Our country recently lost the “conscience of Congress.” Last month civil rights activist and longtime Georgia lawmaker John Lewis passed away. Throughout his life, he stood up for those whose voices weren’t heard and fought to ensure justice for all. He joined the Freedom Rides of 1961 to protest Jim Crow laws in the South, played a key role in the 1963 March on Washington and led a march from Selma to Montgomery, AL, which sped the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. After entering office in 1986, he called for health care reform, anti-poverty measures and improvements in education. The burden of our fight for equality was made lighter by his efforts. Now it’s time for us all to pick up his mantle and make a commitment to change.
“We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us,” Lewis once observed. And COVID-19 has put a spotlight on issues that fueled his fight as it hits people of color especially hard. They’re more likely to fall ill to the disease, get laid off from work and lose the child care on which they depend. They’re also less likely to hold jobs that let them work from home or have the internet access on which online schooling depends. So, their kids are more likely to fall behind and that could lead to more inequality later in life.
Sadly, child care is not a civil right, but centers are striving to provide it as the pandemic rages on. There’s a lot of focus on reopening child care settings in ways that keep our youngest children safe. Providers are taking steps to sanitize classrooms throughout the day, coming up with new protocols for pick-ups and drop-offs, making sure each child has their own materials to use during the day, and thinking about what do if a child gets sick and they have to close the center for a number of days.
It’s a big list during this pandemic and even more daunting because recent closures have put many child care providers in the red. So, we should applaud the U.S. House of Representatives, where Lewis once served, for passing the Child Care is Essential Act, a bill that grants providers a $50 billion fund to cover basic expenses such as payroll and rent.
We should now urge the Senate to heed the voice of conscience by also passing legislation to keep providers afloat. Providing an environment that keeps our children safe and gives parents peace of mind will benefit us all. But it’s most vital for vulnerable children and families of color like those for whom Lewis once relentlessly fought. As we wait for the Senate to do the right thing, we should remember the words with which Lewis approached the challenges he faced: “Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never lose that sense of hope.”
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In Janie’s prior role, she was the Vice President of Administration at Equal Justice Works, where she was responsible for leading human resources, financial operations, facilities management, and information technology. She was also accountable for developing and implementing Equal Justice Works Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy focused on attracting diverse, mission-oriented talent and creating an inclusive and equitable workplace environment. With more than fifteen years of private, federal, and not-for-profit experience, Janie is known for her intuitive skill in administration management, human resources management, designing and leading complex system change, diversity and inclusion, and social justice reform efforts.
Before joining Equal Justice Works, Janie was the Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer for Global Communities, where she was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of integrated HR and diversity strategies. Her work impacted employees in over twenty-two countries. She was responsible for the effective management of different cultural, legal, regulatory, and economic systems for both domestic and international employees. Prior to Global Communities, Janie enjoyed a ten-year career with the federal government. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, she held key strategic human resources positions with multiple cabinet-level agencies and served as an advisor and senior coach to leaders across the federal sector. In these roles, she received recognition from management, industry publications, peers, and staff for driving the creation and execution of programs that created an engaged and productive workforce.
Janie began her career with Verizon Communications (formerly Bell Atlantic), where she held numerous roles of increasing responsibility, where she directed a diversity program that resulted in significant improvement in diversity profile measures. Janie was also a faculty member for the company’s Black Managers Workshop, a training program designed to provide managers of color with the skills needed to overcome barriers to their success that were encountered because of race. She initiated a company-wide effort to establish team-based systems and structures to impact corporate bottom line results which was recognized by the Department of Labor. Janie was one of the first African American women to be featured on the cover of Human Resources Executive magazine.
Janie received her M.A. in Organization Development from American University. She holds numerous professional development certificates in Human Capital Management and Change Management, including a Diversity and Inclusion in Human Resources certificate from Cornell University. She completed the year-long Maryland Equity and Inclusion Leadership Program sponsored by The Schaefer Center for Public Policy and The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. She is a trained mediator and Certified Professional Coach. She is a graduate of Leadership America, former board chair of the NTL Institute and currently co-steward of the organization’s social justice community of practice, and a member of The Society for Human Resource Management. Additionally, Janie is the Board Chairperson for the Special Education Citizens Advisory Council for Prince Georges County where she is active in developing partnerships that facilitate discussion between parents, families, educators, community leaders, and the PG County school administration to enhance services for students with disabilities which is her passion. She and her husband Randolph reside in Fort Washington Maryland.
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