Last month we shared Columbus City Council voted to approve free menstrual products in all 29 City Recreational Centers.

City Council has taken the next step and announced a partnership with Columbus City Schools to provide free tampons and pads in the bathrooms for the students at Columbus City Preparatory School for Girls with the plan of expansion into all Columbus City Schools. Additionally, this plan will phase in access in all municipal buildings starting with its downtown campus.

Thank you to Councilmember Liz Brown and her leadership in this work, great step toward equity.  

Citywide Training and Development

Congratulations to the City’s very own Citywide Training and Development Team (CTD) for being recognized by Columbus Business First and receiving the “Outstanding Diversity Award”. Since 2012 the CTD team has delivered over 200 classes, and reached more than 4,000 participants through their diversity and inclusion, and implicit bias courses.

Thank you to the CTD team for all their continued work and efforts in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the City of Columbus.

Ohio Mayors Alliance Recognizes Columbus with Grant

The Ohio Mayors Alliance recognized Columbus with a grant award for the City's joint work with I Know I Can and Columbus City Schools to promote seniors taking charge of their futures, crossing the finish line at graduation, and then reaching higher by going to college, getting a job, beginning a career, or serving in the military.  With these funds, the City and Columbus City Schools will provide leadership and support to I Know I Can, ensure seniors in every CCS high school have access to I Know I Can counselors, ensure these counselors help seniors develop timelines and benchmarks to get them across the finish line of graduation, and host an “All Seniors In” rally - a unique event that will bring together all the members of the senior class of 2020 to celebrate their success.

The Ohio State University announced it will raise its minimum wage for non-union and Wexner Medical Center employees to $15 per hour, effective next year.

About 3,800 employees will benefit from the pay raise to $15 per hour in 2020. Additionally, 1,000 employees now making $15 per hour will get a $1-an-hour boost to $16 per hour.

Ohio State said they will continue to examine wages for student positions and plan to establish new minimum-wage tiers as appropriate. The university also said it will talk with union leadership about extending the pay initiative to employees covered by collective bargaining agreements.

This increase follows similar moves made this year by Columbus Commitment adopting companies, OhioHealth (the region's second-largest employer), Nationwide Children's Hospital and Franklin County.

We thank The Ohio State University for taking a step toward economic security for their employees and making change in our Columbus community.

Read more HERE.

August 22, 2019 was Black Womens Equal Pay Day, the date a black woman has to work into 2019 to catch up to the same amount a white man made in 2018. The day is months later than National Equal Pay Day, which marks the day into the year for women generally. Nationally, black women working full time, year-round earn 64 cents to each dollar earned by a white man.

We know this persistent, pervasive wage gap is driven in part by a lack of workplace policies that support women and particularly, women of color. On August 22, the Columbus Women’s Commission hosted a Coffee & Conversation on Workplace Culture & Intersectionality where adopters heard from community leaders on the intersectionality of gender and race and how to be intentional while creating workplace policies to include everyone and encourage gender equity.

The panel was moderated by Gale King, Nationwide, with panelists Donna James, Lardon & Associates, Marlon Moore, Huntington National Bank and Letha Pugh, Bake Me Happy.

Thank you to our panelists and to our host, YWCA Columbus and Coffee Sponsor, Stauf’s Coffee Roasters.

On August 28, we partnered with The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, YWCA Columbus, United Way and many other wonderful organizations to co-host a Big Table conversation on the gender and racial wealth gap. Columbus Women’s Commission served as one of the table hosts and had a dynamic and powerful dialogue about how wealth inequality shows up and it perpetuated in Columbus along with the steps we can take to dismantle the barriers women and people of color face.

It was truly an incredible experience to have over one hundred community members and leaders together to discuss such an important topic. Read the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio’s report on the gender & racial wealth gap, Assets for Equity: Building Wealth for Women in Central Ohio.

CHILD CARE ACCESS IN 2020: How will pending state mandates affect availability in Franklin County, Ohio?

New research done by The Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy finds that of 33,494 child care slots available at publicly funded child care (PFCC)-accepting programs, 21,095 (63%) could be lost to families who rely on PFCC subsidies once the 2020 Step Up to Quality mandate is in effect.

The center released this study to examine the availability of child care in Franklin County, Ohio, focused on publicly funded child care (PFCC). And to take a deeper dive into the locations of the programs that are at risk of losing PFCC subsidies, in an attempt to bring attention to possible “deserts” and the implications this has for specific neighborhoods and communities.

Read more HERE.

Holy Callings Summit—Tuesday, September 10 and Wednesday, September 11. This two-day event is for faith leaders of all traditions and stakeholders within faith communities to discuss reproductive justice and access to contraception, among other topics. This summit aims to shift the conversation and engage in compassionate teaching and advocacy around sexual education. Learn more HERE. 

ConnectUS Small Business Conference & Expo—October 2.Join Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the Greater Columbus Convention Center for tangible tips, resources and business opportunities to start-ups, entrepreneurs and small business owners throughout the region. Engage with public/private sector buyers, procurement officers, supplier diversity professionals, business owners, and industry influencers to discuss best practices in supplier diversity to build and grow your business. Register & Learn more HERE. 

State of Poverty across the African Diaspora –October 15. Join the Columbus African Council and other community partners for a conversation on the state of poverty across the African Diaspora and how as individuals and community leaders, can set a course for a more prosperous future throughout the African Diaspora in Columbus. Learn more HERE.

YWCA Columbus Activators and Agitators—October 17. YWCA Columbus has partnered with mental health and social justice activist Achea Redd for this year’s event: Activists and Agitators—Find Your Voice, Let it Out. Achea will help foster dialogue, provide practical resources and educate the Columbus community on how to create meaningful change in their lives and the lives of others. Attendees will also learn about YWCA Columbus’ programs and how they can help further the organization’s mission.  Buy your tickets HERE.