Latina Equal Pay Day, Climate Change's Effect on Women's Jobs, Mass Incarceration of Women - Anna Julia Cooper CenterAnna Julia Cooper Center

Want to get “This Week” in your inbox? Sign up here:

Here’s our pick of news, writing, and research this week that investigates political questions at the intersections of gender, race, and region.

1. Eva Longoria Calls For Action on Latina Equal Pay Day: ‘We Are Worth the Whole Dollar’
Eva Longoria for Fortune: “[November 2nd] is Latina Equal Pay Day, the day when the amount the average Latina is paid catches up to what the average white man made the previous year. In other words: In order to earn what a white man earned in 2016, a Latina must work that entire year—plus 10 extra months in 2017. On average, American women still make just 80 cents for every dollar their male coworkers make. When you break the pay gap down by race and ethnicity, the problem is magnified. To highlight this reality, women activate around a variety of Equal Pay Days throughout the year: Asian-American Women’s Equal Pay Day in March, all women’s Equal Pay Day in April, African American Women’s Equal Pay Day in July, Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day in September. Latina Equal Pay Day is dead last.”

2. Okay, Trump, let’s talk about immigration and ‘merit’
Karen Attiah for The Washington Post: “But there’s a darker side to the emphasis on merit achievements for many black immigrants. Many have toiled to gain an education in their home countries, only to fail to find sustainable employment. The pressures to “merit” being here, to assimilate and be a model citizen, coupled with dealing with the rigors of the immigration process, coping with discrimination, as well as the pressure to make enough money to send some to family in home countries, all take a toll on mental and emotional health. Studies have shown that African immigrants are among the least likely to seek psychological help. We tell ourselves that mental health issues don’t affect us. Or more likely, we are told to go to church and pray the pain away.”

3. The Prison Reform Movement Must Center The Voices of Incarcerated People
Emile DeWeaver for Colorlines: “Imagine a civil rights movement where all the Black people stayed home while the rest of America developed the strategy and did all of the marching. Such a strategy may sound absurd, but some argue that that’s exactly how the movement against mass incarceration operates. Forman, for example, believes a fundamental problem with criminal justice activism is that people aren’t listening to those who know the system best: incarcerated people.”

4. Climate Change Is a Threat to Women’s Jobs
Amanda Rossie for National Women’s Law Center: “A recent New York Times article outlines some links between job loss and the recent hurricanes, citing ‘hurricane effects’—for example, companies temporarily putting their hiring on hold. Furthermore, some employees may have lost jobs because of an inability to safely leave their homes, travel to work on damaged infrastructure, or take their children to childcare if those facilities are also closed. Some employees are even faced with the threat of being fired if they choose to evacuate. On top of that, there are concerns that once displaced people permanently leave the area their jobs will leave with them, thereby reshaping local economies and affecting employment—something we saw in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.”

5. New Report Delves Into the Mass Incarceration of Women

Kenrya Rankin for Colorlines: “A new report from the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) explores how current laws impact women in the criminal justice system as a means of discovering how they can be included in efforts to end mass incarceration.The report does not break down the statistics by race or ethnicity, because researchers said the data does not exist. But they note that overall, ‘incarcerated women are 53 percent White, 28.6 percent Black, 14.2 percent Hispanic, 2.5 percent American Indian and Alaskan Native, 0.9 percent Asian, and 0.4 percent Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander.’ These numbers support research that shows that Black and Latinx people are disproportionately impacted by current policies.”

Latina Equal Pay Day, Climate Change’s Effect on Women’s Jobs, Mass Incarceration of Women