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White House Seeks to Expand Opportunities for Women and Girls of Color

Published

12 years ago

November 13, 2014

The White House Council on Women and Girls released a report this week entitled “Women and Girls of Color: Addressing Challenges and Expanding Opportunity.”

This report highlights work the administration has done over the last six years to reduce barriers to success for everyone including women and girls of color. From continuing to fight to increase the minimum wage, encouraging women to enter STEM-related fields, providing increased access to health screenings and much more, this report re-emphasizes the Administration’s commitment to helping all women succeed in every area of their lives.

On Wednesday, the Council on Women and Girls hosted a meeting with stakeholders at the White House to discuss a range of issues that impact girls and women of color – including those topics featured within the report — and to hear from a number of stakeholders on the work they have done and are continuing to do on this critical issue.

In recent years, on indicators ranging from educational attainment to economic security to health and well-being, women and girls of color have made tremendous progress.

The number of businesses owned by women of color has skyrocketed, and women of color have ascended to the upper ranks of workplaces across industries. Teen pregnancy rates for girls of color have plummeted, and high school and college graduation rates have risen.

Yet, these achievements may obscure the very real challenges and disparities that persist for women and girls of color.

Girls of color still lag behind in their performance on standardized tests, and they are more likely to be suspended from school.

Women and girls of color still face higher rates of poverty and receive lower wages for their work than their white peers, and they are more likely to become involved in the criminal justice system. Women of color still have some of the highest rates of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other serious conditions, and they experience high rates of domestic violence.

Andwhen women are the primary or sole breadwinners for nearly half of all households of color, these disparities do not just affect them, but their families and communities as well.

Further, as President Obama recently noted, women of color “struggle every day with biases that perpetuate oppressive standards for how they’re supposed to look and how they’re supposed to act. Too often, they’re either left under the hard light of scrutiny, or cloaked in a kind of invisibility.”

When addressing the challenges women and girls of color face – challenges that often lie at the intersection of race and gender – we often fail to fully acknowledge, and account for, this complexity.

For a copy of the new report, go to www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/cwg_women_and_girls_of_color_report_112014.pdf

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Oakland Centenarian Nuna McKee Honored!

Nuna McKee was honored on her 100th birthday at a celebration attended by over 150 guests from across the United States and abroad. The event, held September 13 at the Club on Ruby Hill in Pleasanton, featured music, poetry, and tributes. Proclamations were received from California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, and the City of Fairfield, recognizing the milestone. Five generations gathered to celebrate Nuna McKee’s life. Read more to learn about this inspiring centenarian.

Published

5 minutes ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

Standing by her birthday cake, Nuna McKee waves to family and friends who came from far and near to celebrate her birthday. Courtesy photo.

By Special to The Post

On Sept. 13, family and friends gathered for a truly momentous occasion to honor a remarkable woman on her 100th birthday. More than 150 guests traveled from across the United States and as far away as Portugal, Honduras, and Mexico to join the celebration at the Club on Ruby Hill in Pleasanton. The occasion featured poetry, song, beautiful harp music by Destiny Muhammad, jazz from the Sheldon Alexander Trio, and heartfelt tributes from family and friends. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, and the City of Fairfield offered proclamations recognizing this extraordinary milestone, adding another special touch to the celebration. The joyful gathering brought together five generations, all giving thanks for her life, love, and God’s amazing grace.

At 100 years young, Nuna continues to inspire everyone blessed to know her. Her life beautifully reflects kindness, love, and a steadfast Christian faith. Nuna Phillips McKee’s legacy of faith, family, and love continues, and her beautiful story is still being written!

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Black History

Caribbean Nations Produce Action Plan Calling for UK Reparations Over Slavery

Caribbean nations are developing an action plan with legal options to press the United Kingdom for negotiations regarding slavery reparations. Officials at a recent conference indicated that regional leaders hope for targeted talks at upcoming Commonwealth and UN summits. However, if diplomatic efforts are resisted, the Caribbean nations are prepared to pursue international court action. A spokesperson for the British government recently reiterated its long-held position against paying reparations. Read more about the unified strategy being pursued.

Published

12 minutes ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

Bussa Emancipation Statue in Bridgetown, Barbados. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

By Post Staff

Caribbean nations are producing an “action plan” with legal options to push the United Kingdom (UK) into negotiating a decades-long slavery reparations deal, according to officials at a reparations conference.

Leaders in the region are hoping the UK would agree to targeted and constructive negotiation talks at upcoming Commonwealth and UN summits, but they are ready to take the matter to international courts if Britain continues to resist diplomatic options, according to the Guardian.

Earlier this month, a spokesperson reiterated the British government’s long‑held position that “the UK does not and will not pay reparations”.

Ralph Gonsalves, the former prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said the Caricom Regional Conference on Reparations, which was hosted last week by Barbados with the Caricom Reparations Commission (CRC), was key for agreeing to a unified strategy to bring Britain to the negotiating table. Gonsalves is now an elder and adviser for the Repair Campaign, a social movement for reparatory justice.

He said that slavery happened over centuries and reparations had to be realistic and set over decades. “We need a concrete, multigenerational plan,” he said.

On the legal options available to the Caribbean, Gonsalves challenged arguments that Britain did not violate historical laws during transatlantic slavery, adding that the UK’s signature on contemporary UN conventions had established a binding legal obligation for reparative justice.

“The fact is that the consequences of slavery fall squarely under the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which obliges states to help address the consequences of native genocide and slavery,” Gonsalves said.