Economic Justice Council

Building Economic Inclusivity and Equity in the Workforce

While our community has grown more diverse, today’s workforce is still leaving people behind, particularly women of color. Women of color are more likely to be leading their households and struggling to afford the rising costs of housing and childcare. They are still earning only 65-70% as much as White men. This not only hurts households, but industry, which is missing out on innovative talent and potential workforce.

In an effort to combat the disparities seen among women and people of color, YWCA South Florida’s launched an economic justice initiative with a two-fold approach:

  • Create more inclusive industries, corporations and workplaces through Economic Justice Council leader cohorts.

  • Upskill and train underrepresented and unemployed people through YWCA’s workforce development programs.

The Economic Justice Council is a group of South Florida business leaders, who have already actively committed to racial justice, who will hold themselves accountable to rethinking their roles and informing solutions to create true workplace belonging and pathways to an inclusive workforce and economy.

Each cohort meets over 5-6 sessions to learn, grow, and share changes and best practices to advance economic justice in their organizations and industries. Topics include:

  • Racial Justice/Implicit Bias

  • The Benefits Cliff

  • ALICE simulation

  • The hurdles of workplace belonging

  • Leadership in a time of unrest

  • Intersectional realities facing women today

Relive the experiences of our inaugural Economic Justice Council

The Economic Justice Council (EJC), supported by Kaufman Rossin and JPMorgan Chase, was created to clear the pathways for industries to maximize the most untapped workforce potential in South Florida: women of color. YWCA worked with decision-making leaders to understand the barriers to fully inclusive workplaces and industries. Leaders took an immersive journey through the real-life decisions working women face when striving to better their families economically.

Get Involved

YWCA’s 2024 Economic Justice Council recently launched with a cohort of seven C-suite executives and company-level decisionmakers. To find out more about supporting this work or future cohorts, please contact Angeline Evans.

YWCA Economic Justice Council Inaugural Cohort

Eddy Arriola, Apollo Bank
Dexter A. Bridgeman, MIA Media Group
Glenn Davis, Kaufman Rossin
Albert Dotson Jr., Bilzin Sumberg
Karen Gilmore, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Beatriz Gonzalez, Miami Dade College
Matt Haggman, Miami-Dade Beacon Council
Blain Heckaman, Kaufman Rossin
Vania Laguerre, Bank of America
Adriene McCoy, Baptist Health South Florida
Marshall Pasternack, Bilzin Sumberg

The YWCA Economic Justice Council is presented by

Kaufman Rossin

JPMorgan Chase 

Memorial Healthcare System