Rep. Ayanna Pressley is calling upon the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to address the rise of unemployment amongst Black workers, particularly amongst Black women.
First obtained by NBC News, the Democratic Massachusetts Rep. sent a letter to Powell earlier this week.
In the letter, Pressley advocated for Powell to stay true to the mandate that ensures equal access to job opportunities and promotes the highest level of employment amongst all workers. She also urged the Federal Reserve to keep track of changes in the unemployment rate for Black women. Using the data, they can then formulate public policies that would prevent a further decline in job rates among women, emphasizing the key role Black women play in the economy.
In her letter, Pressley also called upon Powell to ensure the Federal Reserve’s own self-rule, independent of the government, in light of the firing of Lisa Cook. Although her term runs until January 2038, Cook was forced by the Trump administration to resign last month. In a recent court ruling, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb blocked their attempt because it went against the Federal Reserve Act and violates Cook’s due process.
“None of this is by accident. This is discriminate harm,” said Pressley per NBC News. “It is precise and it is targeted. And eventually this harm will come for everyone. But the patterns of it, the precision of it, it’s a predictable playbook. It is not happenstance.”
With the unemployment rate ticking up for Black women, Pressley warns it could be bad news for the economy and the country as a whole.
Per data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in March, the unemployment rate was approximately 5.1% for Black women. In just the span of five months, in August, that rate rose to 6.7%. The massive spike was only seen amongst Black women, as other demographics recorded small increases or largely maintained a steady rate.
Officials say a major contributor to the increase is the federal government’s layoffs in the workplace. As the Trump administration continues to make cuts to the public sector jobs, Black women have been disproportionately affected, as they make up more than 12% of the federal workforce. In the span of only three months, more than 300,000 Black women have left the U.S. labor force.
Per Pressley, the cutback of DEI and the addition of AI in the workplace also pose a threat to lowering the unemployment rate of Black women, particularly as the latter continues to take over entry-level positions.
With the lack of the presence of Black women, the representative highlighted the impact this will continue to have on the workforce.
“It’s a loss of the wealth of knowledge, of innovation, of skills that Black women contribute every day,” said Pressley per NBC.
