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 di-
minished power, through unpaid, exploited, and forced 
labor; 
Whereas discriminatory features of the United States labor 
market and the punitive design of public benefits pro-
grams 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 indica-
tors illustrate a system that has been designed to keep 
Black women without power; 
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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 bar-
gaining, and stronger labor law protection can benefit the 
economic well-being of marginalized demographics, spe-
cifically Black women; 
Whereas expanding the child tax credit and earned income 
tax credit, incentivizing State tax changes, and strength-
ening 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 profes-
sionals, often at the expense of their lives; 
Whereas, in 2020, more than 30 percent of Black women re-
lied on Medicaid as their primary source of health cov-
erage; 
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 qual-
ity care; 
Whereas Black women do not breastfeed at the same rates 
as their non-Black counterparts and are disproportion-
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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 inher-
itances and other family financial support; 
Whereas Black women have been stigmatized in the American 
welfare state, which affects their equitable access to gov-
ernment 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, dedi-
cated funding for home and community-based services to 
protect the right of Black women with disabilities to re-
ceive 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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Whereas critical legislation, such as the Protect Black 
Women and Girls Act, establishes a Task Force to exam-
ine 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 de-
signed 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 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) acknowledges the Black Women Best 
(BWB) framework to empower and improve life for 
all through guaranteed income, expanding child and 
income tax credit, increasing access to equitable 
health care and government assistance, prohibiting 
policing in schools, and prioritizing restorative jus-
tice; and 
(2) supports the need to use policy frameworks 
similar to the BWB framework to center the lived 
experience of Black women in the policymaking 
process in order to ensure a more equal and just fu-
ture for all; 
(3) encourages the use of this framework and 
those that complement it as a guideline to create 
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and implement better public policies to benefit all 
people, and specifically Black women; and 
(4) considers legislative proposals presented in 
the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and 
Girls March report, ‘‘An Economy for All: Building 
a ‘Black Women Best’ Legislative Agenda’’ to repair 
the historical disparities that Black women endure 
and to secure an economy that works for everyone. 
Æ 
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