The executive actions are a result of years of organizing, much led by women of color.
President Joe Biden’s swift and decisive executive actions address the pain caused by the Trump administration. But more than that, the executive actions are a result of years of organizing, much led by women of color, and offer a hopeful and expansive path toward a country that serves all communities. The following are just five actions that Biden has taken, and the hidden women behind them: 1. Gender equity Since taking office, Biden has signed an executive order banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. In addition, the Biden-Harris administration announced the formation of a White House Gender Policy Council, whose focus is “to guide and coordinate government policy that impacts women and girls, across a wide range of issues such as economic security, health care, racial justice, gender-based violence, and foreign policy, working in cooperation with the other White House policy councils.” What makes this office distinct from previous presidential administration efforts? The office focuses on equitable policy for Black, Indigenous, immigrant, LGBTQ and disabled women and girls of color. This victory is due in large part to the organizing effort of Tina Tchen, president and CEO of TIME’S UP Now, and Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center, who coordinated dozens of groups to address the needs of women of color who have suffered under the weight of the COVID health crisis and job loss.2. Keystone XL pipeline Biden revoked the permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline—a 1,200 mile pipeline projected to carry 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Canada to the U.S. that would have cut through Indigenous lands. When Donald Trump announced the project in March 2017, environmental groups, landowners and several Native American tribes came out in opposition—including Joye Braun.
