Policy should always be shaped by the people it will impact. Everyday people should always have a say in the policy process, but that’s not historically the case. That’s why I am so grateful for local organizations (past and present), such as Neighborhood Housing Services South Florida and Catalyst Miami, that have intentionally educated and organized community members to be active in democratic processes.
The Miami-Dade County Commission for Women’s CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women) Committee aims to do just that — create space for community members across the County to have a say in policy recommendations submitted to leadership. I have the privilege of becoming the committee’s chairwoman this year. We’ve been meeting one afternoon a month since July to craft policy recommendations with members of the community. During that initial meeting, we voted for 5 of the policy recommendations to focus on a gender equity response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately impacted women, low-income workers, and communities of color in Miami-Dade. We are currently in the process of gradually finalizing the list down to the top six.
Much of the data that the CEDAW policy recommendations are rooted in are from FIU Metropolitan Center’s latest report on the Status of Women in Miami-Dade. Typically there’s a huge press conference announcing the report, but that was disrupted by the pandemic arriving in South Florida just weeks prior. Each Status of Women in Miami-Dade report includes issue areas such as the economy, education, the local wage gap in the overall workforce, the wage disparity within County staff, and special sections on such issues as health and women’s safety.
The 6th policy recommendation will be on Black Maternal Health. In January 2019, I requested that the next Status of Women in Miami-Dade report include a racial analysis on maternal and infant mortality rates.
As pictured in the infographics accompanying the 2020 report, 4.9% of pregnant people in Miami-Dade County received prenatal care in the 3rd trimester or did not receive prenatal care at all in 2018, a gradual increase over the last five years.
The infant mortality rate (IMR) outcomes differ across race/ethnicity. Per FIU Metropolitan Center, in Miami-Dade the rate of infant deaths per 1,000 live births is significantly higher among Black mothers at a rate of 10.8, compared to 3.9 for Hispanic mothers, and 3.1 for white, non-Hispanic mothers.
The utmost gratitude to Dr. Maria Ilcheva and her team at FIU for working on this report so that our committee can make data-driven policy recommendations. The link to the 2020 iteration and the three previous reports can be found here: https://metropolitan.fiu.edu/research/periodic-publications/miami-dade-county-gender-equity-report/
The funding of this county-wide report is part of the local CEDAW ordinance. CEDAW stands for the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations, which the US has not entirely passed. In 2015, our County was the first County in the nation to pass local legislation. It passed unanimously after being sponsored by Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava. This month, Daniella Levine Cava was elected as Miami-Dade County’s first woman mayor. As the new CEDAW Chair, I’m thrilled to work with our new Madame Mayor, a local champion for women & girls.
One of my primary goals as Miami-Dade CFW’s CEDAW Chair is for these to be the people’s policies. First comes the transparency and knowledge from the data, then intentionally listening to the community on what they’d like to see the County do, and what future reports should investigate.
In 2018, I drafted a google form to develop a broader participatory approach since not everyone has the time and privilege to make it to in-person meetings. Disability justice and access to the CEDAW committee, regardless of whether one has resources (such as a car or flexible work schedule) to attend meetings, were at the heart of the original google form. Now, during the pandemic, we’re reminded that finding remote methods to connect with constituents benefits us all. You can submit to the online form and even upload attachments here: [HERE]
It takes a whole movement for sustainable change to be achieved. If any of this motivates you — join the Miami-Dade County Commission for Women, as we compile recommendations to the county government in order to address the gender disparity. We’re reaching out to community organizations that have been doing the work on reproductive justice, housing rights, and economic justice with a feminist, racial lens — organizations like Southern Birth Justice and Miami Workers Center.
E-mail/text me if you’d like to meet with Miami-Dade County Commission for Women’s CEDAW committee to contribute to this long-term project. I have big shoes to fill as Marie P. Woodson’s successor as the new CEDAW Committee Chair, but I put my heart and soul into this work.
Anyone residing in Miami-Dade that wants to contribute to the vast array of issue areas can join the CEDAW committee and be a part of compiling data-driven recommendations with us. To be added to the committee, contact me, or contact the County Commission for Women at CFW@miamidade.gov.
In Solidarity,
Raisa S.
Member-At-Large, CEDAW Chair & Communications Chair
Miami-Dade County Commission for Women