A Model Job-Training Program

This week, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh visited San Antonio, where he praised NewDEALer Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s Ready to Work program. The $200 million program has a goal to train 28,000 low-income residents for better paying jobs by the end of 2025. The program formally launched in May, and so far nearly 6,000 people have applied. During his visit, Secretary Walsh said “We need to be more intentional about investing in workforce development, and we need to be doing it with cities…Programs like Ready to Work should be replicated around the country.” Read more about the program here, and also check out the Labor Department’s Good Jobs Initiative, which is seeking to improve job quality nationwide.

Expanding Black History Education

This week, the Tennessee governor signed a bill co-sponsored by NewDEAL Leader Senator Raumesh Akbari, expanding multiculturalism in the K-12 curriculum with special attention to Black history instruction. Scheduled to be enacted in the 2025-26 school year, the law will help ensure that “students get a well-rounded education that includes every contribution [to American history], whether it’s from someone who’s Black or white, of Mexican heritage, or Asian heritage,” according to Senator Akbari. Read more details about the bill, which comes on the heels of last year’s passage of a law that banned “critical race theory” and the discussion of racial or gender privilege in schools.

Expansion of Voting in Massachusetts

A committee co-chaired by NewDEAL Leader Massachusetts Senator Barry Finegold recently brokered a deal in both the House and Senate to pass a package of voting reforms that include permanent mail-in voting, increased ballot accessibility for voters with disabilities and overseas service members, and updated election administration procedures for the state. The reforms also make voter registration windows more flexible, allowing voters to register as late as 10 days before an election rather than the original 20 days. “This landmark legislation will empower voters and strengthen our democracy,” Finegold said. Read more about this important legislation, and keep an eye out for more from the NewDEAL Forum on solutions to protect voter access and build election integrity as the new Democracy Working Group ramps up.

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Advancing Restorative Justice

Problem

Despite the fact that cannabis is decriminalized in twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia, the Last Prisoner Project estimates that there are 40,000 cannabis inmates in the country today. Nearly 600,000 individuals were imprisoned for cannabis offenses in 2017, and despite broad legalization, cannabis arrests are on the rise in various areas throughout the country. Furthermore, re-entry into the job market is a major problem for previously imprisoned people. Therefore, released inmates have a tough time finding and keeping work following re-entry. Additionally, due to residential instability, previously imprisoned people may end up homeless after being released since strict housing laws make it more difficult for them to find stable housing.

Solution

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced that her office has expunged more than 15,000 non-violent possession cannabis convictions over the past three years. When cannabis use became legalized in Illinois in 2020, Foxx worked to bring relief to individuals who had paid their debt to society by removing past convictions from their records. Having a clean record can help these individuals with employment and housing opportunities. 

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Fostering a Welcoming Community for Immigrants

Problem

The Kaiser Family Foundation has identified that immigrants often feeling unwelcome in the United State. For example, fear and anxiety run high among immigrant families, including those with legal status. Additionally, due to heightened anxiety and uncertainty, their daily living can become more challenging, and some parents have stated that finding work in the present atmosphere is more difficult, putting additional financial stress on families. Furthermore, after the 2016 election, parents and physicians reported a dramatic increase in acts of racism and prejudice. 

Solution

Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird released Lincoln’s Immigrant Welcoming and Belonging Plan. This effort aims to provide targeted supportive services to help immigrants and refugees grow and prosper together with their new community. The plan includes expanding existing services, such as legal resources and education support, as well as developing new programs, such as establishing a welcome center with dedicated staff to provide support for housing, health, and economic opportunity.

 

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Kansas City Initiative to Appoint more Women to Boards and Commissions 

Problem

In partnership with United WE, the Institute for Leadership Studies at the University of Kansas, identified that women are marginalized on numerous civic boards and commissions. Across 164 towns and cities in Kansas, women were equally represented in only two boards or commissions on libraries and housing, and underrepresented in parks and recreation, zoning boards, and planning boards, making up 38 percent of the appointees for parks and recreation, 25 percent of zoning boards, and 24 percent of planning boards.

