The White House is announcing a series of initiatives on Friday, all of which are designed to empower and provide better opportunities for women and girls of color. The initiatives include pledges of millions of dollars over extended periods of time to support program goals.
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One such initiative consists of a $100 million, five-year-funding commitment by the Ms. Foundation and Prosperity Together—a consortium of 20 women’s foundations—to improve the economic prosperity of low-income women. Another $18 million in funding from the Collaborative to Advance Equity to Research—consisting of colleges and universities, public-interest groups, publishers and research organizations, and directed by Wake Forest University—will support new and already existing research efforts focusing on women and girls of color.
The announcement runs parallel with a daylong forum hosted by the White House Council on Women and Girls, titled Advancing Equity for Women and Girls of Color, where participants will discuss the importance of empowering and increasing opportunities for women and girls of color. Topics expected to be touched on during the forum include economic development, health care, criminal justice, vulnerability to violence, and hip-hop and the images of women in the media.
Participants include Obama Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, who also chairs the Council on Women and Girls; U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch; MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry; and Ms. Foundation President Teresa Younger.
The forum was held at the White House South Court Auditorium and was expected to go from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Read more at Whitehouse.gov.
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