“We are plagued by an economic crisis that is a direct result of Trump’s reckless financial policies, that are precisely targeting Black communities who already carry the weight of systemic economic harm and now suffer from the daily impact of this affordability crisis—felt from grocery stores to the housing market to the gas pump.”

Pressley Has Repeatedly Sounded the Alarm on Trump’s Unemployment and Affordability Crisis Impacting Black, Minority Workers and Businesses

Video (YouTube) | Photos (Dropbox)

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Color Of Change, and advocates held a press conference to sound the alarm on the state of the Black economy and the harmful impact of Trump and Republicans’ agenda on Black communities, including skyrocketing Black unemployment rates and escalating the affordability crisis.

At a time when Black communities are carrying the weight of economic instability, rising costs, and discriminatory financial policy, Rep. Pressley, Color Of Change, and advocates called on Congress to advance policies that protect civil rights, expand opportunity, and make the economy work for Black people and, in doing so, for everyone.

In Congress, Rep. Pressley has repeatedly sounded the alarm on the rising number of Black workers 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. Rep. Pressley has also been a vocal advocate to support small businesses, especially during this economic crisis—investing in their ability to thrive, uplifting local economies, and promoting support for minority-owned businesses impacted by systemic inequities through her SPARK Act.

“The state of the Black economy is under attack,” said Rep. Pressley in her remarks. “We are plagued by an economic crisis that is a direct result of Trump’s reckless financial policies, that are precisely targeting Black communities who already carry the weight of systemic economic harm and now suffer from the daily impact of this affordability crisis—felt from grocery stores to the housing market to the gas pump…Trump is shamefully and intentionally pushing out Black workers who carry with them a wealth of knowledge, innovation, and skill to our workforce…This layered discriminatory attack on Black lives deepens the economic inequities burdening Black communities, but the consequences reverberate far beyond us.”

“Black families across this country are being told to believe in an economy they cannot feel,” said Nadine Smith, President and CEO of Color Of Change. “You cannot tell us the economy is strong while our families are choosing between medicine, food, gas, and keeping the lights on. Black families deserve more because all Americans deserve more.  Color Of Change is committed to standing in solidarity with those in the legislature, like Congresswoman Pressley, who are willing to fight for us and, in turn, for our entire country. We will have a multiracial democracy in America, and the only question we have to answer is how soon and how hard it will be, but we will get there.”

Joining Rep. Pressley and Color of Change President & CEO Nadine Smith was Patrice Willoughby, Chief of Policy and Legislative Affairs, NAACP, Tara Murray, Executive Director of the Washington Bureau and Senior Vice President for Policy & Advocacy, National Urban League, Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, President, Joint Center, and folks impacted by the economic crisis.

“The Trump Administration has created an economic crisis that is hitting Black communities hardest. While Black workers face a 7.3% unemployment rate – far above the national average – forcing families to choose between paying medical bills, paying for gas, or putting food on the table. Meanwhile, the President says he doesn’t even think about Americans’ financial situation. Instead, he sets up a $1.7 billion reparations fund for his friends and the January 6th insurrectionists who attacked our Capitol. This is not only corrupt, it is shameful. We’re calling on Congress to advance policies that protect Americans’ rights, expand opportunity, and make the economy work for Black communities – and, in doing so, for everyone.” – Patrice Willoughby, NAACP Chief of Policy and Legislative Affairs

“The National Urban League declared a state of emergency facing Black America in our most recent State of Black America report. What we are hearing from communities across the country only confirms the urgency of that warning. Families are working harder, paying more, and falling further behind. Rising unemployment, threats to healthcare and food assistance, attacks on the federal workforce, and the rollback of programs that expand opportunity are direct attacks on Black economic advancement and Black futures. Congress must reject an agenda that deepens inequality and instead invest in jobs, housing, entrepreneurship, and pathways to economic mobility that strength Black communities and the nation as a whole.” – Tara Murray, Executive Director of the Washington Bureau and Senior Vice President for Policy & Advocacy at the National Urban League

“Black communities are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden as the affordability crisis worsens,” said Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, President, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “High-end tax cuts, limited investment in anti-poverty programs, increased reliance on regressive state and local taxes, and policy choices that favor wealth accumulation at the top are deepening this Black affordability crisis and widening the wealth divide. Black unemployment reached 7.3 percent this month, the highest across all races, and if seen nationally, that rate would indicate a recession. Congress must act now to advocate and create policies that lower costs, increase economic opportunity, and build an economy that delivers for Black families.” 

A transcript of the Congresswoman’s remarks during the press conference is available below. The video is available here and photos are available here.

Transcript: Pressley, Color of Change, Advocates Slam Trump’s Attacks on the Black Economy, Impacts on Black Employment, Affordability Crisis

U.S Capitol

May 20, 2026

Alright, well, good afternoon. Thank you all for joining us today. Truly, it’s an honor to partner with Color of Change in this essential fight for Black communities, for Black families, for Black futures—families who are bearing the burden of our nation’s economic and affordability crisis.

