In February, Pennsylvania Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick teamed up with Illinois Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly (IL-2), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-9), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and several other officials to re-introduce the bipartisan Protect Black Women and Girls Act. The legislation was first introduced in 2021.
If passed, the bill would create an Interagency Task Force to examine the circumstances and encounters of Black women and girls across various sectors including education, economic development, healthcare, labor and employment, housing, justice and civil rights. The goal is to advocate for community-driven approaches to alleviate and tackle harm, ensure accountability, and analyze the societal impacts on Black women and girls.
As stated in a press release, the bill’s primary focus lies in pinpointing and evaluating the effectiveness of policies and programs aimed at enhancing outcomes for Black women and girls across federal, state and local levels. Concurrently, it aims to devise an action plan geared towards enhancing these programs for the betterment of both communities.
If enacted, members of the Protect Black Women and Girls task force would have the ability to submit recommendations to Congress, the president and each state or local government on policies, practices, programs and incentives that should be adopted to improve program standards and outcomes.
One of the areas that will be assessed is the ongoing maternal health crisis that continues to negatively impact Black women. Currently, Black women die from pregnancy-related complications at three times the rate of their white and non-Hispanic counterparts. Pay disparities in the workforce are also a constant barrier for Black women. The task force would try to find and uncover ways to combat this problem.
“For every U.S. dollar that a white man earns in the United States, Black women are paid 67 cents,” a press release from Brian Fitzpatrick’s office…
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