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Month: February 2023

RACE FORWARD COMMENDS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ON RELEASE OF SECOND HISTORIC RACIAL EQUITY EXECUTIVE ORDER

Posted on

For Immediate Release

February 16, 2023

Race Forward, a national racial justice organization,  congratulates the Biden Administration on the issue of its second historic Executive Order mandating racial equity across policy and practice within the federal government, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The significance of this Executive Order cannot be overstated as it is the first time in our nation’s history we have a formal, sustained commitment to institutionalize racial equity at the national level.  The order recognizes that this work is a multi-generational commitment to the American people. 

“As an organization that has been working  to advance racial equity in our policies and institutions for more than 40 years, we commend the Biden Administration on this second commitment to embed racial equity within the federal government,” said Glenn Harris, President of Race Forward. “This Executive Order will operationalize racial equity in federal policies and practices, resulting in significantly improved outcomes for all communities, and particularly communities of color,  in this nation.

We applaud the steadfast commitment of the Biden Administration as demonstrated by this Executive Order. For two years, the Administration has taken these steps in the face of backlash against progress for racial justice, white nationalists violence, and political assaults. It is fitting that this order was issued during Black History month at the very moment extremist Governors are seeking to prevent even the teaching of Black History.  The attacks on Black History are a bellwether for ongoing assaults on our collective history across communities. 

 The Executive Order calls for a sustained commitment—human and economic resources—to racial equity work, accurate data for government decisions, increased investment in small, disadvantaged businesses in under-served communities, and consulting impacted communities in developing solutions to inequity.  It also recognizes that racial inequity is interlinked with inequity based on gender, disability, environmental injustice and more. 

“By issuing this second Executive Order, the Biden Administration is doubling-down and sending a clear signal that racial equity is a priority.” said Carlton Eley, Senior Director of Federal Strategies at Race Forward. “Equally important, the Administration is demonstrating that racial equity is imperative for our country to move forward as a strong nation.”

As the home of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), we are keenly aware that this historic order emerges from almost 20 years of work by local governments in cities and counties across the country.  

“When we started GARE we realized the potential for government to lead on racial equity and ensure all residents have opportunities to achieve successful outcomes,” said Julie Nelson, Senior Vice President of Programs at Race Forward and Co-founder of GARE. “As we have been gathering momentum at the local level, we have also begun to experience push back from extremists. It is reassuring to see the federal government take on this charge to sustain and further the gains that have been made in many local jurisdictions across this country.”

Racial equity work improves outcomes not only for communities of color, but for all communities, and it strengthens our systems for all by transforming how government operates. This, in turn, creates the foundation for the multiracial democracy we need for all neighborhoods and communities to thrive. 

 

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ABOUT RACE FORWARD

Race Forward was founded in 1981 and brings systemic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help people take effective action toward racial equity. Working to build community  and narrative power, Race Forward strives to advance racial equity across all sections. Race Forward is home to the Government Alliance on Race and Equity and Colorlines.

 

Ahead of the 2023 State of the Union, Race Forward Urged President Biden to Continue Leaning into Commitment to Advance Racial Equity

Posted on

For Immediate Release

Feb. 7, 2023

NEW YORK – After decades of organizing by grassroots groups and leaders of color, President Biden and his administration took meaningful steps to address structural racism by issuing an executive order on the matter in 2021. The executive order directed federal agencies to do more to advance racial equity within the federal government and develop corresponding Equity Action Plans (EAPs) detailing how they would do so. Over 90 federal agencies and departments, including all cabinet-level agencies and over 50 independent agencies, prepared EAPs. Now, as President Biden enters the third year of his presidency and prepares to deliver his 2023 State of the Union address, Race Forward urged him to continue championing racial equity. It released the following statement:

“It is imperative President Biden continue focusing on racial equity,” said Glenn Harris, president of Race Forward. “For centuries government has created and sustained policies and systems that produce inequitable outcomes for people of color. President Biden’s historic executive order now presents the federal government with an incredible opportunity to set the tone for the nation. Federal agencies can help lead our country toward an equitable future where all can prosper, however the federal government must work in new, innovative and targeted ways.”

 

“Since racial equity is central to a healthy democracy, each of us has a responsibility to address systemic racism,” Harris added. “No one is exempt from this work; not individuals or corporations, not grassroots groups nor the federal government.”

 

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Race Forward was founded in 1981 and brings systemic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help people take effective action toward racial equity.

 

In his 2023 State of the Union Address, Advocates Want to Hear How President Biden Will Expand Voting Rights, Address Unfair and Inequitable Redistricting Maps

Posted on

For Immediate Release

Feb. 7, 2023

WASHINGTON – On the eve of President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address, advocates from Ohio, Florida, and Louisiana hope Biden will announce plans to strengthen the right to vote, and the ability of Black and brown people to elect candidates of choice. The advocates released the following statement:

“The recent attempts to restrict voting rights in America are a threat to the very foundation of our democracy,” said Anneshia Hardy, executive director of Alabama Values Progress. “Voting is a critical component of a functioning democracy, and any attempt to restrict access to it is a direct attack on the principles of equality and representation. These restrictions take many forms, such as racial gerrymandering, strict voter identification laws, purges of voter rolls, and limiting early voting. Each of these tactics disproportionately impact communities of color, elderly people, and low-income voters. In Alabama and Louisiana,  communities are fighting for fair maps and equitable representations for black voters in Milligan v Merrill and Ardoin v Robinson. It’s not enough to have the right to vote, every vote should carry equal power. The right to vote is a fundamental part of what it means to be an American. Let us not surrender it without a fight. Advocates across the country are calling on the Biden Administration to put forth and promote policies that protect and uphold voting rights, particularly for communities that have  been historically  impacted by unfair maps and discriminatory practices.”

“People across the country are hurting and Black Americans especially want President Biden to continue investing in communities of color and implementing policies that help the average person get ahead,” said Prentiss Haney, co-director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. “In Ohio, where I live, it is increasingly difficult for Black and brown people to vote, have their votes counted and elect candidates of choice. We need President Biden to continue fighting for communities like ours.”

“President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union comes at a time when Floridians are experiencing intense attack by a governor intent on discrediting, diminishing and denying people who look differently from him,” said Jasmine Burney-Clark, president of Equal Ground in Florida. “From his efforts to erase Black history, restrict discussions of race, to his campaign to make it harder for Floridians to vote, Florida is at ground zero when it comes to the attacks leveled against Black and brown people. It is imperative that President Biden continue using his authority to help not only communities in Florida, but the nation.”

“We have several major cases at the Supreme Court – including Alabama and North Carolina – that will determine Black voters’ abilities to elect candidates of choice,” said Ashley K. Shelton, president and founder of the Power Coalition in Louisiana. “We also have pending lawsuits – such as the Power Coalition’s challenge to Louisiana’s redistricting maps, which will impact Louisiana’s case once it goes to the Supreme Court. In this moment, advocates need to hear how the Biden administration will protect voting rights, not just for voters of today, but for future generations. Everything that we hold dear can be taken away without better protections, including laws that restrict gerrymandered and racially discriminatory legislative maps which is why we must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.”

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