What does it mean for working people and their communities to have a meaningful say in the policies that affect their health, safety, and livelihoods? Established at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Harris County Essential Workers Board (HCEWB) was designed to ensure policymaking is shaped by workers’ ideas, feedback, and lived experience. The board, which was formed as a result of coordinated efforts among local and national allies, is one of a number of workforce standards boards that have formed in recent years at the state and local levels. But unlike many such boards that typically consist of workers, employers, and the government/public representatives, the HCEWB has been entirely composed and led by essential workers.
This panel conversation featured insights and reflections on how the HCEWB may inform future pro-worker policymaking efforts at the state and local levels and lessons, challenges, and takeaways from the early years of the board as described in a new case study report by the Center for Labor and a Just Economy.
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ABOUT THE Speakers
Danielle Igbani, Program Manager, Harris County’s Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity
Danielle primarily focuses on supporting the Harris County Essential Workers Board. She holds a Master’s Degree in Spanish Language and Hispanic Studies from the University of Houston and Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Spanish from Houston Baptist University, and has almost eight years of experience in government work. Outside of work, Danielle enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her cats, Pepper Jack and Maverick.
Kara Levy, Chair, Harris County Essential Workers Board
Kara organizes educators for a national union and chairs the Harris County Essential Workers Board. She is a mom, wife, and organizer who believes in the power of everyday people to create change. On the Board, she helps push for policies that make life better for working families. When she’s not in meetings or organizing, Kara is usually working on creative projects or spending quality time with her kids.
Nafisah Ula, Organizing Director, Jobs with Justice
Nafisah serves as the organizing director for the national office of Jobs With Justice. Now based in Portland, OR, she has been an organizer and campaigner since she was a teenager in Laramie, WY. Nafisah has worked with the domestic and international trade union movement since 2009. Her experiences in campaigning and movement building have instilled a deep commitment to using the strengths inherent in our communities by organizing in the most strategic and impactful ways possible. Nafisah holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago.
Yoorie Chang (moderator), Project Manager for CLJE:Lab, Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School
Yoorie focuses on advancing strategies and policy interventions that enable working people to build power, and manages partnerships with stakeholders across the labor movement ecosystem. Prior to joining CLJE, Yoorie was a part of the applied research and evaluation team at the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program and has supported organizing in higher education with SEIU Local 200United. Yoorie received a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.
