Good morning, Chairman. I’m Kimberly Perry, Executive Director at DC Action where we utilize research, collective action advocacy, and a racial equity lens to break down barriers that stand in the way of all kids reaching their full potential. We are also the home of DC KIDS COUNT, an online resource that tracks key indicators of child, youth, and family well-being. And while DC Action may track and report on child and family well-being, the District budget is the key driver of many of these outcomes.Â
Included in my full written testimony is DC Action’s formal budget requests of the DC Council, but allow me to elaborate a bit here.
Chairman, I’m urging you to restore the investments in working families that you and your colleagues on the Council, former and present, have strategically put into place to ensure ALL working families – but especially Black and brown families – can thrive. I’m speaking to you today not just as an advocate, but also as a Black mother, from a Black community, who knows what it’s like to raise a family here in DC against all odds.
In one fell swoop, Mayor Bowser has upended decades of policy solutions designed to help Black mothers, like me, and so many others obtain financial security and give our children what they need to be successful.
She’s shortchanged and subsequently zeroed out fair pay for educators, the majority of whom are Black mothers; severely underfunded subsidized child care; diminished paid leave benefits; erected barriers to health care; cut funding for housing security, and too many other programs to help lift Black mothers out of poverty like TANF and the Child Tax Credit. These are cruel, short-sighted actions that will drive up economic, academic, and health inequities for Black children, parents, and caregivers alike.
It feels like an assault, Mr. Chairman. And we ask you to reverse all of these vicious cuts. We must put the District back on the path of leading with values.Â
I will remind you that last year when the District underfunded the Pay Equity Fund, capping it at $70 million per year, more than 600 educators – mostly Black and brown women – lost access to fair pay. While we are grateful to not be starting from zero again this year, there is no more room to cut back this successful program. If we want to improve education outcomes for our kids, end the legacy of slavery embedded in early educator compensation, and grow our quality child care supply, we must fully fund the Pay Equity Fund to at least $80 million annually.
And we must also ensure affordable child care is available for all who need it. The Mayor has underfunded this program by at least $20 million and this will prohibit more families from joining the program and create financial turmoil for the mostly Black and brown women who operate child care businesses in the District. The subsidy program enables parents, and especially Black parents, to work and pursue higher education while keeping as much as $25,000 in their pockets each year. This is one of the most important investments the District makes in helping lower income families make ends meet.
Finally I’ll note DC Action’s demand to reverse the 25% cut to permanent supportive housing and extended transitional housing services for District youth. My colleague Rachel will elaborate on this point further but the cut is egregious and will only exacerbate chronic homelessness, especially among Black youth and young adults, if unaddressed.
We know that when we meet the needs of children, their families, and their caregivers – and make smart, equity-oriented decisions to grow the economy from our people on up – the whole city thrives. Chairman, we are counting on your leadership to make sweeping changes to this budget to drive equity and opportunity for DC’s Black families, rather than further inequality. Thank you and I would be happy to answer any questions.