November Jobs Report Shows Black Unemployment Highest it’s Been Since 2021 and Black Women’s Unemployment at 7.1% Compared to 4.6% Overall

Pressley Has Repeatedly Sounded the Alarm on Pushout of Black Women from Workforce Under Trump, Demanded Action from Federal Reserve

New Letter to Fed | Fed Response to September Letter

WASHINGTON – Today, as Black unemployment continues to soar, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, and Chairwoman Yvette Clarke of the Congressional Black Caucus wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell demanding a briefing for members of the Congressional Black Caucus on how the Federal Reserve is responding to this growing crisis. The Congresswoman’s letter follows the November jobs report, which shows Black unemployment at 8.3%—the highest it’s been since 2021—and Black women’s unemployment at 7.1% compared to 4.6% overall. Further, the unemployment rate overall is now the highest it has been since 2021.

In Congress, Rep. Pressley has repeatedly sounded the alarm on the rising number of Black women forced out of the workforce in the United States, called on the Federal Reserve to take action, and convened impacted women and economists to renew those calls. The Federal Reserve responded to the Congresswoman’s letter in October.

“The alarmingly high rates of unemployment in the Black community are a glaring red flag with negative implications for the broader economy,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter today. “While we appreciate your written responses and public statements on this issue, it is critical that you take immediate action to fulfil the statutory mandate to promote maximum employment for all people, of all races and genders. To better understand how the U.S. Federal Reserve is responding to this crisis, we request a briefing for Members of the Congressional Black Caucus.”

In their letter today to Chairman Powell, the lawmakers underscored the essential contributions Black communities make to the American economy, and how the entire country suffers when they are pushed out of the labor market. The lawmakers renewed their calls for the Federal Reserve to act urgently to address the unemployment crisis and outlined several ways the Federal Reserve and regional banks have addressed similar economic concerns in the past.

“[I]t is not enough to simply analyze, there needs to be action,” the lawmakers continued. “We again urge the Federal Reserve to ensure a fair economy that works for all, regardless of race and gender, in the face of fiscally irresponsible policies from the White House.”

“For Black families throughout our nation, gainful employment is a necessary key to unlock opportunity and prosperity,” the lawmakers wrote. “The Federal Reserve must comprehensively analyze the impact of Black workers’ job losses and develop a strategic plan to confront this crisis. As a core function of Congressional oversight for the constituents we serve, we request a briefing for the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss high unemployment and solutions for the Black community and our nation.”

The Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement underscoring the urgency of this crisis:

“Black workers across our country are once again bearing the brunt of an uncertain economy. In recent months, unemployment among Black workers has risen sharply under the economic conditions shaped by policies of the Trump Administration. In November, Black unemployment reached 8.3 percent—the highest level we have seen since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Behind this number are families struggling to make ends meet and communities facing unbearable economic hardship. 

“The Congressional Black Caucus believes this moment demands urgent action. To better understand how the Federal Reserve is responding to this crisis, we request a briefing for Members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The Federal Reserve must step in to address this growing unemployment crisis and confront the deep-rooted inequities that continue to leave Black workers behind. Black workers earn about 20 percent less than white workers, a gap that has contributed to a stark racial wealth divide. Today, the median Black family holds just $24,520 in net worth, compared to $250,400 for the median white family. This inequality did not happen by accident and cannot be ignored.

“We are calling on the Federal Reserve to address the crisis impacting Black workers and to develop a clear strategy to reverse these trends and ensure that Black workers and families are not left behind.”

Text of the lawmakers’ letter is available here.

Text of the Congresswoman’s initial September letter to the Federal Reserve is available here. The Federal Reserve’s response to that letter is available here.

Last month, with the unemployment rate for Black women continuing to rise, Congresswoman Pressley convened Black women, economists, civil rights leaders, and community members in Boston for an urgent discussion about the unemployment crisis facing Black women and its impact in Massachusetts and beyond.

In September, Congresswoman Pressley wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell sounding the alarm on the rising unemployment rate for Black women in the United States and demanding the Fed take immediate action to uphold its mandate of maximum employment for all. The Congresswoman’s letter comes as the Trump Administration’s mass federal workforce layoffs and anti-DEI policies disproportionately impact Black women and as Donald Trump attempts to seize control of the Fed by illegally firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. A copy of the Congresswoman’s letter is available here.

Later in September, Congresswoman Pressley convened a press conference with a coalition of Black women activists and civil rights leaders to continue sounding the alarm on the rising number of Black women forced out of the workforce in the United States.

In early December, Rep. Pressley, along with Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women & Girls, Congresswomen Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), led 19 of their colleagues demanding the Department of Labor (DOL) take immediate action to address the rising unemployment crisis among Black women that has taken shape since the start of the second Trump Administration.

Rep. Pressley has consistently advocated for race-conscious policies to help close the racial wealth gap in America, uplift Black, brown, and other marginalized communities.

• Building on the legacy of Black women in the civil rights movement, Rep. Pressley led a historic resolution calling for a federal job guarantee.  
• In a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Congresswoman Pressley questioned Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on the issue of full employment and the Civil Rights history of the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate. Powell conceded, for the first time in Federal Reserve history and on the Congressional record, that the Fed alone cannot get the United States to full employment.
• Congresswoman Pressley, along with Senator Cory Booker, is the lead co-sponsor of the American Opportunity Accounts Act—also known as Baby Bonds—legislation that would create a federally-funded savings account for every American child in order to make economic opportunity a birthright for every child and help close the racial wealth gap.
• Rep. Pressley introduced the Equity in Government Act to codify racial equity across federal agencies and improve government services for underserved communities.
• Rep. Pressley has also called on the five largest banks in America to provide a detailed update on the racial equity commitments the institutions made following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
• Rep. Pressley was also a leading voice in Congress urging President Biden to cancel student debt. Following years of advocacy by Rep. Pressley—in partnership with colleagues, borrowers, and advocates like the NAACP—the Biden-Harris Administration announced a historic plan to cancel student debt that stands to benefit over 40 million people.

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