Executive Summary

The Equality Starts Here coalition will dismantle the legal, policy, and employment barriers rooted in systemic racism that hold back Black women in Mississippi and the U.S. South. By leveraging the coalition’s collective strategies at the grassroots, municipal, state, and national levels, this team will support and accelerate a pipeline of Black women political leaders, achieve policy reforms that put Black women at the center of resourcing decisions, and raise awareness of — and address — the barriers to economic security for Black women, namely the gender pay gap and disproportionate burden of unpaid care due to the lack of pregnancy discrimination protection, paid sick time, paid family leave, affordable childcare, and fair and flexible scheduling. With proven experience in advancing rights of Black women in the South, this coalition will achieve progress for Black Southern women and sow the seeds of change for women across the country.