Solution

In partnership with the National League of Cities, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas reveals their intention to expand the number of women on boards and commissions through United WE’s Appointments Project. The Appointments Project assists women to acquire positions on civic boards and commissions at the city, county, and state level and, so far, has helped more than 180 women be voted onto civic boards and commissions. Moreover, the project also highlights the expanding racial equity on civic boards and commissions among women, with women of color representing 37% of applicants. Today, women’s representation on Kansas City boards and commissions is higher than 51 percent.

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Higher Education Partnership to help Black and Latinx students 

Problem

In 2013, the City of Boston conducted a study to identify the correlation between the school’s demographics and academic performance in order to achieve better outcomes for Black and Latinx students. The study revealed that students of color make up 40 percent of the district’s enrollment yet maintain lower academic performance than their white and Asian peer groups. The study further reveals that Black, Latinx, and low-income students face inequitable high education and employment success throughout their lives

Solution

Through a college completion initiative program, Success Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu, and 15 higher education institutions in Massachusetts are committed to reaching a 70% college completion rate for Boston Public Schools district graduates. Students at Success Boston are 11% more likely than their peers to continue on to their second year of college and 21% more likely to continue on to their third year of college.

Furthermore, Success Boston is prioritizing Black and Latinx students by refining policies, creating stronger programs, and reforming systems to promote equity and close equity gaps. For example, they are working to implement inclusive, asset-based interventions and engage directly with Boston’s residents. Moreover, they are working to promote and coordinate the Success Boston policy agenda across institutions at the city, state, and federal level.

 

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Working to Expand Access to Rhode Island Public Transit for All Riders

Problem

High transportation expenses have added to linked socioeconomic barriers in many communities, preventing people from pursuing new opportunities. According to a survey conducted by the Community Service Society, 25% of people living in poverty stated they were frequently unable to afford transport fares. Furthermore, Latinx and Black people stated significant rates of transit hardship, with 28% having difficulty affording subway or bus fares.

Solution

Representative Leonela Felix introduced legislation for free fares for all riders on the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority buses in an effort to combat climate change, expand the economy, and encourage racial justice. Felix proposes to use revenues from the gas tax and the Transportation and Climate Initiative. “One of the most significant barriers to equitable transportation, particularly for low-income families, is the cost,” added Representative Leonela Felix. “We know that low-income families and people of color use [public] transportation at least twice as much as white families.” This program still requires approval from state lawmakers and, if approved, would take effect in 2023.

 

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Lansings Equity Matrix to Provide Data to Improve Representation

Problem

The Economic Policy Institute identified that black and Latinx employees are underrepresented in “professional” jobs that pay more on average than other jobs. For example, white people make up 61.4% of the workforce, while black people make up 12.8%, Latinx 17.4%, and AAPI 7.4%. Within the next decade, eight of the ten major categories of professional occupations are expected to see above-average job growth. Therefore, if existing disparities in employment patterns persist, racial disparities in professional occupations are expected to widen.

Solution

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor launched the Equity Matrix, an online dashboard that monitors the racial and ethnic demographics of neighborhoods and the city’s workforce. The objective of the Equity Matrix is to decrease racial disparities in addition to assisting the City in planning for the present and future. The data will be used by the City of Lansing to help create strategic improvements in policies, practices, programs, and procedures, including recruitment and hiring practices and tracking progress in regards to diversity.

 

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Preventing Discrimination against the Natural Hairstyles of Black Women

Problem

For generations, black hair has been unfairly deemed “unprofessional” in public settings like classrooms and the workplace. The study, published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal, titled “The Natural Hair Bias in Job Recruitment,” identified that wearing natural hairstyles has a negative impact on black women’s career opportunities. For example,  black women with natural hairstyles were unjustly regarded as less professional, and were less likely to be suggested for a job interview than black women with hairstyles typically worn by white women.

Solution

The CROWN Act, sponsored by Sen. Raumesh Akbari, stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” and would make it illegal for employers to discriminate against natural and protective hairstyles like braids, locs, and twists. Any employees who believe their right to wear their hair naturally has been violated may submit a complaint with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The bill was approved by the Tennessee legislature, making it the first statehouse in the rural South to pass legislation barring discrimination towards natural hairstyles.