Black History Celebrated, Inequity Measured
February 3, 2026
Black History Month is often framed as a celebration of progress. This year, it should also be a reckoning, especially around the economic reality facing Black women.
Recent labor data shows that women accounted for nearly all net job losses at the end of 2025, with Black women hit hardest. By early 2026, the unemployment rate for Black women had climbed to 7.5%, nearly double the national rate, with the largest month-to-month increases of any demographic group throughout 2025.
College-educated Black women lost the most ground. In 2024, 74% of Black women with bachelor's degrees were employed. By the first nine months of 2025, that figure had fallen to 71%. Over the same period, employment among white women with bachelor's degrees declined by less than one percentage point.
Research and reporting point to a mix of factors, including slower hiring, occupational concentration in roles tied to diversity and equity efforts, and shifts in public-sector employment. This impact is far-reaching because Black women have long served as economic stabilizers for families, communities, and entire sectors of the workforce.
The current data is alarming and makes clear they are absorbing a disproportionate share of today's economic risk.
Honoring Black History Month means confronting these inequities and responding with intentional policies and practices that prevent these systemic imbalances in the first place.
SD
founder & CEO
BRIDGE