Women & Minorities Need A President Clinton

The daunting task of choosing the next president is nearly here. With just a few weeks left until Election Day, the future of the country seems like it could be in trouble. The stakes always seem high in any presidential election, but this year, they seem especially so. Depending on who is elected on Nov. 8, the world could look very different for some of the most marginalized in society. While one presidential candidate seems intent on upholding the status quo for the most historically powerful groups in the U.S., the other is committed to empowering those who have suffered under the weight of unfair policies that protect only those at the top. The world could look very different for minorities and women during a Clinton presidency, because they would finally start to get the equality and justice they deserve.

It's not surprising that the first female presidential candidate of a major party has a lot of feminist policy prescriptions. Women are a huge priority for Clinton, precisely because she knows exactly what they go through every day. Under President Clinton, women would finally get income equality thanks to her equal pay for equal work plan, which would give the economy a huge boost at the same time as it helps many struggling families succeed. The Clinton administration would be committed to finally eliminating the pay gap between white women and women of color, which disproportionately disadvantages black and Native American women and Latinas.

Additionally, Clinton's 12-week paid family leave plan would allow women to spend more time with their babies at the one of the most crucial parts of a child's life, and give families more flexibility in how to divide parenting responsibilities. Imagine a world where women have the confidence and validation of being paid the same amount of money for the same amount of work — a world where women have more money to put toward their lives, their children's futures, and the causes they believe in. Imagine what they can achieve when their financial burden is eased because they're finally making what they're supposed to.

Minorities would also have fairer dealings with the criminal justice system under Clinton's extensive proposed reforms. Clinton wants to reform mandatory minimum sentencing, increase funding for community policing programs, and direct the DEA to reprioritize marijuana to a schedule II drug. As Clinton correctly states on her website, black marijuana users are arrested significantly more than their white counterparts, even though black and white people use weed at about the same rates. Marijuana charges account for a huge portion of nonviolent, incarcerated prisoners — reforming those policies will not only allow much needed funding to be reallocated to some of Clinton's proposed plans, but also return the unjustly imprisoned back to their families.

Clinton also promises to tackle issues of gun violence, which affects minority communities at staggering rates. The death of young black men due to gun violence is just short of an epidemic, and Clinton's proposals to end gun sale loopholes combined with her commitment to improving education quality will give kids a future other than violence.

Justice for undocumented immigrants is another central proposal in Clinton's candidacy, which will provide security to families who live in fear of being separated and economic refugees who are simply trying to build a better life for themselves. Clinton's future is one where vulnerable young black men become computer programmers instead of inmates, and undocumented immigrants get just as much of a chance to chase the American dream as anyone else.

On the cultural level, Clinton's policies will contribute to the creation of a more compassionate and equal society, which will form the basis of the forthcoming century for the United States. Clinton will be the kind of president who can bring people together and show the world what the United States truly stands for. With the ideals of intersectional justice and equality at the heart of her policies, Clinton will help create a country that's a little brighter for women and minorities, and therefore, better for all its citizens. When Clinton is elected to the presidency, you won't have to imagine this world anymore — you'll be living in it.