Black women applaud new White House Council for Gender Policy

Statement by In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda President and CEO Marcela Howell

WASHINGTON — In response to the announcement of the new White House Council for Gender Policy, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda President and CEO Marcela Howell issued the following statement:

“We commend President-elect Biden for creating a new White House Council for Gender Policy. The council, co-led by Jen Klein and Julissa Reynosa, will cover global and domestic issues and will work across the federal government to ensure gender equity and equality, centering equitable policy for Black, Indigenous and women and girls of color, immigrant women and girls, LGBTQ women and girls and women and girls with disabilities. Like the lives we live, the work will be deeply intersectional.

“Jill Klein has a long history of fighting for equality including being the chief strategy and policy officer of TIME’s UP, a deputy and senior in the State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, a special assistant to the president for domestic policy and First Lady Hillary Clinton’s senior domestic policy advisor at the White House.

“Julissa Reynoso is the incoming assistant to the president and chief of staff to Dr. Jill Biden. Prior to her new position, she was a partner at the law firm of Winston and Strawn. During the Obama-Biden administration, Reynoso served as U.S. ambassador to Uruguay and as deputy assistant secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere in the U.S. Department of State.

“We are encouraged by President-elect Biden’s creation of the council and urge him to ensure a government-wide strategy to advance gender equity within the first year of his administration. We believe these two co-chairs will help to move the agenda for women and girls forward.”

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In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national-state partnership focused on lifting up the voices of Black women leaders at the national and regional levels in our fight to secure reproductive justice for all women, femmes and girls. Our eight strategic partners are Black Women for Wellness, Black Women’s Health Imperative, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, SisterLove, Inc. SisterReach, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, The Afiya Center and Women With A Vision.