AGENDA REPORT
TO: Members of the City Council and
Member of the Public
FROM: Council Member Treva Reid
District 7
SUBJECT: Support Of H.R.7354
- Protect Black Women And Girls Act
DATE: October 10, 2024
Colleagues on the City Council and Members of the Public:
This agenda report and accompanying resolution requests the Oakland City Council support H.R. 7354 - Protect Black Women And Girls Act.
The City of Oakland has taken serious steps to align with the advancement of racial equity, including the following actions:
• Adopting resolution 90067 CMS, sponsored by Councilmember Treva Reid, recognizing January 2024 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month • Adopting resolution 90321 CMS, sponsored by Councilmember Treva Reid, in support of Assembly Bill 1403, which seeks to establish the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency to implement recommendations from the Task Force on Reparations for African Americans (2024)
• Adopting resolution 90323 CMS, sponsored by Councilmember Treva Reid, in support of ACA 8 (Wilson, D., now Proposition 6) which would prohibit slavery in any form, including forced labor compelled by the use or threat of physical or legal coercion (2024) • Unanimously adopting resolution 89747 CMS, sponsored by Councilmember Reid, in support of California Senate Bill 673 (Bradford), establishing an "Ebony Alert" to help locate missing Black youth and Black women and to provide law enforcement agencies with additional tools to disseminate timely and accurate information to the public , which was signed into law in October 2023
• And adopting resolution 89249 CMS, co-sponsored by Councilmember Treva Reid, declaring racism a public health crisis and reaffirming the city’s commitment to advancing racial equity (2022)
In February 2024, Democratic Representative s Robin Kelly (Ill.), Yvette Clarke (N.Y.) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.) — co-chairs of the Caucus on Black Women and Girls — joined Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R -Pa.) in reintroducing the Protect Black Women and Girls Act , more than two years after it was first introduced.
The United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) has an obligation to collect data and advise Congress on the creation of new legislation to protect all Americans from discrimination based on color, race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice.
H. R. 7354, seeks establish an Interagency Task Force to examine the conditions and experiences of Black women and girls in education, economic development, healthcare, labor and employment, housing, justice and civil rights, to promote community -based methods for mitigating and addressing
Honorable Mayor & Members of the City Council
Subject: Support Of H.R.7354 - Protect Black Women And Girls Act Date: October 10, 2024 Page 2
harm and ensuring accountability, and to study societal effects on Black women and girls, and for other purposes.
This act will also mandate that the Task Force make annual reports to Congress, the President, and to each Chief Executive of a State on its findings and its recommendations on addressing systemic issues, institutional barriers, combating racism, and ways to ultimately promote equity for Black women and girls across multiple sectors of society.
Therefore, I ask you to join me in adopting this resolution in support of H.R. 7354, the Protect Black Women and Girls Act. This legislation is a vital step toward advancing racial and gender equity nationwide, and it underscores the transformative impact of these efforts, while reaffirming Oakland’s commitment to racial and gender justice.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Haley Hester, Chief of Staff, at [email protected].
Respectfully submitted,
Treva Reid
Councilmember, District 7