July 18, 2025
Black women in America had to work more than six extra months into 2025 just to match what white, non-Hispanic men earned in 2024 alone — a gap symbolized by Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, recognized this year on July 10.
Despite working in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, Black women continue to be underpaid at an alarming rate, earning just 66 cents for every dollar paid to white men on average. At that pace, it would take more than 200 years for Black women to achieve pay equity. In response, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware has introduced a resolution declaring Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, aiming to elevate the issue and bring it to the center of the national conversation.
“America is one of the wealthiest economies in the world, yet Black women still have to work seven months longer to earn what white men do,” Blunt Rochester said in a statement on Equal Pay Day.
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day marks how far into the year Black women must work to earn the same amount that white, non-Hispanic men made in the previous year. In 2025, that date fell on July 10.
The senator previously made history as Delaware’s first woman and first Black U.S. senator and and the fourth Black woman to serve in the Senate in its 236-year existence.
The resolution proposed by Blunt Rochester is co-sponsored by 32 Democratic senators and joined in the House by Rep. Alma Adams of North Carolina, who has long championed wage equity.
“Today, we recognize the staggering wage inequity Black women face and recommit ourselves to addressing this injustice,” Adams explained.
She continued, “For too long, Black women have been forced to work twice as hard to get half as far, facing steep barriers, discrimination, and a lack of opportunity to succeed. We cannot afford to wait 200 years to be paid what we’re owed. I’m proud to introduce this resolution and continue our fight for wage equity in America.”
According to experts, the pay gap is the result of long-standing structural racism and sexism, creating a double bind that has not been seriously addressed across generations.
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research argues that addressing the issue requires tailored policy solutions that reflect the intersectional challenges Black women face, such as Equal Pay Day, backed by Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester.
“Gender and racial injustices are compounding factors that exacerbate discrimination against Black women,” the institute’s report states, noting the continued legacy of slavery and lack of generational wealth.
The report highlights how their work is “devalued and exploited,” often relegating them to low-paying jobs with few benefits or opportunities for advancement.
To address the inequity, researchers urge more vigorous enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, salary transparency, access to paid leave, reproductive healthcare, education support, and broader workplace protections, highlighting the importance of Blunt Rochester’s mission.
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