Legislation introduced to Protect Black Women and Girls

Congresswoman Robin Kelly co-chairs the Coalition on Black Women and Girls, which led to the introduction of H.R. 8196, the Protect Black Women and Girls Act of 2020. Photo courtesy of Congresswoman Robin Kelly
Congresswoman Robin Kelly co-chairs the Coalition on Black Women and Girls, which led to the introduction of H.R. 8196, the Protect Black Women and Girls Act of 2020. Photo courtesy of Congresswoman Robin Kelly

Legislation introduced to Protect Black Women and Girls

BY TIA CAROL JONES
     The Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls was established in 2016, with the mission to advance issues and legislation focused on women and girls of African descent. Congresswoman Robin Kelly, D. Dist. 2, is a co-chair of the caucus.
     With that mission in mind, legislation  has been introduced, H.R. 8196, the Protect Black Women and Girls Act of 2020.          The Act would establish an Interagency Task Force to examine education, economic development, healthcare, labor and employment, housing, justice and civil rights, and
look for community-based methods to mitigate and address harm, as well as ensure accountability and study the societal impact of the conditions and experiences.
     “We’ve been all over the country hearing about different issues for three or four years now. This is something we wanted to see happen. Plus, the Commission for Black Men and Boys was passed, so we only thought it was right that there would be something for Black women,” Kelly said.
     She added the Act is about examining the experiences of Black women and the cost of those experiences on our society. “The Caucus on Black Women and Girls—we wanted to explore certain things and we didn’t want to just talk about the negative things.
     We wanted to talk about where we were victorious also,” she added.
     Kelly said that those experiences would include stories about personal achievements and how Black women and girls were able to turn lemons into lemonade. She said the Caucus wants to learn about both the positives and the negatives—examine where discrimination and other barriers exist and
determine what can be done about it.
     The Caucus looked at women in tech, missing girls and sex trafficking. With sex trafficking, it brought government
law enforcement agencies together to figure out how to deal with the issue.
     Kelly added a seminar addressing how Black women could advance in their jobs and earn more money also received a very positive response.
     “People are realizing what Black women and Black men, Black boys and Black girls have gone through, what the challenges have been,” Kelly said. “I just think there is a raised consciousness,” she continued. “I hope that we have positive consequences. It will help us direct what programs need to be
developed or scaled up.”
     This bi-partisan legislation was co-sponsored by Congressman Will Hurd, a Republican from Texas. “We must ensure black women and girls growing up in America today are treated equally and have the same opportunities as all Americans. Ensuring equal treatment across education, health care, economic development and more is something that should already happen, but because it does not, Rep. Robin Kelly and I are calling for a task force to study the treatment and experiences of black women and girls across all sectors of our daily lives. I hope this brings needed accountability and positive change,” said Congressman Hurd in a news release. “I am the proud brother of a strong, successful sister and the uncle of vibrant, intelligent nieces. They matter.”

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