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Background: Welfare Discrimination
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Progressive Portal
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Jun 06, 2002 19:34 PDT
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BACKGROUND:
THE CIVIL RIGHTS CRISIS
WITHIN THE WELFARE SYSTEM
The 1996 welfare laws, which Congress is ready to reauthorize in the
next few months, gave individual states, counties and even caseworkers
tremendous discretion over the types of opportunities afforded to and
restrictions placed upon parents on welfare. As a result, racial
discrimination and civil rights violations take place at the federal,
state and local levels.
FEDERAL DISCRIMINATION
In 1996, Congress barred lawful immigrant families -- 90 percent of whom
are Black, Asian, or Latino -- from receiving public assistance for at
least five years after their date of entry.
The 1996 law also imposes a lifetime ban on welfare benefits for parents
who have been convicted of felony drug convictions -- a majority of whom
are Black and Latino.
The law did not allow English as a Second Language classes to meet the
work activity requirement, nor did it provide funding to states to
ensure that non-English speakers have equal access to benefit programs.
STATE DISCRIMINATION
Dr. Stanford Schram of Bryn Mawr College reports that states with higher
percentages of African Americans on welfare are more likely to adopt
full-family sanctions (eliminating benefits for the entire family
because of a violation of welfare program rules), time limits, and
family-cap policies (restricting benefits for any children born to
parents already receiving welfare).
LOCAL DISCRIMINATION
A Virginia Tech study by Dr. Susan Gooden documented that caseworkers
were far less likely to inform black women than white women on welfare
about transitional services such as childcare and transportation
assistance.
A national study of 1,5000 welfare recipients by the Applied Research
Center documented a pattern and practice of discriminatory and insulting
treatment on the basis of race, gender, language, and national origin.
OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION
The U.S. Senate has a historic opportunity to ensure that welfare policy
for the 21st Century includes fair treatment standards and civil-rights
protections for low-income families.
These civil rights and anti-discrimination protections include:
1. A restoration of benefits for immigrant families
2. Expanding civil rights protections for parents on welfare
3. Reducing language discrimination against parents on welfare
4. Providing financial incentives for states that ensure fair treatment
and equitable outcomes for all families receiving welfare benefits.
5. Ending the lifetime welfare ban for parents convicted of felony drug
offenses
6. Collecting and publishing data about welfare outcomes that are
reported by race
To support these policies, write a letter to key Senate leaders at:
http://www.progressiveportal.org/letters/justice/welfare/
-- Grassroots Organizing for Welfare Leadership (GROWL)
http://www.ctwo.org/growl
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