The Black Policy Institute’s Post

▶️ "Black labor is the cornerstone of U.S. global hegemony. From the slaves who were brought to the shores of Virginia in 1619, through the industrialization of the United States powered by Black workers and families fleeing the South, and by the continued reliance on mass incarceration to produce a cheap workforce for corporations and governments to exploit, the commodification of Black bodies has been the American capitalist formula for economic profit." ▶️ We must always center Black workers in the labor movement, especially as these workers power the growing manufacturing center of the South. ▶️ At JMA, we're fighting for a country where all marginalized workers have access to safe, family- and community-sustaining jobs that support full lives outside the workplace. #BlackHistoryMonth https://bit.ly/3UCKPzI

How do states implement their sector partnerships and capture impact for Black workers? Learn more in the the Joint Center’s latest issue brief: https://lnkd.in/ej_GzUW3

Have you read the Congressional Black Caucus's Corporate Accountability Report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion? The report asks questions, provides context, and shares key findings about workplace DEI best practices to address systemic injustice, the wealth gap, and opportunity gaps. "What Does Good Look Like" is a question we all should ask, and continue asking, and reevaluate. Real diversity, equity, and inclusion work is good business. https://lnkd.in/e9C7G7tZ

Quality data collection and reporting for sector partnerships can reveal programmatic trends to ensure equitable implementation for Black workers, however, not every state provides outcomes data by race. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ej_GzUW3

Grounded in insights from direct care workers, our "Top Five Solutions" report offers research-backed ways to recruit and retain caregivers. As care workers, Black women face some of the most extreme challenges in occupational segregation. By employing an “earn-and-learn” approach coupled with wraparound supports, we can ensure Black women caregivers receive wage increases consistent with their expanded skills and pathways to advance their careers. Learn about worker-centered, industry-responsive training and more solutions by reading the report. https://lnkd.in/gfxD52j6

ICYMI: Watch our webinar with experts exploring how to transform the narratives that drive national public policy to help young Black workers entering — or navigating — the workforce thrive. https://lnkd.in/eB3vkanu

The federal government announced support on Wednesday for Black public servants, but it comes amid a proposed class-action lawsuit suing the government for discrimination. "We have the minister on one hand telling the Canadian public, saying they are working to address discrimination, and the same department is appearing before the court saying they are not aware of any discrimination that Black workers face," said Thompson. "Why is the government not proceeding to settle this class action suit, which is being requested from basically everyone," said vice president of the Canadian Labour Congress, Larry Rousseau. We urge the government to establish a well-supported Black Equity Branch committed to combating anti-Black racism in the public service, to meaningfully consult with Black employee networks, labour unions and to increase funding for the mental health program to ensure it meets the needs of Black public service employees. Canadian Labour Congress - Congrès du travail du Canada Public Service Alliance of Canada PIPSC IPFPC The Black Executives Network | Le Réseau des exécutifs noirs (BEN/REN) Federal Black Employee Caucus (FBEC) | Caucus des employés fédéraux noirs (CEFN) Cambridge LLP Read our statement: https://lnkd.in/ey9sjE6C

This month's edition of our Economic Policy roundup includes information on the Treasury Department’s first-ever Racial Equity Progress Report, Congressman Bobby Scott's report on the ineffectiveness of current labor penalties, the Institute for Women's Policy Research's data on Black single mothers in college, and more. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/ey5jEdyp

Recent riots across the country highlight the need to accelerate action towards inclusion and equality. Businesses have a moral and legal duty to ensure that their workplaces provide safe spaces for all employees. Doing so can also maintain high workplace satisfaction, mitigate risk from failing to comply with the 2010 Equality Act, attract and engage the right talent, and boost creativity and innovation, enabling increased profits. In 2020, following the Black Lives Matter protests, the UN Global Compact Network UK hosted a BLM webinar series and published a report outlining seven key challenges faced by businesses and actions they can take to overcome them. Access the series and the report here: https://lnkd.in/gWQQTJt

More proof that far too many liberals and progressives say one thing and do something else. _____________________________ "A “sensitive, immersive, and exhaustive” portrait of Black workers and white hypocrisy in nineteenth-century Boston, from “a gifted practitioner of labor history and urban history” (Tiya Miles, National Book Award-winning author of All That She Carried) Impassioned antislavery rhetoric made antebellum Boston famous as the nation’s hub of radical abolitionism. In fact, however, the city was far from a beacon of equality. In No Right to an Honest Living, historian Jacqueline Jones reveals how Boston was the United States writ small: a place where the soaring rhetoric of egalitarianism was easy, but justice in the workplace was elusive. Before, during, and after the Civil War, white abolitionists and Republicans refused to secure equal employment opportunity for Black Bostonians, condemning most of them to poverty. Still, Jones finds, some Black entrepreneurs ingeniously created their own jobs and forged their own career paths. Highlighting the everyday struggles of ordinary Black workers, this book shows how injustice in the workplace prevented Boston—and the United States—from securing true equality for all. " https://lnkd.in/gRViJaMv