Members of the U.S. House of Representatives re-introduced legislation that would ensure the federal government implements measures to protect Black women and girls from racial inequities in healthcare, housing, education, and employment, among other areas.
In a bipartisan move, U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly, D-Ill.., Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., Jennifer McClellan, D-Va., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and other Congressional members held a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to discuss the “Protect Black Women and Girls Act,” which was originally introduced in 2021.
Rep. Kelly told reporters that members of the four major Black sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., “challenged” lawmakers to push for legislation that advocates for Black women and girls.
“This legislation commits our government to improving the education, healthcare, economic opportunity, and civil rights available to American Black women and girls,” the congresswoman, representing parts of Chicago, added.
Rep. Clarke told theGrio that, if passed, the bill would be “groundbreaking.”
“We know of the heroic efforts that Black women have put into building, protecting, and elevating our country,” said the New York lawmaker. “But we recognized that it has never really been addressed how legislation and policy impact Black women and girls.”
If enacted into law, the statute would create an interagency task force committed to examining the harmful experiences that Black women and girls face in education, economic development, housing, labor and employment, justice, healthcare, and civil rights.
Rep. Kelly noted that statistics show Black women face “an uphill battle with the rising cost of housing,” and since Black women earn less than their white counterparts, “it is more difficult for them to find an…
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