As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it is critical to call out the rising tide of racism, illustrated recently in both the invasion of our Capital building and the vote against certifying the election of a new president. White Supremacists dominated the violent mob, and invalidating the thoroughly vetted and certified electoral college votes was a cynical attempt to disenfranchise millions of Black voters: the contested votes were all in counties with a high percentage of Black voters. In the weeks ahead, more will be revealed about the violent acts, and the ultimate intent and identity of the leaders of the assault on our democracy. And, there is a general fear that more violence is ahead.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was committed to rejecting violence as means for justice. Now, on this day honoring his legacy, we condemn the violence we witnessed on January 6th. These past two weeks have displayed how much is left to be done to follow Dr. King’s call for racial justice, equity, and unity.
Today, we reaffirm the PowHerNY’s Network commitment to fighting for an anti-racist policy agenda in our state, as we assert the urgent need to speak out for gender justice. To create a just society, we are laser-focused on advancing equity for those who are discriminated against at the crossroads of race, gender, and class. Indeed, organizations and individuals statewide have coalesced around a Vision for Change and a Roadmap to Inclusive Gender Justice.
As we move forward, in the wake of the shocking recent events and the promise of a new national administration dedicated to a shift in policies promoting equity and opportunity, PowHerNY will call on our leaders to view solutions to our pressing problems through a gender justice and anti-racist lens. We will challenge our leaders to advance a budget and policy agenda that puts people of color, esp. women hardest hit by the pandemic first.
Due to the overarching impact of COVID-19, women across the workforce have been pushed off career trajectories due to family responsibilities such as child and elder care. In December, women of color were represented in all the jobs lost in the United States. Industries where women of color are overrepresented, such as restaurants and hospitality, have been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic.
Last week, throughout his State of the State, Governor Cuomo asked us to imagine the revitalization that lies ahead for New York as we create a green economy and thousands more jobs through infrastructure projects and the expansion of technological access. We applaud his efforts to ensure a racially-diverse workforce is trained and has access to these jobs. But, also part of the solution is ensuring women return to the workforce. We must prepare them for better paying jobs by providing equal opportunity to training programs for skilled jobs and funding child care centers across the state. Only by getting women back to work will the economy fully recover and begin to grow again. We must set ambitious goals for gender diverse training in order to break the cycle of poverty created by the typically low-paying jobs the vast majority of women hold.
As we honor the legacy of Dr. King, let us come together to ensure that the threads of economic, racial and gender equity are woven into a lifeline to replace the messages of hate, disparity and fear so vividly on display in our country.