Illinois Congresswoman Co-Chairs Caucus With Report On Black Women And Girls In The United States

CHICAGO (CBS) -- There's a first of its kind congressional report on the state of Black women and girls in our nation.

Illinois U.S. Representative Robin Kelly is co-chair of the caucus that put together the collection of essays on challenges and solutions.

One contributor is Connecticut Congresswoman Jahana Hayes, a former national Teacher of the Year.

"Many of our problems are rooted in the funding structure of education in our communities. And we know that most of those Black and Brown communities have limited resources. And therefore those students have limited access to education in their communities," Hayes said.

The plight of public education is one of the topics addressed in the report.

Others include health care, economic disparity, the need for transformative social justice and creating access for women in construction trade and science careers.