IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 484 

Addressing the hardships and disparities faced by Black women in order 

to encourage more inclusive policymaking. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 7, 2023 

Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Ms. CLARKE of New York, and Ms. 

KELLY of Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 

RESOLUTION 

Addressing the hardships and disparities faced by Black 

women in order to encourage more inclusive policymaking. 

Whereas throughout United States history, the country’s 

economy was built in large part upon Black women’s diminished power, through unpaid, exploited, and forced 

labor; 

Whereas discriminatory features of the United States labor 

market and the punitive design of public benefits programs hinder the economic mobility of Black women with 

disabilities; 

Whereas income gaps, wealth gaps, lack of adequate worker 

protection laws, and a host of other socioeconomic indicators illustrate a system that has been designed to keep 

Black women without power; 


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•HRES 484 IH 

Whereas Black women made up 6.4 percent of the United 

States workforce in 2020, but represent 10.4 percent of 

the workers who would benefit from raising the minimum 

wage to just $15 an hour; 

Whereas Black women make between 62 to 64 cents of every 

dollar made by a White, non-Hispanic man; 

Whereas economic insecurity is intensified for Black women, 

who have little to no wealth to fall back on due to 

generational inequality and ongoing discrimination; 

Whereas guaranteed income, direct cash transfers, hazard 

pay, an increase in worker power, sectoral worker bargaining, and stronger labor law protection can benefit the 

economic well-being of marginalized demographics, specifically Black women; 

Whereas expanding the child tax credit and earned income 

tax credit, incentivizing State tax changes, and strengthening the estate tax can assist in centering Black women 

in tax reform; 

Whereas studies show that Black women, whether insured or 

uninsured, receive worse care by health care professionals, often at the expense of their lives; 

Whereas, in 2020, more than 30 percent of Black women relied on Medicaid as their primary source of health coverage; 

Whereas Black women not only need access to health care 

providers that value their identity, but also providers who 

look like them to improve Black women’s access to quality care; 

Whereas Black women do not breastfeed at the same rates 

as their non-Black counterparts and are disproportionVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:02 Jun 08, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR484.IH HR484

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•HRES 484 IH 

ately affected by first food deserts and maternity care 

deserts; 

Whereas single woman led households have the highest rates 

of food insecurity and this disproportionately affects 

Black women; 

Whereas Black women are less likely to have wealth, to own 

a home, to hold retirement savings, and to receive inheritances and other family financial support; 

Whereas Black women have been stigmatized in the American 

welfare state, which affects their equitable access to government assistance programs; 

Whereas Black women have been denied access to safe and 

affordable housing through the current rental housing 

market and Federal housing assistance programs; 

Whereas racist and sexist Federal policies have denied Black 

women access to safe and affordable housing in both 

home ownership and rental markets, rendering them 

more likely to be cost-burdened and face eviction; 

Whereas policymakers must provide robust, permanent, dedicated funding for home and community-based services to 

protect the right of Black women with disabilities to receive care within their homes and communities; 

Whereas 4.7 percent of Black women overall report serious 

psychological distress, and this rate nearly doubles for 

Black people living in poverty; 

Whereas the school-to-prison pipeline for Black girls must be 

eliminated and restorative justice in lieu of policing in 

schools and communities to promote equitable academic 

success must be prioritized; 


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•HRES 484 IH 

Whereas critical legislation, such as the Protect Black 

Women and Girls Act, establishes a Task Force to examine the conditions and experiences of Black women and 

girls to identify and assess the efficacy of policies and 

programs designed to improve outcomes for Black 

women; and 

Whereas the Black Women Best (BWB) framework, as designed by Janelle Jones, the first African-American 

woman to serve as chief economist at the Department of 

Labor, offers the blueprint to adopt a more innovative 

and equitable approach to center the lived experiences of 

Black women in policymaking: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) acknowledges the Black Women Best 

3 (BWB) framework to empower and improve life for 

4 all through guaranteed income, expanding child and 

5 income tax credit, increasing access to equitable 

6 health care and government assistance, prohibiting 

7 policing in schools, and prioritizing restorative jus8 tice; and 

9 (2) supports the need to use policy frameworks 

10 similar to the BWB framework to center the lived 

11 experience of Black women in the policymaking 

12 process in order to ensure a more equal and just fu13 ture for all; 

14 (3) encourages the use of this framework and 

15 those that complement it as a guideline to create 


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•HRES 484 IH 

1 and implement better public policies to benefit all 

2 people, and specifically Black women; and 

3 (4) considers legislative proposals presented in 

4 the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and 

5 Girls March report, ‘‘An Economy for All: Building 

6 a ‘Black Women Best’ Legislative Agenda’’ to repair 

7 the historical disparities that Black women endure 

8 and to secure an economy that works for everyone. 

Æ 


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