Commemorating African-American History Month
As February is Black History Month, we want to raise up the importance of inclusion and intersectionality. Race and gender both play a large part in determining people’s pay, access to healthcare, housing security, and more. As the Columbus Women’s Commission works to eliminate disparities between people of different races and genders, we have learned:
On average in the United States, Black Women earn just 65 cents on every dollar earned by a white man. And although it is true that nationally, Black workers are disproportionately represented in low-wage occupations, there is national research that shows Black workers earn less pay than their white counterparts, even when controlling for things like education and gender. The wealth gap is even larger with Black women owning only 6 cents on every dollar owned by a white man.
The infant mortality rate for black babies in Franklin County is significantly higher than that of white babies. CelebrateOne, a City of Columbus initiative to assist expectant and new mothers in high-risk areas, has helped to decrease the infant mortality rate for both non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black /African American babies. However, the racial disparity remains high, as the mortality rate for black babies remains at over 12 deaths for every 1000 live births, while the mortality rate for white babies is less than 5 deaths per 1000 live births. Read more here.
Columbus’s housing market is booming. As affordable housing becomes scarcer, women, and particularly women of color, are struggling to remain in secure housing in Central Ohio. Franklin County has a high rate of evictions, and minorities and women with children are particularly vulnerable when it comes to losing housing. In Ohio in 2019, 7,394 heads of household needed housing assistance through shelters, street outreach, or rehousing programs. Of those 7,394 heads of household, 3,305 were women, and 2,286 were women of color. Read more here.
Additionally, as we enter 2020, we commemorate 100 years since the passage of the 19th amendment which granting women the right to vote. However, it is also important to recognize that although the 19th amendment gave many women the right to vote for the first time, the fight continued for black women and other women of color. Full exercise of voting for black women did not occur until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was not until the late 1940s and 1950s that Asian American women were guaranteed the right to vote and not until the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 that Native American women included.
Only by recognizing the impact of race and gender and the intersection of the two will we be able to have open, honest dialogue on impacting change moving forward. The Commission is dedicated to addressing race and gender-based inequities and continues to work toward change.
There are many opportunities to bring awareness to the gender and race-based issues:
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Join us on Tuesday February 11th as we in partnership with the Community Relations Commission (CRC) host a panel discussion to commemorate the Women’s Right to Vote, 100 Years Later. This year the CRC has partnered with the Columbus Women’s Commission to bring a series of lunch and learn focused on barriers facing women in the community and how everyone can contribute to reducing gender discrimination. Learn more and register HERE.
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Has your employer signed the Commitment? Encourage your organization to sign on to the Columbus Commitment and join over 200 local employers who have joined us in this journey!
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The Franklin County Municipal Court announced a new three-year limit on eviction records being available online. This new policy change will make it that an online search will no longer provide records of evictions older than three years. This change will make it easier for women and families in Columbus to find and maintain housing by reducing the chance that landlords dismiss rental candidates based on eviction cases that are over three years old.
Nearly 18,000 eviction cases are filed in Franklin County each year. City and county officials, the Columbus Women’s Commission, the Legal Aid Society of Columbus and other partners have been working to implement new programs in an effort to stabilize housing.
A huge thank you to Franklin County Clerk of Court Lori Tyack and Franklin County Municipal Court for your continued support of women and families in Columbus. An additional thank you to the Legal Aid Society of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners, and our other partners who helped to make this positive change in how eviction records are displayed online. This is a wonderful step toward creating access to affordable housing for women.
Read more here
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.
Central Community House
Civitas Marketing
Columbus School for Girls
Elite National Building Services
Essentia Strategy Group
Franklin County Public Health
Friedman & Mirman Co.
Green Street Design
Hilton Columbus Downtown
Hyatt Regency Columbus
Jewish ColumbusMcTigue & Colombo, LLC
Mental Health of America of Franklin County
Molina Healthcare of Ohio, Inc
On Air Communication INC
Prescribe Fit
Root Insurance
Schooley Caldwell
Shawdowbox Live
Wexner Center for the Arts
Z Promotions
Mayor Ginther and First Lady Shannon Ginther Announce New Columbus Women’s Commission Members
This year, we welcome 9 new commissioners to join the Columbus Women’s Commission. We are excited to have these wonderful individuals representing an array of backgrounds and specialties. The Columbus Women’s Commission continues to stay well positioned to recommend solutions, build partnerships and be advocates to create change for women.
The new Commissioners are:
- Karim A. Ali, Partner In Charge of Professional Personnel and Diversity & Inclusion, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP
- Monica Cerrezuela, Chief of Staff, COTA
- Leah F. Evans, Senior Vice President Real Estate Development, Homeport
- Shayla D. Favor, Councilmember, Columbus City Council
- Francie Henry, Regional President, Fifth Third Bank
- Emmalyn Jerome, Program Director, Rachel’s House/Lower Lights Ministries
- Veronica Knuth, Vice President Talent, CoverMyMeds
- Heather Leonard, Senior Vice President Marketing and Operating Partner, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, LLC
- Ola Snow, Chief Human Resources Officer, Cardinal Health
Read more HERE.
