The Status Of Women Of Color In The American Political System: 2008

Women of color are much more likely than white women to have less than a high school education or a high school education only. In starkest contrast, for example, nearly a quarter of Hispanic women have not completed high school (24.8 percent) compared with only 4.1 percent of white women.

In response to the call of the Obama campaign for community participation in the development of his platform, some of us responded and forwarded platform recommendations drafted July 21, 2008, transmitted July 23, 2008, along with our offer to discuss the recommendations and implementation strategies upon request. Following are excerpts from those recommendations:

CAMPAIGN STRATEGY CONCERNS

We are concerned about information that has been communicated from Obama campaign staff in Sacramento and Chicago that the Obama campaign will not expend any of the millions of dollars in campaign funds raised in any California campaign efforts—that California has been written off. As citizens of the most populous state in the nation, this campaign strategy has the effect of discouraging grassroots and young voters, especially first time voters, because it conveys the impression that our votes don’t matter. California is a state in which only 40% of the population is white; 60% is made up of people of color. We represent the diversity of the country. We cannot help but view this dismissal of our importance to this election as a repudiation of the significance and impact of people of color on the direction of the nation, We urge Senator Obama to reconsider this strategy.

We have repeatedly called for greater representation of people of color among the paid staff of the Obama campaign—a strategy which has been used effectively in California by politicians such as Willie Brown and Diane Watson, but is now resisted. There is a growing disconnect with grassroots leadership who are in regular contact with and are most respected by the masses of grassroots and young voters of color. Instead, too often there is an exclusionary reliance on “traditional” minority or civil rights organizations that do not always have contemporary representative memberships nor viable leadership and are rooted to the past. Frequently, these “traditional” groups are out of touch technologically and thus are unable to communicate to young voters of color who have access to text messaging and emailing.

There is also a lack of understanding of the continued need for direct campaign interactions with rural, small town and urban enclaves of people of color who are responsive to those who care enough to engage and interact with them. We have repeatedly called for campaigns to invest in multicultural, multilingual touring groups which can go out to these communities and communicate political positions on issues of importance. To discount these voters, to make no effort to encourage their votes, is to communicate the notion that we will continue to be marginalized in the future or to be subjected to continued patronization of receiving what others think we deserve. To continue this kind of relationship of masses of people with their government is to maintain such people as a fringe without a voice.

SELECTED PLATFORM RECOMMENDATIONS

1. ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES

a. Affirm, as a matter of national policy, the existence of the oppression, marginalization, discrimination and forced invisibility of women of color in the United States. Establish a publicly accessible, interactive online library, modeled after Wikipedia, in which research articles and bibliographies on the experience of women of color, along with strategies and concepts for interventions and programs, can be accumulated. Affirm, as a matter of national policy, the existence of institutionalized racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination and oppression. Exercise leadership to eliminate all institutional inequalities among US citizens.

b. Provide access to capital to small businesses, women, minority and veteran-owned businesses, and specifically identified women of color businesses which have not been fairly included in the established categories. Increase the representation of women of color with documented backgrounds as advocates for women of color, the grassroots and other disadvantaged citizens among SBA executives, administrators, program directors and staff. Engage the services of the US Department of Education to train leaders of other federal agencies in working with all segments of the nation in implementing programs and services so that federal agencies reflect the nation in terms of employees and recipients of services.

