Hi-Lo – Diego Coutinho | The Freedom Budget: Martin Luther King’s Unfinished Blueprint

“If our nation can spend $35 billion a year to fight an unjust, evil war in Vietnam and $20 billion to put a man on the moon it can spend billion of dollars to put God’s children on their two feet right here on earth.”

Martin Luther King

Lost Nation Pictures’ documentary, The Freedom Budget: MLK’s Unfinished Blueprint, resurrects a pivotal yet overlooked chapter in the fight for economic justice. The film centers on the 1966 ‘Freedom Budget’, a radical plan forged by civil rights luminaries Bayard Rustin (architect of the 1963 March on Washington) and his mentor, labor pioneer A. Philip Randolph.

Joined by economist Leon Keyserling—a New Deal architect and Truman advisor—they drafted a 10-year, $185 billion proposal to eradicate poverty through guaranteed income and jobs, higher wages, and universal healthcare, all without raising taxes or cutting military spending. Endorsed by Martin Luther King and backed by 211 leaders across academia, entertainment, and activism, the ‘Freedom Budget’ aimed to eliminate poverty by 1975, merging civil rights with economic equity. Diego Coutinho’s collaboration with Lost Nation Pictures brought this forgotten vision to life through evocative visuals: archival protest footage, dynamic infographics dissecting the budget’s scope, and stark contrasts between its ambitions and America’s entrenched inequality. The documentary frames the plan as a precursor to modern universal basic income (UBI) debates, revealing how systemic barriers and political shifts stifled its momentum. Yet its legacy endures—a testament to coalition-building’s power and a challenge to reimagine economic justice. By weaving historical urgency with contemporary relevance, Coutinho’s work rekindles a bold blueprint for equity, urging audiences to confront democracy’s unfinished work.