In 2021, with A Roadmap to Create Inclusive Gender Justice as our guide, PowHerNY rolled out a collective legislative platform for the first time in January. Throughout 2021, we created events and actions to advance the issues in our gender focused, anti-racist agenda. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our growing Network met regularly, collaborated on projects and propelled positive change.

Highlights

The Fight for Gender Justice: Take Action on Child Care forum in early March gathered together legislators, advocates, and workers dedicated to creating more equitable and accessible child care in our state. PowHerNY increased momentum around the budget request of the Empire State Campaign for Child Care.

Equal Pay Day on March 24th featured a morning forum co-hosted by NYS Attorney General Letitia James, Roads to Women’s Economic Recovery and Future, which explored the progress made to-date and the new challenges ahead for women’s economic stability. In the afternoon, we hosted a successful 15th Annual Equal Pay Day Virtual Rally. Next year we hope to join together again in person.

NYS’s April budget brought the results so many of us worked so hard to attain! There were big wins for funding of child care, education, excluded workers, as well as justice for girls of color. Excellent news during difficult times.

In May, Re-envisioning How We End Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence, co-hosted by Attorney General James and in partnership with NYSCASA and NYSCADV, explored how the criminal justice system does not meet the needs of some survivors, particularly those of color, and highlighted a few community-based initiative across the state that are survivor- centered and culturally-inclusive. 

Our May workshop focused on the next step in NY’s fight for pay equity: a salary range transparency law sponsored by Senator Ramos and Assembly Member Joyner. It creates a shift in practices and in culture, puts all workers on more equal footing and helps end the pernicious wage gap that robs workers, particularly women of color, of fair wages and economic well-being. Partners Legal Momentum, NELA/NY, and CWA Local 1180 are instrumental in advancing this policy.

Before the all-important June primaries, PowHerNY, in collaboration with The New York Women’s Foundation and The League of Women Voters of NYC, rolled out A Mayor for NYC Women, a website focused on mayoral candidate responses to our women’s issues questionnaire.

Later in June, PowHerNY kicked off a three part series with a very timely forum,  Dismantling Sexual Harassment in Albany, which was co-hosted by Partners TIME’S UP and the New York Sexual Harrassment Working Group. Discussion centered around the legal, policy, cultural and systemic changes needed to change the toxic workplace in government.  

For Black Women’s Equal Pay Day in August, PowHerNY held a virtual rally and joined members of the NYC Council Women’s Caucus at a press conference calling for concrete actions which would address wage disparity.  Hear leaders speak out!

September brought Part Two of the series addressing Men as Allies in Dismantling Sexual Harassment. Our all-male panel stressed the importance of starting young by working with boys, young men, families and communities to promote positive masculinity and our common humanity.

The stark reality that this year Latina Equal Pay Day was again in late October highlights the intersectionality of wage discrimination. Over 20 New York leaders called for concrete solutions to this shameful inequity. Watch our Latina Equal Pay Day Rally Videos!

November’s work brought Network Partners together to set our 2022 Recovery Agenda. After an extensive selection process, seven key items for collective action emerged: Child Care Funding, Fair Pay for Care and Essential Workers, Salary range transparency, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Abortion Access, One Fair Wage and the Equality Amendment. A broader list of Partner priorities and a letter were sent to Governor Kathy Hochul. 

The third part in our sexual harassment series in December was an illuminating, honest exploration of Sports Culture and Sexual Harassment and Abuse. PowHerNY is preparing a report with best practices for Governor Hochul and legislative leaders..

And, as the 2021 session of the NYC Council ended, a salary range transparency bill passed! 

A great way to close a successful year!

The outlook ahead: PowHerNY has set its sights on creating an equitable recovery. 

We are fighting to not only restore what women lost in the pandemic, but go much further to change the paradigm and move us toward our Roadmap’s vision of inclusive gender justice. You can be part of this work: Become an organizational member or volunteer. Donate now to support this transformational work!