City of Houston forms Women's Commission 'to address the substantial disparities women continue to face'

The City of Houston has a new permanent Women’s Commission dedicated to health and economic disparities, with more than two dozen female leaders chosen to serve on its first board.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner took to Twitter on Aug. 25 to congratulate Councilor Abbie Kamin on the creation of this council.

“I congratulate Council Member @AbbieKamin for proposing the Houston Women's Commission. As an attorney, wife and mother, she brings a unique perspective to public service,” Turner wrote in a note attached to a retweet of the City of Houston’s own tweet about the project.

The women's commission is the first of its kind for Houston, which elected its first female-majority city council in 2019, and it was a campaign promise for Kamin. Each of the 25 board members will serve a two-year term, and their replacements will be staggered. Commission members were nominated by each of the city council members, according to Community Impact Newspaper.

Kamin thanked Turner for his support in making the commission happen, in a tweet of her own: "Thank you Mayor @SylvesterTurner for your unwavering support of women in our city, and bringing this item forward."

She also talked about the work that went into making the commission a reality, in a news release issued by the City of Houston.

“After over a year of planning, to see this effort come to fruition is very special. This is the first time we will have a board specifically looking at women’s equity in our city; something we must have if we want to address the substantial disparities women continue to face day-to-day,” said Kamin, in a news release from the city. “It is important to the success of government and industry alike that women are represented at every level of leadership and decision-making. With the help of our diverse business and non-profit sectors, we can empower women in our community and ensure equal playing fields of opportunity.”