I’m so grateful for the incredible leadership and the partnership of the NAACP, the National Urban League, and Joint Center, and to my sister colleagues, whose efforts are invaluable in our work to defend Black lives.

The state of the Black economy is under attack. We are plagued by an economic crisis that is a direct result of Trump’s reckless financial policies, that are precisely targeting Black communities who already carry the weight of systemic economic harm and now suffer from the daily impact of this affordability crisis—felt from grocery stores to the housing market to the gas pump.

While the national unemployment rate is already 4.3%, for Black workers it is an even higher 7.3%. That is a crisis.

Trump’s attacks on workers’ rights, the federal workforce, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility are costing us Black jobs—which we know he never cared about.

Trump is shamefully and intentionally pushing out Black workers who carry with them a wealth of knowledge, innovation, and skill to our workforce.

I met with Black women in my district, the Massachusetts Seventh, who have been harmed by and witnesses to this pushout crisis and economic instability.

In that room, there was no shortage of degrees, there was no shortage of expertise, there was no shortage of experience—and yet many of these Black women shared their challenges navigating sudden career stops, economic insecurity, and the harmful impact on them and their families’ lives, and livelihoods.

Black women who own small businesses spoke of struggling to keep their doors open due to affordability challenges under Trump’s tariffs and a rising inability to pay their staff, often deepening the unemployment crisis even further.

We heard from Teresa, who worked at a major hospital in my district to ensure that Black immigrant, disabled, and LGBTQ+ patients did not fall through the cracks of a complex health system. Her position was eliminated because of Republican cuts to NIH and Medicaid funding, and with that funding elimination, her livelihood and the health and wellness of her patients stopped.

This layered discriminatory attack on Black lives deepens the economic inequities burdening Black communities, but the consequences reverberate far beyond us. And this harm is coming for everyone.

And that is exactly why it is up to Congress to advance policies that protect civil rights, expand opportunities for all, and make the economy work for Black communities, and in doing so for everyone. Like addressing the push out of Black women from the workforce, like investing in minority-owned small businesses, like lowering the cost of housing, and so much more.

And it’s up to all of us to actively resist, reject and condemn this agenda of anti-Blackness on steroids and to fight for Black families, for Black workers, for Black joy, for Black progress, for Black futures.

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Rep. Pressley has been a leading voice fighting for Black workers, as well as a vocal advocate for small businesses—investing in their ability to thrive, uplifting local economies, and promoting support for minority-owned businesses impacted by systemic inequities through her SPARK Act.

In September 2025, 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 came amid the Trump Administration’s mass federal workforce layoffs and anti-DEI policies disproportionately impacting Black women and as Donald Trump attempted to seize control of the Fed by illegally firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. A copy of the Congresswoman’s letter is available here.

In December 2025, Rep. Pressley and Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke followed up to Rep. Pressley’s demands and 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. 

In May 2026, Rep. Pressley vehemently opposed Republican legislation that would strip the Federal Reserve’s mandate for maximum employment, emphasizing the Fed’s essential role in ensuring economic health, community well-being, and personal dignity in work especially under Trump’s unemployment crisis.

In March 2026, Reps. Pressley and Summer Lee (PA-12) introduced the Better Labor Statistics Act, or the BLS Act, legislation that would codify the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ mandate to report unemployment data publicly, online, and at the first Friday of each month to ensure transparency and accuracy in unemployment data collection. The BLS Act would also codify the publication of unemployment data broken down by race and ethnicity, gender, geography, and industry.

In December 2025, 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.

In November 2025, Rep. Pressley convened Black women, economists, civil rights leaders, and community members for an urgent discussion about the unemployment crisis facing Black women and its impact in Massachusetts and beyond.

In September 2025, 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 May 2026, Rep. Pressley discussed the affordability crisis facing minority-owned small businesses and warned of the harmful impact the Trump Administration’s proposed rollbacks to bank capital requirements would have on underserved communities.

In response to the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rep. Pressley led the Saving Our Street (SOS) Act, legislation that provides federal support to microbusinesses throughout America during the COVID-19 crisis.

In July 2025, Rep. Pressley and Senator Markey led the entire MA congressional delegation in writing to Susan M. Collins, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, requesting additional information on the impact of tariffs on small businesses, including crosstabulations showing the expected and realized impacts of tariffs on small businesses broken down by industry, importer status, and firm size.

In 2024, Rep. Pressley secured $1,000,000 in federal community project funding for the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA). The funding aimed to help BECMA’s efforts to support small Black-owned businesses and Black entrepreneurs through technical assistance and other tools and services.

In 2023, Rep, Pressley secured $400,000 in federal community project funding for Amplify LatinX’s ALX Small Business Program. The federal dollars supported bilingual, culturally relevant, and intensive strategic business coaching to Latinx small businesses, and invested in the economic stability and vitality of the Latinx community – one of the fastest growing communities across the Commonwealth and one that was disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

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