Walk for Economic Sanity — Devon Malcolm Reid's Journey Across America to Understand Money, Power & Human Possibility

My name is Devon Malcolm Reid. I grew up homeless. Both of my parents were incarcerated. I know what it means to fall through the cracks of a system that tells you there's no money to help — while somehow always finding money for the things it prioritizes.

I refused to accept that story. At 24 years old, I became the youngest City Clerk ever elected in Evanston, Illinois. I went on to serve on the Evanston City Council, where I focused relentlessly on economic justice — in a city nationally recognized as the first in America to implement a reparations program. I've seen firsthand what's possible when a community dares to reimagine what government can do.

Now I'm taking that question on the road.

On Friday, March 20th, 2026, I will begin walking from Howard & Asbury in Evanston, Illinois — pushing a 150-pound supply cart on a fully wheelchair-accessible route — on a journey that will take me through Chicago, Cleveland, New York City, Washington D.C., and ultimately end in South Carolina, where my family is from, and where so many Black families from Evanston trace their roots.

This is the Walk for Economic Sanity.

The walk is built around one big, urgent question: Why, in the wealthiest nation in human history, do so many people still suffer from poverty, lack of healthcare, unaffordable childcare, and joblessness — and why are we told we simply cannot afford to fix it?

The framework I'm exploring is Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) — a lens that fundamentally challenges how we think about government spending, debt, and what is truly possible. MMT isn't a left or right idea. It's a description of how money actually works in a country that issues its own currency. And understanding it may be the key to unlocking universal healthcare, universal pre-K and childcare, a federal jobs guarantee, and so much more.

Along the way, I hope to be sitting down with some of the most important economic thinkers in America, including:

L. Randall Wray — one of the founding architects of MMT, at the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College in New York

Pavlina Tcherneva — also at the Levy Economics Institute, the leading scholar on the federal job guarantee

Stephanie Kelton — bestselling author of The Deficit Myth and MMT's most prominent public voice.

Nathan Tankus — influential MMT researcher and writer based in New York City

Scholars and economists in Cleveland, Washington D.C., and beyond

Officials at the Federal Reserve

And most importantly — regular people, in every city I pass through, living the real consequences of economic decisions made without them

I'll be documenting every mile, every conversation, every blister and breakthrough on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook under my name — Devon Malcolm Reid. No polish. No spin. Just the road, the people, and the truth about how money works and who it's working for.

This walk is also deeply personal. I'm 250 pounds. My health and mental health have been challenged. My finances have been stretched. I'm not hiding any of that. This walk is my answer — to the country, to my community, and to myself.

I want to be clear: this isn't about one community, one policy, or one political party. This is about all of us. The single mother who can't afford childcare. The veteran who can't find work. The family bankrupted by medical bills. These are not individual failures. They are policy choices — and policy choices can be changed.

The walk ends in South Carolina — a return to roots, a closing of a circle, and a reminder that the people most harmed by our economic system have always known something was wrong. It's time the rest of America caught up.

Your support funds:

Gear, safety equipment & cart logistics for a wheelchair-accessible route

Filming & content production along the way

Research, scheduling & coordination with economists and institutions

Living and travel expenses during the journey

Goal: $150,000

Because understanding money shouldn't be a privilege. And the first step toward economic sanity might just be a literal one.

Follow the walk: Devon Malcolm Reid on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook.

Starting March 20th, 2026. Evanston, Illinois to South Carolina. One step at a time.