PRINTER'S NO. 3997
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
1045
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY COOK-ARTIS, KIRKLAND, KINSEY, SCHLOSSBERG, COHEN,
SIMS, MAHONEY, YOUNGBLOOD, WHEATLEY, BULLOCK AND THOMAS,
OCTOBER 6, 2016
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, OCTOBER 6, 2016
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Governor to establish a commission on the social
inequalities and status of African-American men and boys in
this Commonwealth.
WHEREAS, President Barack Obama unveiled My Brother's Keeper
in 2014, a White House initiative whose purpose is to combat the
difficult social conditions facing minority men and young men in
the United States; and
WHEREAS, Quality of life indicators related to African-
American men and boys suggest that this population is
disproportionately represented at the negative end of the scale;
and
WHEREAS, African-American young men and boys are less likely
to learn to read and perform math at an early age and are more
likely to be punished and expelled from school than other
students; and
WHEREAS, This same demographic is less likely to graduate
from high school and more likely to be unemployed and
underemployed and are far more likely to become trapped in the
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criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of this Commonwealth that
serious efforts be undertaken to identify and develop successful
approaches for moving African-American men and boys toward the
positive end of the scale; and
WHEREAS, The tendency to address problems related to an
identified group only in the context of the total population
often leads to the continuation and escalation of social
inequalities; and
WHEREAS, By closing the educational achievement gap between
white males and African-American men of employment age, African-
American men would earn as much as $170 billion more annually,
the national weekly earnings of all workers would increase by
3.6% and GDP would expand by 1.8%; and
WHEREAS, There are several state-level commissions or task
forces devoted to the concerns of African-American men and boys,
among them are Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, Texas,
Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and the
District of Columbia; and
WHEREAS, A coordinated strategy needs to be developed for
implementing measures designed to yield positive results for
African-American men and boys; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge Governor Tom
Wolf to establish a commission on the social inequalities and
status of African-American men and boys in this Commonwealth;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the commission focus on the policy areas of
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criminal justice, health, education, employment and
strengthening families; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the commission recommend, in annual reports to
the Governor and the General Assembly, specific legislative or
executive action in these areas to improve the lives of African-
American men and boys.
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