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News release

As Elected Officials Come Out Against the Confederate Flag, Moms Group Calls on Lawmakers to Conduct Racial Equity Impact Assessments

June 24, 2015
Maternal Health

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

With more and more elected officials coming out against the Confederate flag after nine black men and women were targeted and killed inside the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina - MomsRising.org is calling on State lawmakers and Governors to not only take down the racist Confederate flag from all public spaces like schools, city halls, state capitols, and license plates; but also to do more to combat systemic racism and start by conducting Racial Equity Impact Assessments in their States.
 
Racial Equity Impact Assessments (REIA) are a systematic examination of how different racial and ethnic groups will likely be affected by a proposed action or decision. REIAs are used to minimize unanticipated adverse consequences in a variety of contexts, including the analysis of proposed policies, institutional practices, programs, plans and budgetary decisions.
 
Iowa, Connecticut and Oregon have passed laws that allow the state legislature to use racial impact assessments when considering criminal justice legislation (with Oregon also extending this to include consideration of child welfare related legislation). The REIA can be a vital tool for preventing institutional racism and for identifying new options to remedy long-standing inequities.
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON RACIAL EQUITY IMPACT ASSESSEMENTS: https://www.raceforward.org/practice/tools/racial-equity-impact-assessment-toolkit
 
“What happened in Charleston is a tragedy for which we all must take responsibility. It was brought about by generations of unchecked racism and decades of almost non-existent gun safety laws. Unfortunately - this tragic combination is not just limited to Charleston. It’s woven into the fabric of our nation. But it doesn’t have to be this way,” explained Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO of MomsRising.org. “We must do better for our children, our families, and our country.  We must ‪#‎StandUpSpeakOut that all #BlackLivesMatter -- and to do that we call on all Governors and state legislatures to not only take down all Confederate flags, but also to immediately begin to conduct Racial Equity Impact Assessments.
 
"REIA's have been used by the City of Seattle to determine a process to replace broken streetlights, by the Minneapolis School Board to guide allocation decisions, and in Iowa such assessments have helped to defeat legislation that could have exacerbated disparities for communities of color,” said Rinku Sen, President & Executive Director of Race Forward and Publisher of Colorlines.com. “These diverse and varied examples of where impact assessments have been used prove that they help policy makers and community leaders arrive at solutions."
 
“Taking down all Confederate flags is a good step forward, but so much more needs to happen. We must rid every state of the structural and institutional racism that exists within its policies and practices. Racial Equity Impact Assessments can be one  vital tool for identifying inequities and preventing institutional racism, alongside a whole host of actions including police reform and ending the school-to-prison pipeline and mass incarceration,” added Monifa Bandele, MomsRising Senior Campaign Director.
 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.