2. CIVIL RIGHTS/ JUSTICE

a. Secure the passage and sign the Civil Rights Tax Relief Act which will correct two current inequities in tax-code treatment of settlements and awards received by victims of employment-rights violations. Under current law, those who suffer non-economic damages as a result of unfair employment practices pay taxes; those who suffer non-economic damages as a result of physical injuries (such as car accidents), do not. This is a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude from gross income amounts received on account of claims based on certain unlawful discrimination and to allow income averaging for backpay and frontpay awards received on account of such claims, and for other purposes.

b. Within the first six months after inauguration, restore the Legal Services Corporation with the ability to provide affordable legal representation to plaintiffs in civil rights cases, including racism, sexism and all legally prohibited forms of discrimination and inequity on a parallel with the provision of legal representation in criminal cases. It must be recognized and acknowledged that few citizen plaintiffs have the resources to secure legal representation in most cases. Therefore, ability to pay has become the determiner of legal representation in most cases, depriving women of color overwhelmingly of the means of redressing grievances because women of color are the poorest citizens of the nation. Establish a system of identifying government agencies which habitually discriminate so that appropriate executive actions can be promptly undertaken. Insure that the Legal Services Corporation, including the lawyers and all staff and administrators, are drawn from all the racial, ethnic, and national origin populations, as well as women including women of color and men and from a broad array of age cohorts by requiring transparent, equitable employment practices with no cronyism nor other conflicts of interest permitted.

c. Utilize the National Labor Relations Board and other union and community organizations to address discrimination. Develop a review process in partnership with labor unions to evaluate whether union leadership reflects union membership for women, women of color and minority group members.

3. ARTS

a. Develop a more inclusive program of changing the global community and nation through the arts. Provide an emphasis on women/women of color in music-jazz, for example, where opportunities for women musicians have been minimal and for women of color relegated to the lowest paying-except for a notable few. However, focusing on the few never results in equity for the many. It is conceivable that the commercial value of jazz and other music genres would be improved by the inclusion of more women, including women singers, in primary roles, rather than as canaries in a mine. In addition, the artistry of women has continued to be dominated by misogyny, an oppressive condition to which men are not subjected. Development of women-focused music, art & dance festivals and major support for women artists while writing, composing, painting or developing new choreography are being developed.

b. Funding through the National Council of the Arts, National Council for the Humanities, Smithsonian Institution and other agencies that provide funding and other resources to enable women/women of color focused artist tours and women/women of color arts historical preservation. Encouraging corporate sponsors to support women of color in the arts, especially preserving the history of arts of women of color and the development of new artistic directions by women of color. Review of the allocation of funds and resources to women of color in the arts. Review of the membership of boards and commissions associated with the determination of awards to artists and statistical analysis of the opportunities provided to women of color artists in comparison with artists of other groups of women and men. Publicly reporting inequities and calling for the development of corrective actions and strategies.

c. In concert with artist organizations, musician and other related unions, lawyers for the arts and other champions of artists, implement a major study of the health patterns and life challenges affecting professional artists, for example the destructiveness of osteoporosis on ballerinas, incidence of substance addictions, HIV/Aids, unique health and health insurance issues, retirement issues, impact of a cash economy on many artists who have no contributions to social security, and other issues of poverty, and mental health. Development of accessible show business/entertainment/arts/sports business education to facilitate benefits to the majority of individuals which is generally overlooked with the ongoing focus on a few highly paid individuals. Development of strategies for acquisition, replacement and insurance for equipment and to secure continuing education in changing art conditions and arts related technology.

d. Recognition and acknowledgement of unique arts practices of women of color, for example, African hair braiding, which is an art form as well as a hair care practice, and the ancient art of hula and the making of poi which are unique Hawaiian cultural traditions. Assuring the inclusion of these and other unique arts of women of color as art forms and not simply preparations for tourists.

4. EDUCATION

a. Appoint a multi-cultural team of seasoned male and female educational professionals who have the respect of parents and grassroots advocates to conduct a Comprehensive Educational Review of the No Child Left Behind program, and concurrently order a compliance review of the same program to determine if civil rights laws were adhered to by the schools and agencies involved in the program

b. Order a meeting of compliance officers representing all federal agencies capable of compliance reviews, complemented by multicultural men and women from educational and community advocacy organizations to review the record of compliance reviews throughout the country by state, institutions, federal agencies, outcomes and follow up when discrimination has been found during the last 25 years. Budget and staffing statistics and patterns of increase and decrease are to be reviewed. Assign responsibility to this group to develop recommendations for a national model and standard for compliance reviews.

