No Recovery for Black Women

About

Black women have long been plagued with unemployment and for years have had the second highest unemployment rate in the country, only behind black men. But as the country moves slowly toward economic recovery, black women are falling further behind. This is a multimedia project that shares the stories of unemployed black women and the struggles they face.

I, Brooks Newkirk, am a graduate student at the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism. I became interested in this topic after meeting so many black women who lost their jobs between 2009 and now. While millions of Americans, including many of my friends and family members, lost their jobs in recent years due to the shaky economy, the disproportionate job lost of black women between June 2009 and today is particularly troubling to me because they are the head of household for more than 54 percent of black families. So if they don’t work, their families and communities suffer.

Check out the site and let me know your thoughts at norecoveryforblackwomen[at]gmail.com