Barbara Lee Joins Congressional Colleagues at Town Hall Discussion on Expanding Opportunities for Women of Color in the Health, Environmental Justice, and Tech Fields
Oakland, CA – Congresswoman Barbara Lee on Saturday hosted a forum on the key issues facing women of color in the Bay Area in conjunction with the Congressional Caucus on Black Women & Girls. Around 100 constituents attended the event at Merritt College with Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Congresswoman Robin Kelly, focused on building opportunities for women of color in the health, environmental justice, and technology fields.
The discussion was moderated by Dr. Allison Scott, Chief Research Officer at the Kapor Center, and panelists also included CNN political commentator Angela Rye, Liz Ortega-Toro, Executive Secretary-Treasurer at the Alameda Labor Council, and Connie Wun, co-founder and Executive Director of Women Lead.
“Women of color continue to face barriers in careers in medicine, STEM, and the sustainability sector,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “Sadly, these challenges have worsened with growth of the technology industry in the Bay Area. We must do more to ensure that women of color are provided opportunities for the jobs today and of the future. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues, Congresswoman Robin Kelly of Illinois and Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, and to our expert panel and the audience for sharing their expertise and insights and in their call to action in meeting today’s challenges.”
“I was honored to join Reps. Lee and Kelly this weekend at the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls Summit,” said Rep. Moore. “As we look to a new Congress, I am committed to taking the ideas we discussed back to Washington. We must learn to better identify and treat the symptoms of trauma stemming from abuse, neglect, and incarceration, especially for girls who grew up in poverty. As we just celebrated the International Day of the Girl, we know our girls are the future, and we must redouble our efforts to lift them up so our communities can rise up with them.”
“I’m excited to be in the East Bay for this important conversation on uplifting and empowering women of color and their families across sectors and issues,” said Congresswoman Kelly, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls. “The evidence is clear. When women of color succeed, their success is re-invested in their families and communities helping others to live their American Dream. Today’s conversation isn’t just about one group of people or another, it’s about empowering all communities to succeed.”
The livestream of the event is available here.
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