Black women are facing the highest jobless rate of any group in America — 6.7% in August — and the toll is mounting. For Black Americans overall, the 7.5% jobless rate is double that of white workers and the highest it’s been since 2021.
The percentages may seem abstract, but the reality is staggering: more than 300,000 Black women have lost their jobs since February.
Some point to artificial intelligence as a looming threat to job security. But right now, the sharpest blows are coming from the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and deep cuts to the federal workforce, including government contractors — sectors where Black women have long played crucial roles.
Layer on the persistence of racism and the daily drumbeat of insults from far-right figures like Charlie Kirk, who used his platform to sneer that leaders such as Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson “stole a white person’s slot,” and it’s clear the message to many Black women is: You do not belong.
And while many have expressed sorrow over Kirk’s untimely and violent death, his words continue to echo — and wound — long after he is gone.
The stakes could not be higher. Black women are disproportionately single mothers — 47% in 2023, up from 29.5% in 1970. Every lost paycheck magnifies the risk of poverty, housing instability, food insecurity and the erasure of hard-won economic gains for Black families.
And yet, Black women continue to rise. They are launching businesses, learning new skills and forging pathways out of crisis. Their resilience is a blueprint — but resilience alone is not enough.
If we truly value Black women, our community must do more than applaud their strength. We must invest in it. Support Black-owned businesses. Mentor women entering new fields. Demand equitable workplace policies. Push lawmakers to protect DEI efforts instead of dismantling them.
Black women have carried our families, our churches, our schools and our movements. Now, they deserve to be carried — with opportunity, respect and unwavering support. Let’s answer their resilience with our resolve.