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BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
September 2, 2021
MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION #R-2021-325
Sponsored By: Angela Powell
IN RE: MR #21325 — Designation of August 2021 as Black Women's Equal Pay Month in Oakland
County
Chairperson and Members of the Board:
WHEREAS Black Women's Equal Pay Month is an indicator how many more months a Black woman must
work into the new year to make what white non -Hispanic man made at the end of the previous year; and
WHEREAS almost six decades after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Census Bureau data show that
women working full-time, year-round are paid 80 cents for every do] lar paid to men, while African American
women working full-time, year-round are paid 63 cents; and
WHEREAS if current trends continue, on average women collectively will have to wait 40 years for equal pay
and Black women will have to wait 100 years; and
WHEREAS the pay disparity Black women face is part of a wider set of disparities Black women face in
homeownership, unemployment, poverty, access to childcare, and the ability to accumulate wealth; and
WHEREAS nearly two-thirds of workers paid the minimum wage or less are women and the concentration of
women in low-wagejobs is a significant contributor to the wage gap; and
WHEREAS the lack of family friendly policies, such as access to affordable, quality childcare, paid family and
medical leave, paid sick days, and fair and predictable work schedules, forces many caregivers to choose
between providing for their families financially and ensuring their loved ones receive quality care, and
contributes to the wage gap; and
WHEREAS the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women
and women of color, with women losing the majority of jobs lost since March 2020, leaving the workforce at
three times the rate as men for childcare purposes, and with women and women of color experiencing the
lowest rates of employment in decades; and
WHEREAS true pay equity requires a multi -faceted strategy that addresses the gendered and racial injustices
that Black women face daily; and
WHEREAS equal pay strengthens the economic security of families and enhances retirement savings; and
WHEREAS when women are paid fairly, families are stronger, businesses prosper, and American values and
the economy are strengthened.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby
designates August 2021 as Black Women's Equal Pay Month in Oakland County.
Chairperson, the following Commissioners are sponsoring the frnegoiug Resolution: Angela Powell.
Date September 17, 2021
Lisa Brown, County Clerk / Register of Deeds
COMMITTEE TRACKING
2021-08-05 Full Board - introduced
2021-08-10 Legislative Affairs & Government Operations - recommend to Board
2021-09-02 Full Board
VOTE TRACKING
Motioned by Commissioner Michael Gingell seconded by Commissioner William Miller III to adopt the
attached Resolution: MR #21325 — Designation of August 2021 as Black Women's Equal Pay Month in
Oakland County.
Yes: David Woodward, Michael Gingell, Robert Hoffman, Michael Spisz, Karen Joliat, Kristen Nelson,
Christine Long, Philip Weipert, Gwen Markham, Angela Powell, 'Thomas Kuhn, Marcia Gershenson,
William Miller III, Adam L. Kochenderfer, Yolanda Smith Charles, Charles Cavell, Gary R. McGillivray,
Janet Jackson, Penny Luebs (19)
No: None (0)
Abstain: None (0)
Absent: Commissioner Kowall, Commissioner Moss (2)
The Motion Passed.
ATTACHMENTS
None
STATE OF MICHIGAN)
COUNTY OF OAKLAND)
L Lisa Brown, Clerk of the County of Oakland, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is a true and
accurate copy of a resolution adopted by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on September 2, 2021,
with the original record thereof now remaining in try office.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the Circuit Court at Pontiac,
Michigan on Thursday, September 2, 2021.
r
Lisa Brown, Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds