Malaika Jabali Breaks Down Why We Must Break up With Capitalism

At the end of 2023, Dēmos President Taifa Smith Butler and Director of Economic Justice Udochi Onwubiko sat down for a fireside chat with Malaika Jabali, author of It's Not You, It's Capitalism: Why it's Time to Break Up and How to Move On. In an engaging and stimulating conversation, the trio broke down why capitalism is gaslighting us, how racism and white supremacy preserve it, and how to build a better future.  

Capitalism, like our worst ex, promises us it will do better.

Capitalism, like our worst ex, promises us it will do better. It tells us that if we work harder, get better grades, and sacrifice our sanity a little more, we will finally have happiness and financial stability. And like our ex, capitalism blames us for its failures when neither happiness nor financial stability arrives.  

Housing costs are just one example. "America is supposed to be the richest country in the world," Jabali said, "and yet we have so many people in debt. 50% of the country is rent burdened...half of people in [America] cannot afford expenses after paying their rent."   

When that happens, capitalism says we didn't work hard enough, didn't read the right self-help books, didn't try to find solutions. But the media, politicians, and everyone else giving that advice neglect to mention that many of those solutions, including loans and other housing supports, have been designed to exclude low-income and Black and brown communities.  

As Onwubiko pointed out, self-help and hustle cannot dismantle a rigged, racist system.

As Onwubiko pointed out, self-help and hustle cannot dismantle a rigged, racist system. "There are all these self-help books on how to manage your time," she said. "But where's the self-help book on how I reclaim my time from work...I don't need people to tell me how to spend my very limited time; I need you to help me figure out how to get more time for myself."     

If we want to have real systems change, Butler added, "we must center black and brown people who have been the most marginalized, who have been historically excluded from the systems of our democracy and economy."