Know Your Rights
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States provides, in part, that no State can "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property..."
If the United States’ Civil Rights Laws guarantee EVERYONE the same ENTITLEMENTS, PRIVILEGES, and LIBERTY as anyone else in America…
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WHY IS STRUCTURAL MARGINALIZATION AGAINST SINGLE MOTHERS
AN OUT-OF-CONTROL EPIDEMIC NO ONE TALKS ABOUT?
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When you learn more about and understand what your rights are, how to exercise them, and what to do when your rights are violated, you have the power to Define, Control, and Shape the outcome YOUR life every day.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, legally protects single mothers from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. Structural marginalization unfairly impacts the single mother community. Building a just system urgently demands reform; it is time to update this outdated law to include “marital”” and “family” status.
Marginalizing is a high cost to pay for millions of single mothers in the United States. The emotional, mental, physical, and financial impact is a tangible experience:
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The costs of childcare have increased by 53% in the US, making it hard for single parents to work during the early months of the pandemic.
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The percentage of single parents who struggle to pay for food and housing utilities (43%) has nearly doubled.
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More single mothers (32%) are unemployed than other households (3.8%).
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Single mothers report higher levels of stress (59.1%) compared to parents from other households (23.4%). They also reported higher levels of anxiety (53.2%), depression (45.1%), and loneliness 64.9% compared to other households.
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Single mothers report a higher percentage of temporary or permanent layoff (37.6%) compared to other households.
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Single mothers are more likely to live in poverty than married couples or single fathers.
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Intersectional discrimination (marginalization) makes it almost impossible to access adequate even when the single mother has twice the income required; they are perceived as risky tenants.
FEWER SINGLE MOTHERS WOULD BE IN POVERTY IF THEY HAVE TIME TO IMPROVE THEIR
LIFE, HAVE TIME TO UPDATE THEIR SKILLSAND HAVE TIME FOR THEMSELVES!
BROWSE A RESOURCE
CIVIL RIGHTS ACT (1964). The Civil Rights Act (1964), signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. It was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.
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FAIR HOUSING ACT. The Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq., prohibits discrimination by direct providers of housing, such as landlords and real estate companies as well as other entities, such as municipalities, banks or other lending institutions and homeowners’ insurance companies whose discriminatory practices make housing unavailable to persons because of:
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Race or Color
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Religion
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Sex
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National Origin
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Familial Status
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Disability
The Fair Housing Act also provides procedures for handling individual complaints of discrimination. Individuals who believe that they have been victims of an illegal housing practice, may file a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development or file their own lawsuit in federal or state court. The Department of Justice brings suits on behalf of individuals based on referrals from HUD.
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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD). The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the Federal agency responsible for national policy and programs that address America's housing needs, that improve and develop the Nation's communities, and enforce fair housing laws. HUD's business is helping create a decent home and suitable living environment for all Americans, and it has given America's communities a strong national voice at the Cabinet level. The Department of Housing and Urban Development plays a major role in supporting homeownership by underwriting homeownership for lower- and moderate-income families through its mortgage insurance programs.
The primary programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development include:
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Fair housing public education and enforcement.
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Rental assistance in the form of Section 8 certificates or vouchers for low-income households.
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Public or subsidized housing for low-income individuals and families.
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Homeless assistance provided through local communities and faith-based and other nonprofit organizations.
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Mortgage and loan insurance through the Federal Housing Administration.
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Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to help communities with economic development, job opportunities and housing rehabilitation.
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HOME Investment Partnership Act block grants to develop and support affordable housing for low-income residents.
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FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT OF 1938 (FLSA). The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 29 U.S.C § 203 (FLSA) is a United States labor law that creates the right to a minimum wage, and "time-and-a-half" overtime pay when people work over forty (40) hours a week. It also prohibits employment of minors in "oppressive child labor". It applies to employees engaged in interstate commerce or employed by an enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce unless the employer can claim an exemption from coverage. The Act was enacted by the 75th Congress and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938.
The Fair Labor Standards Act applies to "any individual employed by an employer" but not to independent contractors or volunteers. An employer cannot exempt workers from the FLSA by calling them independent contractors or volunteer by illegally and incorrectly classifying their workers as independent contractors and volunteers. In many instances, employers do not pay overtime properly for non-exempt jobs, such as not paying an employee for travel time between job sites, activities before or after their shifts, and preparation central to work activities. If an employee is entitled to overtime, the employer must pay them one and a half times their "regular rate of pay" for all hours they work over forty (40) in the same work week.
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