[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 988 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 988

 Supporting the values of the Equity or Else quality-of-life platform 
and acknowledging the need for the House of Representatives to use the 
 platform as a holistic framework for drafting and implementing policy 
that promotes racial and economic equity for all across various social 
                                issues.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 31, 2024

Mr. Bowman (for himself, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Carson, Mr. Garcia of 
    Illinois, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mrs. 
  Ramirez, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Velazquez, and Ms. Tlaib) submitted the 
   following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the values of the Equity or Else quality-of-life platform 
and acknowledging the need for the House of Representatives to use the 
 platform as a holistic framework for drafting and implementing policy 
that promotes racial and economic equity for all across various social 
                                issues.

Whereas the foundation of any nation are the institutions that lay the structure 
        for the people's development;
Whereas, according to the United Nations, the five basic institutions in a 
        community are education, health care, housing, food production and 
        delivery systems, and clothing;
Whereas through qualitative and quantitative empirical data we know that in 
        Black, Brown, Indigenous, and working-class communities, systemic racism 
        has sabotaged basic quality-of-life institutions while maintaining 
        resources for a privileged few;
Whereas equity requires providing resources identified by impacted communities 
        to alleviate harms caused by various social injustices including but not 
        limited to racism and other forms of discrimination;
Whereas directly impacted communities must guide and inform processes committed 
        to equity;
Whereas through hundreds of listening projects, town hall meetings, and 
        engagement with grassroots organizations, the Equity or Else campaign 
        has engaged tens of thousands of people across the country on the impact 
        racism has had in education, housing, health care, food production and 
        delivery systems, the environment, youth investment, immigration, senior 
        rights, and economic development;
Whereas, in May 2022, representatives from organizations across the country 
        reached consensus on the Equity or Else quality-of-life platform;
Whereas, in September 2022, the Equity or Else quality-of-life national platform 
        was released as a living, breathing framework that can be used to shape 
        racial equity policy at the local and Federal level;
Whereas local communities around the United States are using the Equity or Else 
        framework to develop racial equity policy solutions; and
Whereas the Equity or Else campaign is calling on local governments and the 
        Federal government to adopt a ``zero tolerance'' approach to racial 
        inequity, expressed through policy and practice: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the values of the Equity or Else quality-of-
        life platform, including the acknowledgment that racial 
        inequity can only be undone by changing the belief systems that 
        currently serve as a foundation for our institutions, policies, 
        and society at-large;
            (2) recognizes the need to change its belief system and 
        expresses a commitment to evolving the House's practices to 
        prioritize and listen to impacted communities and to craft and 
        pass transformative legislation that advances racial and 
        economic equity across various social issues; and
            (3) acknowledges that without equity there is fascism.
                                 <all>