Why does Washington State need EQUITY NOW?
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According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), African American men and women, American Indian/Alaska Native men and women, and Latino men face a higher lifetime risk of being killed by police than do their white peers. Risk is highest for black men, who face about a 1 in 1,000 chance of being killed by police ov
According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), African American men and women, American Indian/Alaska Native men and women, and Latino men face a higher lifetime risk of being killed by police than do their white peers. Risk is highest for black men, who face about a 1 in 1,000 chance of being killed by police over the life course. For young men of color, police use of force is among the leading causes of death, the latest local example of which is Tacoma police officers’ March 3, 2020 killing of unarmed 33 year old African-American Manuel Ellis.
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The legislature finds that Washington state is one of America’s most economically and ethnically diverse states. However, senior citizens, women, persons with disabilities, veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and other historically marginalized communities have experienced harsh government sponsored discrimination
The legislature finds that Washington state is one of America’s most economically and ethnically diverse states. However, senior citizens, women, persons with disabilities, veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and other historically marginalized communities have experienced harsh government sponsored discrimination which has created disparities in stark contrast to the general population in public health and safety, public education, public employment, and public contracting.
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According to the Washington state office of minority and women’s business enterprises, since 1998, small women and minority owned businesses have been unfairly denied more than $3.8 billion in job-generating state contracting opportunities.
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WASHINGTON EQUITY NOW will protect all Washington residents from discrimination by requiring the state to provide all Washingtonians COVID-19 testing, treatment, contact tracing, and forthcoming vaccines at no cost, without discrimination due to age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, citizenship and immigrant status, race, veteran status, ethnicity, income or employment.
WASHINGTON EQUITY NOW?
The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has unmasked the discriminatory health, educational, employment and economic disparities which have long plagued seniors, women, persons with disabilities, persons of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, military veterans, and other vulnerable communities in Washington state.The Washington State Department of Health has reported in 2020:
- 56% of men dying from the novel coronavirus exceeded men's 50% of the state population.
- 52% of coronavirus infected women exceed women’s 50% of the state population.
- Hispanics are 40% of the racially identifiable confirmed COVID-19 cases, while only 13% of the state's population.
- African Americans are 7% of the racially identifiable confirmed COVID-19 cases, nearly double their percentage of the state's population.
- Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders are 2% of the racially identifiable confirmed COVID-19 cases, double their percentage of the state's population.
By signing the WASHINGTON EQUITY NOW order, Governor Inslee will achieve the following:
- Requires Washington state to provide COVID-19 vaccines to all Washington residents who voluntarily give their fully informed consent for a vaccination, at no cost to the patient;
- Prohibits age discrimination in public employment, public education & public contracting;
- Redefines Affirmative Action to require that all candidates must be qualified to receive public education, employment and contracting opportunities;
- Defines preferential treatment for the first time in state law;
- Prohibits Quotas; but allows Goals & Timetables to achieve Diversity;
- Expands Affirmative Action to include all Veterans;
- Expands the terms sexual orientation and LGBTQ+ to all state anti-discrimination laws.
WASHINGTON EQUITY NOW is urgently needed to prevent discriminatory laws and actions from increasing disparities and deaths in our most vulnerable communities during and after this public health emergency