The Case for the Bill
The Catalyst
Media mogul Byron Allen lobbied Congress to strengthen the original civil rights act in America, the Civil Rights Act of 1866. On June 24, 2021, responding to Mr. Allen's call to action, two Members of the U.S. House, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY), along with three U.S. Senators, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced the Economic Inclusion Civil Rights Act of 2021, landmark legislation that would amend and strengthen Section 1981, a product of our nation’s first civil rights law enacted after the Civil War, and bring us one step closer to true economic inclusion.
Economic Facts
Despite People of Color making up significant portions of the U.S. Population, these communities lag far behind their white counterparts in terms of economic inclusion. Systemic Racism has kept many People of Color from homeownership, entrepreneurship, and many other aspects of the American Dream.
Historical Facts
In August of 1619, the first slave ship arrived on American shores. More than two hundred years later, African-Americans were freed from slavery, but still have not received the keys to true freedom — economic inclusion.