Nonpartisan PAC forms to support Women of Color running for office in Arkansas

A new political action committee (PAC) was formed this past week with a goal towards electing more women of color to office in Arkansas. Supporters said the goal is to elect more women of color including Black, Latin X, Asian and Native women regardless of political affiliation.

“It is sorely needed in the same way that other PACs are needed,” said Rep. Vivian Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, who will serve as the initial PAC president. “Political action organizations are set up to galvanize and combine resources. It serves as a tool to address very specific, targeted issues. So this PAC will be a nonpartisan PAC because we’re focused on issues that are specific to women of color.”

There are seven women of color in the 135-member General Assembly and all are Democrats. There are no women of color elected to statewide office or federal office in Arkansas.

Some issues that the PAC aims to address include wages, poverty, health, incarceration, access to capital, and employment.

“Pay equity and poverty, which go hand in hand. Health, I think that you can, you can raise any health issue at any disease state, any morbidity statistic, and what you will find is that women of color are at the bottom of that statistic and negatively impacted,” Flowers said. “Aside from pay equity and poverty and health are violence against women.”

“We are focused on training. We’re focused on education and awareness. I think that a lot of times when, especially when you’re looking at the parties, the focus is we’ve got to get a Democratic woman or man to run, or a Republican, and what we’re going to be focused on, we’re going to be focused on issues.”

Watch Rep. Flowers’ full interview in the video below.