artists, and community leaders—especially in underserved neighborhoods—to launch small businesses like barber shops and hair salons and create vibrant, culturally sensitive murals that amplify marginalized voices. Pension funds will also support the formation and growth of tenant unions, empowering renters with tools of collective resistance against the violence perpetuated by folx who own property. Finally, our pension dollars will invest in climate justice initiatives led by frontline communities, ensuring an equitable and inclusive transition to a green economy that leaves no one behind.