NEWS: Senator Blunt Rochester Leads Entire Senate Democratic Caucus in Resolution Recognizing Black Women’s Equal Pay Day

Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) led all 47 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus in introducing a resolution honoring Black Women's Equal Pay Day. In the United States, Black women in the workforce are paid just 63cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men. If current trends continue, Black women will wait nearly 200 years to achieve equal pay. The House companion resolution is led by Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-N.C.-12).

"Even in the 'land of opportunity,' Black women must work 55 percent longer to achieve the same earnings as white men," said Senator Blunt Rochester. "This resolution sheds light on the challenges facing minority communities across the country and reaffirms our commitment to closing the pay gaps. I'm proud to see all my Senate Democratic colleagues join me in making a concerted effort to improve the quality of life and economic power of Black women everywhere."

"Today, we confront an unacceptable wage disparity facing Black women, and recommit ourselves to correcting it," said Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Ranking Member, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. "For generations, Black women have been compelled to work twice as hard for half the reward. They have faced entrenched barriers, systemic discrimination, and a persistent denial of opportunity. We cannot ask another generation of Black women to wait months, even years, for the pay they rightfully deserve. I am proud to introduce this resolution, and I call on this Congress to act with the urgency this injustice demands."

To better understand the economic well-being of Black women, Senator Blunt Rochester will be requesting a study from the Government Accountability Office on how federal workforce programs support opportunities for Black women. Additionally, Blunt Rochester continues to champion policies to improve Black women's economic well-being through various means:

• Introduced a suite of bills to improve Black maternal health.
• Co-led a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate its decision to end the collection of EEO-1 data, which includes an employee's job category, race, and sex, and is used to enforce workplace discrimination laws.
• Co-led the Working Women's Bill of Rights, which recognizes Congress's obligation to address recent executive and administrative actions that have caused disproportionate harm to women's workplace rights, freedoms, and protections, by safeguarding workers from unequal treatment.
• Passed five bills in the bipartisan 21^st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which will improve Black women's access to affordable housing.
• Led the TIKES Act, ENACT Act, and Data Mapping to Save Moms' Lives Act, which have passed into law. These bills improve Black women's access to proper healthcare treatment options.
• Cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act to increase economic mobility for working women.
• Cosponsored the American Family Act to expand the child tax credit and increase opportunity for families.

The following organizations have endorsed Senator Blunt Rochester's resolution: A Better Balance, AFL-CIO, American Association of University Women (AAUW), Arab American Family Services, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Clearinghouse on Women's Issues Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, Democratic Women's Caucus, Equal Rights Advocates, ERA Coalition, Family Values @ Work, Feminist Majority Foundation, FL National Organization for Women, Gender Equality Law Center, Gender Justice, Greater Orlando National Organization for Women, Institute for Women's Policy Research, Justice for Migrant Women, Legal Momentum, the Women's Legal Defense & Education Fund, MANA, A National Latina Organization, Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center, Mississippi Black Women's Roundtable, MomsRising, NAACP, National Action Network, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, National Black Worker Center, National Center for Law and Economic Justice, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation's Black Women's Roundtable, National Council of Jewish Women, National Council of Negro Women, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, National Organization for Women (NOW), National Partnership for Women & Families, National Urban League, National Women's Law Center Action Fund, Oxfam America, Public Justice Center, Saving Ourselves Foundation, Ujima, The National Center on Violence Against, Women in the Black Community, Women Employed.

The full text of the resolution can be found HERE.

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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate, where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.