By Taylor Sanchez
Gloria J. Browne Marshall, full Professor at John Jay College (CUNY), and The Law and Policy Group Inc. released the findings of their 2023 “The Report on the Status of Black Women and Girls.®”
According to Browne Marshall, the report “is composed of data from various federal and state government sources and non-profit foundations, academic journals, other research reports, law cases, census reports and credible news sources. We spent hundreds of hours gathering, vetting, and analyzing data to synthesize and include in the report.”
Highlights of the report found that Black women have the highest rate of political participation, the highest rate of high school graduation, and are most likely to consider themselves spiritual. They also found that Black woman are being trafficked at an alarming rate, they have the highest rate of lung cancer, that is strange as Browne Marshall notes that Black women smoke less than other women. The study also found a lower life expectancy of 74.8 years.
When asked what she would like to look at in future reports, Browne Marshall said that she was interested in the rate of Black women leaving the country. According to Browne Marshall “There appears to be a rise in those people of color who have given up in this country or just want a new experience in another one.” She is also interested in looking into gang participation rates amongst Black girls, and to see if the rate of joining has decreased or stayed the same.
Browne Marshall does not want this report to seem intimidating to readers. It has been specifically written to be consumable by everyone. The data is meant to strike up conversations about the status of Black women in society, and to be used by everyone. “I think the information here can intersect and impact their lives. I want to highlight that this report can improve the quality of life by allowing people to determine if there are things, lifestyle choices that need to change or be updated. They can draw conclusions from the data.”
“We are progressing. But we must stay vigilant. Black women do so much for so many. We must also take care of ourselves. This report will help. Knowledge is power.” Browne Marshall noted that she would like to thank her team that worked on this report “including Yunior Rivas, L&PG, Inc. assistant director and senior researcher, and associate researcher Lesley Yates, a senior at Spelman College.”
If you are interested in learning more about the report, you can check it out at https://www.lawandpolicygroup.org.