c. Develop a national agenda for the complete elimination of segregation and discrimination in educational institutions. Failure to address the multiple forms of discrimination in K-12 schools and at every level of higher education has resulted in skyrocketing dropout rates of students of color and especially channeled female students of color into low salaried, dead-end careers. Concurrently, the sexual abuse of teen and pre-teen girls by adult men as predators and sexual abusers in their own social circles results in many unplanned pregnancies and births and is hidden in the pretense that most of the fathers of the often unwanted, frequently neglected children are teenaged boys. This allows adult men, including many married men to evade responsibility for their children and their infidelity to their wives (often women of color too), creating an environment in which women and girls of color are perpetuated as dehumanized sex objects who are simultaneously blamed as the cause of the immoral behaviors of adult men. When men in the highest positions in both public and private sectors are allowed with impunity to exploit women and girls of color and when wives and daughters of such men are subjected to the associated demeaning, public disgrace, the collective self esteem of the members of the group—women of color—is dramatically diminished. In addition, young men of all backgrounds are taught by example that there are no serious or lasting negative consequences to the exploitation and abuse of women of color.

The additional comments to this section (c) were not included in the material sent to the Obama campaign. It must also be recognized and addressed that the experience of most women of color college/university students is comparable to living in a convent because of extremely limited social opportunities for female students of color with male students of color. A high proportion of male students are recruited to athletics where they more often socialize with cheerleaders and other females at their events. Women of color experience discrimination and exclusion from activities like cheerleading. In addition, many state related colleges and universities are in rural areas which lack stores willing to stock products such as makeup, hair care products, and nylons in shades desired by women of color. Services for women of color, such as beauticians are also absent. Efforts to address the social needs of women of color on the campuses most often is responded to with laughter and inaction.

d. Respond to the need for mental health care delivery for women of color by women of color professionals or professionals with relevant experience.

e. Expand academic support program funding substantially to provide more academic advising, individual and group tutoring, after-school and summer academic enrichment programs, mentoring by local businesses and community organizations, cultural enrichment programs, and intellectual stimulation programs. Women of color are least likely among students to have a mentor.

f. Insure the inclusion of women/women of color, minorities and other historically disadvantaged groups in the developing energy-related industries and careers through informational programs.

5. HEALTH CARE

a. Implement a national review of the health care of US women of color by a panel representing all federal agencies with health related responsibilities, including the military and Veterans Administration, the American Medical Association, medical associations representing multicultural groups and women, unions, women of color health advocacy groups, grassroots advocacy groups, immigrant and migrant groups, domestic violence specialists, and scholars conducting research on the impact of the intersection of racism and sexism on the health care of women of color. Instruct the panel to review and compare health care delivery to women of color, incidence of diseases among women of color compared to the rest of the population by race, gender, age, disability, gender orientation, veteran status; incarceration, economic status, employment status, health care and geographic locations. Include in comparative data, information regarding domestic violence, suicide, deaths from curable diseases, deaths from lack of medical care, and deaths in nursing home care.

b. Foster care of children is primarily a women of color issue, which explains the terrible neglect of foster children and the refusal to pay any just compensation for the care of foster children to foster parents. The majority of foster children are female. The majority of foster parents are female, most often single females. Corruption in the foster care system is rampant, facilitating the abuse of foster children and foster parents. Private foster family agencies routinely enrich owners and administrators by assigning their own compensation and those of relatives to levels far exceeding the compensation provided to those who actually care for the children. Conditions under which foster children are living include rampant physical and emotional abuse by untrained foster parents who are paid at rates far below minimum wage for 24 hour responsibility. Special needs children fare even worse. Child protective agencies refuse to act on complaints. These conditions increase dropout rates, teen pregnancies, youth violence, criminal behavior, substance abuse, unemployment of young adults and incarcerations. A national task force is needed on foster children and youth aged 18 to 21 who often become homeless when they become ineligible for further foster care and have no where else to go. Immediate and realistic funding of foster care, which should be considered therapeutic care as is the case in the state of Hawaii, must be mandated

c. Implement a major study of the circumstances of aging women of color, with special attention to the deteriorating living conditions of human and civil rights activists who are punished for their activism. Identify needs and develop action strategies to remedy this problem which effectively intimidates others from speaking out against injustice and against whistle-blowing.

6. INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT

a. Appoint a multi-cultural team of seasoned female and male professionals drawn from multiple disciplines and associations, including small as well as large businesses, environmentalists, labor organizations, women of color organizations and grassroots civil rights advocates to review and discuss the successes and complaints associated with NAFTA, including the repeated violence against and numerous disappearances of women of color in industrial areas on our borders.

b. Review all international trade support programs and cultural exchange programs of the US Department of Commerce and US Department of State, and other federal agencies, to determine equity of access for all citizens. Insure equal access to women, women of color. Develop programs that provide opportunities for people of color to interact in international activities, conferences and forums, especially with people with whom they share common heritage, such as African Americans with the people of Africa and with African Americans throughout the Americas. Encourage the acquisition of skills in multiple languages, especially the languages of the Americas—Indigenous languages, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Caribbean Pidgin and in the languages of all parts of the US, including Hawaiian, Hawaiian Pidgin, Samoan, and other languages of the US Pacific Islands. Also encouraged should be the languages of many other citizen populations which can assist the US in resuming many kinds of leadership in the world, including multiple Chinese languages, Japanese, Tagalog, Korean, Vietnamese and Arabic. (end of platform recommendations)

Nothing will change unless we—women of color and those who support us, especially including men of color and white women, work together and change it. Women of color have the right to be recognized, represented and share equitably in the benefits and resources of our country. It is our responsibility to insist that we are identifiably included in every aspect of citizenship and government and in all documents referring to protected classes as “women of color” in acknowledgement that mention of women, minorities, specific racial/ethnic/national origin groups has had no meaningful impact on relieving us from the racism and sexism which occurs within and between some of those groups. The neglect and oppression of women of color is worsening and needs to be addressed directly, specifically and immediately. Every woman of color who wants to be free in her lifetime, and our supporters, can contribute to this movement by attending the September 26-27, 2008 conference in Sacramento, purchasing our merchandise, making contributions of time and money (we are not tax-deductible), and by voting for those who support us.

This essay was written by Suzanne Brooks, human and civil rights activist whose entire adult and professional life has been committed to justice and who despite many years of education and experience, including BA, MA and ABD for 2 doctorates, has spent the last 18 months job-hunting in Sacramento where she lives. Over and over again, she has been denied access to work and tools of work, such as the refusal of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing to approve her credentials despite having met and exceeded all educational, testing, and teacher preparation requirements for teaching in California. Frequently, as happened with her application to resume her former position as director of the CSUS Multi-Cultural Center (where she conducted up to 70 programs and activities in a year with one secretary and no program budget and was recommended as a model program to the United Nations) at the request of students and members of the community and at the Cristo Rey High School where she applied to be Director of Admissions, she has been passed over and those hired lacked any comparable levels of education and experience and in some instances failed to meet the basic requirements and/or had records as a convicted felon. Obviously, some barrier is in place. Brooks has previously unsuccessfully sued CSUS for race and age discrimination—the lack of success can be attributed to the lack of competent counsel and sufficient funds to secure a third attorney after others acted against her interests—a complaint which has been alleged by other complainants in discrimination cases in California, particularly in state employment. The tragedy is that Brooks’s experience is a common one for women of color throughout the country. And like other women of color, the reality of her circumstance is ignored while she is applauded for hard work, intelligence, dedication to community and creativity in music, literature and other arts.