Let’s salute the women in Congress as we continue the fight for justice and equality

This year is one in which we celebrate women, and it also marks the 50th anniversary of turning points for people of color and the disadvantaged in America: chief among those events, the loss of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the passage of the Fair Housing Act. As we commemorate these anniversaries and continue our advocacy to make our society fairer for women and all Americans, it becomes apparent that we still have much work to do to close the gaps in education, income, wealth and housing. And it’s evident that we must continue to work to eradicate poverty, racism, ethnocentrism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance and injustice.

It’s a tall order, to be sure. That’s why the organization that I lead, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), was pleased to join the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Church of God in Christ in launching “I am 2018,” a national movement with a goal of finding solutions to these issues facing underserved communities of color. As its website says, “I am 2018 will bridge the past and the present by re-dedicating ourselves to the fight for justice and equality.”

{mosads}To help close achievement and attainment gaps that contribute to poverty and inequality, there are new possibilities for strengthening our Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and educating low- to middle-income students and students of color.

The bipartisan, $1.3 trillion FY2018 Omnibus budget passed by Congress included more than $800 million for investment in higher education — funds meant to bolster the education of growing populations and high-need disciplines such as the sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics and the health, security and education professions. In addition to HBCUs, institutions educating such populations include Predominantly Black Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, Hispanic-Serving Institutions and the nation’s community colleges.

Fewer than half of the women in Congress — just 50 of the 105 — voted in support of the appropriations bill. With that in mind, NAFEO will increase its strategic work with members of Congress to educate them about the need to vote for the 21 higher education barrier removers and gap closures in the omnibus.

In particular, it’s important to reach out to women in Congress since data indicate that women elected officials “bring home the bacon” to a greater extent than do men in Congress and pass more than twice as many bills as their male counterparts, on average. We appreciate the power and punch that these women have — even those who did not cast votes for the omnibus or support a $34 million increase for Child Care Access for Parents in School. With more women than ever seeking seats in Congress, voters have an opportunity this fall to once again change the direction of America by sending driven, dedicated women to Washington.

During the 90th Congress (1967-1969) — when Dr. King spoke of the evils of racism, poverty and war — there were just 12 women in Congress, one in the Senate and 11 in the House, including Patsy Takemoto Mink (D-Hawaii), a Japanese-American who became its first woman of color. The small army of women in that Congress lifted their voices and left their imprint on social initiatives including Social Security Act amendments and congressional responses to the Poor People’s Campaign.

In 1968, when voters elected Shirley Chisholm to join the 91st Congress, she became the first black woman elected to the United States Congress. She made a try for the White House and is remembered for wisely noting: “You do not make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.”

In 1972, Texan Barbara Jordan won election to the U.S. House and, upon her arrival to Capitol Hill in the midst of the Watergate scandal, she urged the impeachment of President Nixon, promising, “I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution.”

Today we have women in Congress who are cut from the cloth of Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan. The 23 female senators, 83 female representatives, and five delegates have diverse opinions about how to solve some of America’s most vexing problems. The membership of NAFEO appreciates the unique sacrifices that women make to serve, and we ask that they emphasize education as part of the solution to these problems. We hope they will consider the important role that institutions such as HBCUs and others serving students of color play in helping to close our nation’s income and wealth gaps.

No matter who they are or from which state they hail — no matter their political stripes — we must not forget that the women in the 115th Congress and those who will follow are serving their constituents in part because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the economic and social justice movements of 1968. Their diversity and the increase in their numbers give us hope that our nation is moving toward becoming more competitive, secure, literate, innovative, healthy, peaceful and just.

Lezli Baskerville is president and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, a nonprofit umbrella organization of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) founded in 1969.