Unseen, Unheard, Unemployed: The Layoff Epidemic Devastating Black Women and Our Communities

Opinion: There’s a silent crisis affecting Black women. Why is it happening and what can be done about it?

By Debra Carr

We are in a crisis. The kind of crisis that creeps in quietly, but when it hits — its damage is undeniable. Black women across this country are being laid off, pushed out and left behind at unprecedented rates. Our names aren’t in the headlines. Our stories aren’t being told. And yet, we are the ones holding up our families, our churches, our schools and our communities.

We’re losing jobs in record numbers — and still, there is no national outcry. No prime-time coverage. No presidential address. Just silence.

In April 2025 alone, more than 106,000 Black women were reported unemployed — the steepest monthly drop of any demographic group. Our unemployment rate soared to 6.1% in May. Even after a slight dip in June, the rate remains far above the national average and the rate for white women.

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But these aren’t just data points. These are our sisters, our mothers, our neighbors — women who give, build, nurture and sacrifice — now facing financial devastation and emotional exhaustion, often in isolation.

Behind the Numbers: This Isn’t Just a Trend — It’s a Targeted Shift

What’s happening isn’t accidental. It’s a direct result of calculated policy decisions and systemic indifference. As state and federal budgets shrink, jobs in education, health, public administration and nonprofit sectors —f ields where Black women have historically been overrepresented — are being eliminated or gutted.

Let’s be clear: Black women are not being laid off because we only worked in equity and inclusion related positions. We are educators, analysts, executives, counselors, creatives, engineers and so much more. But the unfortunate truth is that any work promoting equity regardless of title has become politicized and weaponized in today’s culture war. That has made us targets.

Programs that once opened doors for Black women like those housed in the Department of Education, USAID and local municipalities are being dismantled. Equity is being stripped away in plain sight. And when equity is attacked, Black women feel it first and hardest.

And when Black women are unwell emotionally, financially, mentally, spiritually, the ripple effect is wide. The trauma we carry doesn’t stay contained. It touches our children, our relationships, our health, our communities, and the local economies that rely on us. This isn’t just a workforce issue, it’s an ecosystem issue.

Photo. Canva Pro

The Mental and Emotional Toll: When the Paycheck Stops, the Pressure Doesn’t

The devastation is not just financial. It’s psychological. It’s spiritual.

For us, work has never just been about a paycheck. It’s about purpose. It’s how we care for our families, build legacy, fight back against injustice, and affirm our worth in systems that constantly try to diminish it. So when we lose employment, we often lose a part of ourselves.

We battle depression. Anxiety. Grief. Exhaustion. And always that nagging question: Was it something I did? Or is it everything I represent?

And still, we’re expected to lead. To parent. To serve. To show up — strong and smiling. But this moment requires more than endurance. It demands rest, reflection, and radical care. It demands that we hold space for ourselves with the same ferocity we use to hold up everyone else.

What We Can Do: Strategies for Black Women Navigating This Moment

This is a collective wound — and our healing must be collective, too.

1. Prioritize Your Mental Health

Needing help is not a weakness, it’s a survival skill. Find a culturally competent therapist. Journal. Meditate. Cry if you need to. Connect with support networks like Therapy for Black Girls, Clinicians of Color, Black Women for Healthy Living, church ministries and Black-led wellness spaces. You are not alone, and your healing matters.

2. Leverage Community Resources

Even as systems cut back, our communities still show up. Tap into mutual aid groups, sororities, fraternities, women’s ministries, legal aid clinics and grassroots organizations. Don’t be afraid to ask for help — we’ve carried so many; it’s okay to be carried now.

3. Reclaim and Reinvent

Use this moment to pivot. Go back to school. Launch that business. Try freelancing or contract work. Community colleges, local incubators and entrepreneur hubs are offering low-cost, high-impact programs specifically targeting women. In Des Moines, check out the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families, Drake University Business Accelerator Program and the Small Business Administration (SBDC).

4. Rebuild Your Circle

Form job clubs. Host resource swaps. Create sister circles. Accountability calls, potlucks, and WhatsApp chats can be powerful spaces of solidarity and support. We are better and stronger together. Connect with your area neighborhood associations. They are often building a network of support and connecting people to one another and working to improve the quality of life for all residents.

5. Know Your Rights and Options

Though some benefits like SNAP are being rolled back, others remain. Seek out unemployment support, legal aid, mental health resources and advocacy groups that can help you navigate this moment. Knowledge is power — and in this climate, it’s protection.

What Employers, Allies, and Institutions Must Do

This moment is not just about what Black women can do — It’s about what systems must stop doing.

• Track layoffs by race and gender — and be transparent about who’s being let go.

• Reinvest in equity efforts with authentic leadership and resourced mandates.

• Fund mental health and economic mobility programs led by Black women.

• Center Black women’s voices in policy and decision-making — not just as symbols, but as leaders, innovators and community architects.

• Speak up and act — because silence is complicity.

It’s time for employers, policymakers and funders to stop asking us to save broken systems for free and start paying attention to how those systems are breaking us. Black women are often exceptional consultants and coaches – reach out to them to be a part of the solution.

This Is Not the End—It’s a Rallying Cry

If this country refuses to acknowledge what is happening to Black women in the workforce, then we must raise our voices louder, link arms tighter and build something stronger.

We are not tokens. We are not disposable. We are not optional.

We are the core. The culture. The compass. We are the strategists, the storytellers, the stabilizers. The original architects of resilience.

And when we rise, we don’t just rise for ourselves, we lift our families, our communities, and this entire nation with us.

Let’s be clear: This is not just about job loss. This is about reclaiming our power, protecting our peace, and rewriting the narrative.

So let’s organize. Let us reimagine. Let us rebuild. And most of all, we refused to be erased.

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