CelebrateOne and Columbus Women’s Commission awarded Grant
“Research shows us that teenage pregnancy impacts a women’s economic security and often sets into motion a cycle of poverty,” said First Lady Shannon Ginther, Chair of the Columbus Women’s Commission. “This grant allows us to provide our youth with key health education information to change this story for teens in Columbus.”
The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio has awarded a $10,000.00 grant to CelebrateOne in partnership with The Columbus Women’s Commission to support efforts of teen pregnancy prevention. CelebrateOne is leading a Teen Reproductive Health Education Committee to increase access to comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education in Franklin County. The committee’s work is to create policy change by establishing health education standards in a local school district in an effort to reduce unintended teen pregnancies. The long-term policy goal is to establish health education standards for all public school districts in Franklin County. CelebrateOne and this committee have partnered with Columbus City Schools to provide comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education to all middle schools in the school district within the next three years conferred by a memorandum of understanding. CelebrateOne in partnership with Columbus Women’s Commission will expand this work in 2020 to one-additional public school district in Franklin County.
Paid Family Leave Increases Mothers’ Labor Market Attachment
The United States is the only Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country that does not guarantee a right to paid maternity leave. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research finds evidence which suggests that improving access to paid leave in the United States has health and economic benefits for families.
The research compares labor market participation of women with young children born before and after policy implementation, and then compares that change over time to analogous changes in labor market participation for women in the same state with no minor children in the home. They find that implementation of a state paid family leave policy increases the labor force participation of mothers by six percentage points in the year of a birth, effectively reducing birth-year maternal labor market detachment by 20 percent.
Absent of a state policy for paid family leave employers play an important part in increasing access. PL+US has released their Employer Trends report, their fourth annual report looking at paid leave policies at top employers. This year they have expanded their research to look at the largest employment sectors in the country, and included additional employer policy data to analyze what access to paid family and medical leave looks like for working people in those different sectors. Their research reports a few key trends:
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Paid family and medical leave momentum in the private sector are on the rise. In 2019, 13 of the employers that they’ve historically tracked announced new or expanded policies, benefitting an estimated 2.4 million working people.
- Notably, more employers are expanding policies to address the caregiving crisis - 27% of employers provide paid caregiving leave to some portion of their employees, which is up from 16% last year.
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The people who need paid family leave the most, are least likely to have it. Women, people of color, and low-wage working people are over-represented in sectors including Trade, Transportation and Utilities, and Education and Healthcare - sectors that most commonly provide no paid time off to welcome a child, care for a loved one, or recover from illness or injury.
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There is growing support for a national policy. Employers are increasingly joining investors, small business leaders, and employees by signaling support for a national paid family and medical leave policy.
Read the IWPR report HERE.
Read the PL+US report HERE.
Columbus Counts: 2020 Census
The official Census Day is right around the corner on April 1, 2020! Franklin County residents will be counted through the summer of 2020 and it is critical for every person in our community to be counted. The federal government uses census data to fund programs that women and families rely on. Over $33.5 billion in federal spending is allocated to Ohio per year based on 2010 Census data for programs like: Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), school lunches, SNAP, Head Start, and so many more programs. Simply put, for every person not counted in Ohio, that’s $1,814 lost per year for a decade in federal funding.
To ensure a complete count, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and Franklin County Commissioner Kevin L. Boyce created Columbus Counts to build census awareness and ensure a complete count. Columbus Counts is made up a diverse group of trusted community, government, and private sector leaders organizing a campaign to count everyone.
Are you interested in learning more about how you can help communicate that the census is safe, easy, and important?
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Community Relations Commission Women’s Right to Vote, 100 Years Later—Tuesday, February 11. To recognize and commemorate the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote, join the Community Relations Commission and the Columbus Women’s Commission at the first 2020 Lunch and Learn of the series focused on a woman’s journey in Columbus. The sessions will focus on barriers facing women in the community and how everyone can contribute to reducing gender discrimination. Learn more and register HERE.
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State of the City 2020—Thursday, February 13. Join Mayor Andrew J. Ginther at the annual State of the City address to hear about the work of the city and the vision for future of Columbus. Learn more & register HERE.
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Columbus Women’s Commission Town Hall—Tuesday, February 25. Learn about the Commission’s work in 2019. Participate in table discussions with Commissioners, and give your input on the work of the Commission and issues impacting women in our community. Learn more & register HERE.
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South Side Community and Building Trades Apprenticeship Job Fair—February 18th. Learn about careers in the skilled construction trades, meet construction professionals who can answer your questions, and learn how to apply for a career in the construction industry. Professional services will be present to help meet and navigate eligibility requirements. Learn more & register HERE.
ABC 6: Proposal would create Ohio database of convicted sex buyers
WOSU: Preventing Eviction Could Play Big Role In Curbing Homelessness
ABC 6: Columbus selected as finalist for NCAA Women's Final Four in 2025 or 2026
Dispatch: Editorial: Records tweak to help people get housing is worth a try
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