Yvette D. Clarke and fellow lawmakers are urging the Labor Department to take action as unemployment rises among Black women.
Backed by 19 co-sponsors, the letter cited BLS data showing Black women saw the sharpest drop in employment of any demographic—jumping from 5.1% to 6.1% unemployment in just April 2025.
Black women leaders on Capitol Hill, including Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), are demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Labor on how it plans to address the rising unemployment crisis impacting Black women.
In a press release, Clarke—along with Reps. Robin Kelly (IL), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ), and Ayanna Pressley (MA) of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls (CCBWG)—sent a letter to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Acting Director Loretta Greene, urging swift action to confront the growing unemployment emergency under the Trump administration.
Signed by 19 co-sponsors, the letter cited BLS data showing that Black women saw the largest employment decline of any demographic, with unemployment jumping from 5.1% to 6.1% in April 2025 alone. “These figures are more than numbers — they represent a growing crisis of economic displacement for thousands of mothers, caregivers, and heads of households. And as these losses rise, the federal government’s ability to fully understand and respond to them is shrinking,” the letter stated.
“The BLS — long considered a cornerstone for trustworthy employment data — has faced ongoing budget cuts and political pressure that threaten its ability to produce accurate, detailed reporting by race and gender. Without reliable data, policymakers cannot fully understand or respond to the challenges Black women workers are experiencing.”
MSNBC recently reported that “300,000 Black women have left the American workforce in three months,” but Forbes notes the story is more complex. While employment for Black women dropped by nearly 318,000 jobs between February and June 2025, the number who actually exited the workforce was much smaller and occurred over a different time period.
As President Donald Trump touts 2025 as the beginning of America’s “Golden Era,” the reality has looked far different for the workforce — especially for Black women — during his second term. Unemployment for the group surged from about 557,000 in March 2025 to nearly 700,000 by July. The spike stunned career strategist Andrew McCaskill, noting that Black women are among the most educated in the country. “Black women have some of the highest educational attainment rates, yet they’re losing jobs at nearly twice the rate of white and Asian women. That’s a major warning sign,” he said.
He added, “If the economy can’t absorb highly skilled Black women — many of whom work in the public sector — how will it absorb anyone else? Their job losses expose deep cracks in the very industries meant to provide stability.”
McCaskill’s concerns echo those outlined in the letter signed by Clarke and fellow lawmakers. Their request calls for a full review of the “troubling” employment trends and collaboration on “a comprehensive assessment of their impact on Black women in the workforce, and what corrective actions may be needed.”
Clarke is also pushing to restore the priority of “accurate, disaggregated labor data on Black women and other underrepresented groups,” while identifying policy solutions to address the disproportionate job losses they face. “Black women’s labor has long been the backbone of our classrooms, hospitals, and communities,” the letter states, urging a response by Dec. 15.
“To overlook the economic crisis they’re facing now is to ignore the very foundation of our nation’s progress.”
