Title: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the wrongs and hardships of Black women are often equal to those experienced by Black men yet receive less attention and justice, and that any legislation passed in the House of Representatives to remedy racial inequities in the United States, especially those present in the criminal justice system, must include reforms to address concerns for Black women.
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Summary:
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1027 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1027

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the wrongs 
 and hardships of Black women are often equal to those experienced by 
    Black men yet receive less attention and justice, and that any 
  legislation passed in the House of Representatives to remedy racial 
   inequities in the United States, especially those present in the 
 criminal justice system, must include reforms to address concerns for 
                              Black women.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2020

Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. Clarke of 
  New York, Mr. Butterfield, Ms. Norton, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Danny K. 
  Davis of Illinois, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Moore, Mr. McEachin, Mr. Smith of 
Washington, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Blunt Rochester, 
    Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Ms. 
  Pingree, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Lowenthal, and Ms. 
  Omar) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the wrongs 
 and hardships of Black women are often equal to those experienced by 
    Black men yet receive less attention and justice, and that any 
  legislation passed in the House of Representatives to remedy racial 
   inequities in the United States, especially those present in the 
 criminal justice system, must include reforms to address concerns for 
                              Black women.

Whereas social justice and criminal reform movements of the past few decades 
        have often focused on or sprung out of protests of violence or against 
        Black men and boys, yet Black women and girls are also frequent victims 
        of such violence and harassment but do not receive the same media 
        attention, public condemnation, or calls for justice;
Whereas the Black women victims of State violence and excessive force are often 
        forgotten, if they are ever made public in the first place, and include 
        names such as Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Atatianna Jefferson, Pamela 
        Turner, Alexia Christian, Mya Hall, Gabriella Nevarez, Shantel Davis, 
        Malissa Williams, Shelly Frey, Kathryn Johnston, Alberta Spruill, 
        Natasha McKenna, Sheneque Proctor, Rekia Boyd, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 
        Meagan Hockaday, Denise Stewart, Roasann Miller, Alesia Thomas, Korryn 
        Gaines, Nina Pop, Yvette Smith, Tarika Wilson, and Kendra James, 
        alongside countless others;
Whereas Black women are often leaders in the fight for rights, social justice, 
        and equality for all people, such as Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and 
        Opal Tometi, who founded the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of 
        the murder of Trayvon Martin;
Whereas the incarcerated female population has grown eight-fold due to stiffer 
        drug sentencing laws and postconviction barriers to reentry that 
        uniquely affect women;
Whereas Black girls are 10 times more likely to be disciplined and 6 times more 
        likely to be suspended than their White counterparts;
Whereas women represent a growing share of all arrests in the country as arrests 
        of men decline;
Whereas women account for a larger share of all police-initiated contacts than 
        they do arrests suggesting more interactions with law enforcement than 
        arrest records represent;
Whereas Black women are approximately 17 percent more likely to be stopped in a 
        police-initiated traffic stop than White women;
Whereas Black women are roughly three times as likely to be arrested during 
        traffic stop than White women;
Whereas Black women are more likely than White men and three times as likely as 
        White women to experience the use of force during police-initiated 
        stops;
Whereas police use of force against women rose by 353 percent from 1999 to 2015;
Whereas the imprisonment rate for African-American women is twice that of White 
        women;
Whereas the average lifetime earnings gap of nearly $1 million between Black 
        women and White men complicates reentry and increases the likelihood of 
        recidivism; and
Whereas there are only 45 elected Black women serving as prosecutors, comprising 
        1.8 percent of all elected prosecutors despite representing 20 percent 
        of the population as a whole: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the harm, trauma, and deaths of Black women must be 
        recognized alongside Black men;
            (2) the position of Black women is unique in this country, 
        and therefore deserves specific, focused intervention to bring 
        about equality of access, opportunity, and justice;
            (3) any legislation passed in the House of Representatives 
        to remedy racial inequities in the United States, especially 
        those present in the criminal justice system, must include 
        reforms to address concerns for Black women; and
            (4) the creation of a commission to study the status of 
        Black women and girls, and the social and systemic barriers 
        they face, would aid in reducing those barriers, and 
        identifying reforms that would encourage more fair and equal 
        treatment for Black women and all people.
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