FPWA Applauds President Biden’s Executive Order

For Immediate Release:

February 17, 2023

Contact: 
Rachel Noerdlinger, rnoerdlinger@actumllc.com

Emma Brodsky, ebrodsky@actumllc.com

FPWA APPLAUDS PRESIDENT BIDEN’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ADVANCING RACIAL EQUITY IN FEDERAL AGENCIES

FPWA Led a Successful Education Campaign to Help Enshrine Racial Justice in NYC Government

New York, NY (February 17, 2023) – Jennifer Jones Austin, the CEO and Executive Director of FPWA (The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies), released the following statement today in response to President Joe Biden’s new executive order focused on addressing racial inequity. The order requires government agencies to examine barriers that prevent underserved communities from accessing benefits and to produce an annual public Equity Action Plan. Agencies will execute these plans in coordination with the newly established White House Steering Committee on Equity. This directive builds on the President’s first racial equity executive order, signed on his first day in office to fund Historically Black Colleges and Universities and programs dedicated to providing economic and housing opportunities for communities of color.

“As an organization that has fiercely fought to eradicate systemic racism, FPWA applauds President Biden’s latest executive directive, which compels government agencies to institute more equitable practices in order to close the gap on racial disparities in access to quality education, housing, job, and funding opportunities. As we see every day in our work in New York, when communities of color get the resources they need, they thrive. Children have improved future outcomes, and community groups can support their members in culturally sensitive ways.

While this is an encouraging step forward, we will continue to fight for good equitable policies to be enshrined in law so that they can never be tampered with. New York serves as a beacon of hope in this regard, having overwhelmingly passed three ballot measures to hold our city government accountable for advancing racial equity.”

In November 2022, New York City became the first city in the nation to take formal steps to dismantle structural racism in city government when over 70% of voters backed the three landmark racial equity proposals put forth by the NYC Racial Justice Commission, chaired by Jennifer Jones Austin. The measures enshrined a commitment to racial justice and economic equity in the city’s Charter, and established a Racial Equity Office and Commission, which will put forward citywide and agency-specific Racial Equity Plans every two years.

About FPWA

FPWA is an anti-poverty policy and advocacy organization committed to advancing economic opportunity and upward mobility for New Yorkers with low incomes. FPWA has long served New York City’s social service sector, advocating for fair public policies for people with low incomes and the agencies that serve them. FPWA’s member network of 170 human-service and faith-based organizations reach more than 1.5 million people living in New York’s communities each year. Find out more at fpwa.org, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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