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Black women’s pay gap needs more than a day to focus on the inequity
Celebrities among women and others standing up for equality

In case you missed it, July 31 was Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. It represents the seven additional months that African-American women have to work to reach the same wages that white men made last year.
Celebrities such as Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross and others took to Twitter, wearing the same “phenomenal woman” T-shirt — advocating for black women to be paid the same as their male peers. Currently, black women make 63 cents for every dollar that white men make. Women, who recognize equal pay day in April, make 80 cents for every dollar that men do.
In a recent episode of HBO’s Insecure, the character Molly, played by Yvonne Orji, saw how broad the wage gap is when she mistakenly received a co-worker’s check and was confronted with the challenges of working in a law firm dominated by white men. Many black women are all too familiar with what Molly felt when she saw that check. On #BlackWomenEqualPayDay and every day, African-American women should walk into work singing Rihanna (maybe the clean version, though).
A black woman has to earn a master’s degree to earn less than $2,000 more than a white man who has earned his associate degree. Black female lawyers, surgeons, engineers and other high-wage professionals earn 64 cents for every dollar paid to white men in the same field. For example, Stephen Curry, the 2016 NBA MVP, made $11.4 million last season, while the WNBA’s 2016 MVP, Nneka Ogwumike, made $95,000.
Overall, female athletes make significantly less money than their male counterparts. In basketball, NBA players make 50 percent of the league’s revenue, while WNBA players make 33 percent. Men’s national team soccer players who make the next U.S. World Cup roster will earn a $76,000 bonus in 2018, while U.S. women’s national team players received a $15,000 bonus for making the 2015 World Cup roster.
In a 2013 ESPN Films documentary, Venus Williams spoke out about equal pay in tennis.
Her sister Serena wrote a heartfelt letter published by Forbes about equal pay among black women and in tennis. In the close of her letter, Serena Williams had a message for black women: “Be fearless. Speak out for equal pay. Every time you do, you’re making it a little easier for a woman behind you. Most of all, know that you’re worth it.”
Yes! We made a doc about this! @VenusesWilliams is a true champion for pay equality. "VENUS VS" highlights her passion. #BlackWomensEqualPay https://t.co/w4pumHpvso
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) July 31, 2017
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, affectionately known as “Auntie Maxine” on Black Twitter, said it best: It’s time to reclaim our time!

Here are a few other women who spoke out in favor of equal pay on Twitter:
On #BlackWomensEqualPay Day, we recognize how much longer it takes Black women to earn what their white male counterparts earned last year.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 31, 2017
Compared to white men, black women earn only 63 cents on the dollar. Some states are improving. #BlackWomensEqualPay https://t.co/8hZBkZgiUV
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) July 31, 2017
My face knowing that the avg. American man could vacation for 6 mo & earn the same as the avg. BW who works all year #BlackWomensEqualPay pic.twitter.com/KI6g0nNqdL
— Yvette D. Clarke (@RepYvetteClarke) July 30, 2017
In some states, Black women lose over $1 mill to the wage gap over a 40yr career compared to white men #BlackWomensEqualPay #BlackWomenLead pic.twitter.com/aseb3ICby2
— Fatima Goss Graves (@FGossGraves) July 30, 2017
This is unacceptable—we don't have 108 years to wait until black women achieve wage equality #BlackWomensEqualPay https://t.co/euURniU89w
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) July 31, 2017