In this week’s roundup of news affecting women and girls in our community: We wonder what Dr. King might say about the high rate of poverty among women and girls in the DC area.  The top five findings of 2011 from the Institute of Women’s Policy Research.  The impact of Pre-K on the achievement gap.  Is it time for a poverty revolution?  Plus, a young, aspiring scientist is headed for a national competition as her family deals with homelessness.

Coalition Releases New Report Highlighting Low Wages, Discrimination, Health Risks, and Opportunity for Improvement in DC’s Growing Restaurant Industry

The DC restaurant scene has received increasing praise in national food circles due to innovative restaurants opening weekly (even through the recession) and a growing cadre of local celebrity chefs.  Unfortunately, most restaurant employers have not shared this love with their workers. Gender discrimination remains pervasive and tends to affect minority workers at a higher rate.

One in eight households in the District of Columbia struggled with hunger during the 2006-2008 period according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture[1].  Nationally, more than 49.1 million people lived in households that were food insecure– the federal government’s term for being hungry or at risk of hunger[2] in 2008 – up from 36.2 million in 2007.

Days after the District made the shocking announcement that $20 million had been cut from the homeless services budget for the 2010 fiscal year, advocates and organizations that provide shelter for the homeless are still reeling. One of The Women’s Foundation grantee partners is reaching out for help – as winter approaches and the organizations that assist the homeless face a crisis.

As part of our ongoing commitment – in partnership with The Urban Institute – to providing information and resources related to the goals of Stepping Stones, please find below a summary of recent research on issues of economic security and financial independence for women and their families. This research is summarized and complied for The Women’s Foundation by Liza Getsinger of The Urban Institute, NeighborhoodInfo DC.  

We’re pleased to announce that the audio and presentations from the 2009 Stepping Stones Research Briefing are now available online, thanks to our partner and co-sponsor, The Urban Institute.

This year’s briefing focused on the realities facing low-income women and their families in the current recession, as well as strategies to help them cope. 

Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Mary’s Center to learn about the work done by our organization for families and children in the nation’s capital. 

Last week, President Obama signed his very first bill and it was on a key economic issue for women – fair pay.  What a wonderful and symbolic way to start the new Administration.  I am thrilled by all of this.

Well, while probably not in direct response to our requests of the new Obama Administration on behalf of women, the Administration has developed a Web resource covering their priorities and issues, and women are on the agenda–one of the 23 priority areas.

On the day after President Obama was sworn in just a few blocks from our office, the staff of The Women’s Foundation thought we’d offer our congratulations, along with (of course) a few items for our wish list of action on the part of the new President.