Good afternoon, everyone, and Happy Good Friday!
Let's celebrate the good news!
Let's start with this article from the Root about these equity initiatives!
Here's an excerpt of that article.
- The Department of Labor will implement a plan to address wage theft, specifically among women of color, as well as a plan to make accessing federal unemployment benefits more equitable for people of color who have lost work.
- The Environmental Protection Agency will launch a tool to consider how permitting decisions will impact pollution in underserved communities.
- The Department of Defense will commit to eliminating algorithmic biases in artificial intelligence technology. Part of that commitment is to work with historically black colleges and universities to diversify the workforce that develops artificial intelligence.
- The Justice Department will launch a plan to help those with limited English proficiency to better report crimes, access services and understand their rights.
The Biden-Harris Administration appointed a "racial equity czar" to join HUD.
Here's an excerpt from that article.
The Biden Administration has quietly tapped a ‘racial equity czar’ to work in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, charged with carrying out the agenda laid out in one of President Joe Biden’s first executive orders.
Adjoa B. Asamoah is HUD’s first ever senior adviser for racial equity and currently the only Black woman in federal government whose role is advising a Cabinet secretary, in this case HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, on how public policy contributes to structural inequity and how to mitigate those impacts. News of her appointment comes on the 54th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Fair Housing Act into law.
The appointment comes at a crucial political moment for the Biden Administration, which needs Democrats to maintain control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections in order to continue pursuing its agenda.
I emboldened that section because we need to know her name, who she's advising, and this is a groundbreaking appointment.
Taraji P. Henson and Chris Paul were appointed to President's Biden HBCU advisory board.
Here’s her social media post about the announcement.
“I am excited to announce that President Biden has appointed me to serve on his HBCU Board of Advisors. Since taking office, the President and Vice President Harris have invested $5.8 Billion in HBCUs and I look forward to working with them to continue efforts to support these important institutions.”
And finally, The Biden-Harris administration is showing its commitment to reducing racial disparities in maternal health.
Here’s an excerpt from the Root.
In his Proclamation of Black Maternal Health Week, President Biden stressed his commitment to policies and practices that make pregnancy and childbirth safer for Black women. We wanted to learn more about what his administration is doing to eliminate the racial disparities that exist in maternal healthcare.
So The Root spoke exclusively with Carole Johnson, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA focuses on health equity and care for people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically underserved.
This is really good news! I hope they keep up the good work.
Thank you for reading and Happy Good Friday!