August 22, 2019
Ms. Foundation for Women on Black Women’s Equal Pay Day
Ms. Foundation for Women on Black Women’s Equal Pay Day
Ms. Foundation for Women, one of the first and largest women’s funds in the United States,
issues the following statement:
NEW YORK (August 22, 2019) – Ms. Foundation for Women President and CEO Teresa C. Younger released the following statement in honor of Black Women’s Equal Pay Day:
“It is only today — after working a full 234 days into 2019 — that a Black woman finally earns what her white, non-Hispanic male colleagues made in 2018. The notion that we have to work twice as hard to be equal is not just an adage passed on by those who raised us, but a harsh truth borne out in statistics.
“Four hundred years after Black women were first forcefully brought to this country, their contribution and resilience go woefully unrecognized. In 2019, we earn 61 cents for every one dollar a white, non-Hispanic male makes. The failure to pay Black women equally goes beyond the finances of an individual woman or her family; it represents a broad failure to invest in Black women and the community at large, and an inability to recognize the centuries of impact Black women have had on our politics, our culture, our economy — for the benefit of all.
“The Ms. Foundation for Women boldly and unapologetically invests in programs directed to Black women and girls and champion their leadership. We will work alongside our grantee partners to reject racism and sexism in all its forms until all genders stand as equals.”
Ms. Foundation spokespeople are available for interviews by phone or in-person from NYC. To schedule, please contact Sunshine Sachs at [email protected].
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For 45 years, the Ms. Foundation for Women has worked to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all. The Ms. Foundation invests in, and strengthens the capacity of women led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change in the lives of women. With equity and inclusion as the cornerstones of true democracy, the Ms. Foundation works to create a world in which the worth and dignity of every person are valued, and power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age.