Kyle Strickland
Senior Legal Analyst and Special Assistant to the Director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity; Director, My Brother’s Keeper Ohio
Kyle Strickland Tim Johnson | Columbus CEO
About: Kyle Strickland is Senior Legal Analyst and Special Assistant to the Director at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity at Ohio State University, where he develops strategies to increase the policy impact of the institute and build partnerships with community stakeholders. Strickland’s work focuses on civil rights issues, criminal justice reform, economic justice and equitable access to education. In addition, he serves as the director of My Brother’s Keeper Ohio, a statewide network providing educational and community opportunities for youth of color. An Ohio State alum, he holds a juris doctor from Harvard Law School.
As our city rebuilds, we must center racial equity to ensure no one is left behind. For too long, Black and brown voices have been ignored, exploited or overlooked.
Outside of work: Board member, Ohio Poverty Law Center, Ohio State University Black Alumni Society, American Constitution Society Columbus chapter, Create Columbus Commission and John Mercer Langston Bar Association. Steering committee member, OSU Moritz College of Law’s Divided Community Project and member, Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper National Framework Committee. Member, public policy regional roundtable, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, and Columbus Bar Association. Fellow, Roosevelt Institute.
What does Columbus need to thrive? COVID-19 will exacerbate existing inequalities in our society. As our city rebuilds, we must center racial equity to ensure no one is left behind. For too long, Black and brown voices have been ignored, exploited or overlooked. We must recognize that many communities were struggling long before this crisis. We must provide immediate short-term relief and build for long-term resiliency and support for families in need.
Strickland’s idea: We should launch a guaranteed-income pilot in the city of Columbus, which provides monthly cash payments for households in need. There has been growing momentum for guaranteed income pilots across the country, including in Stockton, California, where they have provided $500 a month to 125 adults for a period of 18 months. While the pilot is underway, the results are promising. People are using the money to cover basic needs that they otherwise would not have been able to cover. We can leverage partnerships to make a program happen right here in Columbus.