On this week’s Radically Pragmatic Podcast, Crystal Swann, Senior Policy Fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute and Mosaic Economic Project lead, and Francella Ochillo, a Mosaic Economic Project Cohort Member, attorney and digital rights advocate, sit down with Representative Sharice Davids, D-Ks., to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on women business owners, entrepreneurs and workers.
“It’s been disheartening – although I don’t know that I would call it super surprising – to see that the pandemic and the impacts of a public health crisis, that has turned into also an economic crisis, has disproportionately impacted women…financially, in the workforce when it comes to child care, access to health care…Every single aspect of life has been disrupted by the pandemic.
“Particularly Black women and other women of color have been disproportionately negatively impacted. It’s something that – at least in the Democratic Caucus in Congress – we started talking about almost immediately. Because like I said, it’s disheartening and heartbreaking but it’s also not as surprising. And that’s because a lot of us know the negative impacts and disproportionate impacts that women experience anyway,” said Rep. Davids on the podcast.
Congresswoman Davids serves as a Vice Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and also serves on the Small Business, Joint Economic, and the Steering and Policy Committees. Additionally, she is the New Democrat Coalition’s Member Services Vice Chair. She is currently serving in her second term of Congress.
In addition to the economic impact of the pandemic on communities of color and women, Rep. Davids and the hosts discuss the ongoing negotiations over the upcoming infrastructure legislative packages — the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. They also dive into Rep. Davids’ background as a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.
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This podcast was in partnership with PPI’s Mosaic Economic Project. The Mosaic Economic Project is a network of diverse and highly credentialed women in fields of economics and technology. Mosaic programming focuses on upskilling, connecting, and advocating for cohort participants’ meaningful engagement in public policy debates, with a particular focus on engaging Congress and the media.
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org.
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