Biden Racial Equity Order Only Step One for Civil Rights Groups
Jan. 21, 2021, 5:42 PM
- Agencies to identify barriers to ‘underserved communities’
- Civil rights groups praised broad, department-wide review
Community Impact
The full impact of the reviews on each agency and which communities they will affect remain to be seen, said David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition.
“This is why the combined protections language and cross agency assessments matter,” Johns said. “The agency that needs it the most depends on who in America you are asking to answer the question.”
Johns added that the impact could touch on many different groups, for example, members of the Black LGTBQ community could benefit from agency assessments to close the digital divide for children, find equitable housing, and obtain better access to healthcare to reduce the spread of sexual diseases. The Department of Justice may also find the need to decriminalize and legalize sex work so individuals can do their jobs in safer and more secure environments.
“For a Black lesbian couple working from home during the pandemic with children, the digital divide and any red tape that makes it more difficult for their children to take part in school virtually and safely feels more urgent,” Johns said.
