TAKING ACTION ON EQUAL PAY

According to data from the U.S. Dept. of Labor, the economy is in its best state since March 2020—but this boom is leaving behind an important population: Black Women.

Today, Black women not only have the highest rate of unemployment but also continue to experience the widest pay gap, a critical social issue that has existed for decades.

In fact, pay for Black women in today’s workforce ranges from 48 to 68 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men² in comparable positions. Many factors contribute to this issue—from racial discrimination to workplace harassment—and the combined effect greatly increases the economic pressure on Black women and their families. In fact, recent research shows that 80 percent of Black mothers serve as primary breadwinners of their families²—an issue further exacerbated during the pandemic, especially given that many Black women shoulder the majority of childcare duties.

On August 3rd, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, we must join together—public, private and nonprofit sectors—along with allies, advocates, activists and others—to commit to closing this chronic and unjust pay gap for Black women with real, committed action.

We are NPower, a national nonprofit that has worked for 20 years to increase solid, sustained economic opportunities for young people of color and veterans through tech jobs. Command Shift is our new coalition focused on strategies that help women of color with non-traditional backgrounds access good paying, tech-enabled jobs that provide the security and stability that they deserve.

The economy cannot fully boom, until each and every one of us has the opportunity to boom with it. And that starts with equal pay.

To accelerate the systematic changes that will enable women of color to thrive in their careers and livelihoods, we are asking you to join us and our corporate and nonprofit partners who have committed to this mission (see below) in taking action to break-through the systemic biases and entrenched institutional barriers that keep Black women from earning equal pay in the workforce.

Please add your signature below to show your support. An initial list of action steps that you and your company can implement to help achieve this goal may be found below. When signing, please share any other actions that you would recommend.

Suggested Action Steps

• On an annual basis, my company will conduct an internal pay audit to examine racial, ethnic and gender pay differences and take steps to correct disparities.
• My company will operate with pay transparency so that the public will know the companies that prioritize equitable pay and Black women have access to data and information regarding the wages they deserve.
• My company will work to ensure that there are equal opportunities for Black women to be hired, including those without college degrees but with the same skills as their peers—and at the same pay rate—and support them in advancing and thriving over the long-term.