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Black America Web
5 days ago
- Business
- Black America Web
Black Women See Rising Unemployment Rates As Rest of Labor Market Plateaus
Source: Irina Romanova / Getty While overall unemployment in the U.S. has remained steady in recent months, Black women are facing a troubling reversal. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, they are the only demographic to experience a rise in unemployment this year. Read more about how Black women are noticing a rise in unemployment. This is an unsettling trend that many experts warn may signal broader economic trouble ahead. Data shows that Black women's unemployment rate has climbed from 5.1 percent earlier this year to 6.2 percent in May, before dropping slightly to 5.8 percent in June, as reported by The 19th News. In comparison, White and Asian women have held steady at around 3 percent, and Latinx women hover near 5 percent. This contrast points to systemic issues that disproportionately impact Black women in the workforce. Blavity reports that one of the most persistent challenges is that Black women tend to remain unemployed for longer than other groups. On average, they spend more than six months jobless before landing a new position. These gaps not only stall individual economic mobility but also signal cracks in the job market at large. 'Black workers, and particularly Black women, show up as a canary in the coal mine, giving a picture of what may happen to everyone else later,' said Jessica Fulton, senior fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, to Blavity. Experts also cite the possibility of looming recession indicators, as well as tangible effects from federal job cuts under the Trump administration. Layoffs have hit hard in departments where Black women made up a significant share of the workforce. For instance, 28 percent of the Department of Education's workforce was made up of Black women, according to ProPublica . As budgets shrink and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles are eliminated, so were countless jobs held by Black women. Kate Bahn, chief economist at the Institute for Women's Policy Research, highlighted the double bind: 'Black women are overrepresented among those jobs, but somehow, that's still not enough to overcome the bigger structural barriers.' Jasmine Tucker, VP of Research at the National Women's Law Center, emphasized the urgency: 'This is the backbone of our economy. We have cause to be concerned.' Comment your thoughts on the rise in unemployment amongst Black women. SEE ALSO Black Women See Rising Unemployment Rates As Rest of Labor Market Plateaus was originally published on
Black America Web
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Black America Web
WTFGO In Politics: Social Security Shake-Ups, Deportation Drama & Trump's Alligator Alcatraz Disaster
Source: GIORGIO VIERA / Getty From rising retirement ages to climate disaster and deportation threats, this week's political headlines serve up a chaotic cocktail of urgency, absurdity, and deeply real consequences. Check out WTFGO in politics this week inside. Let's start with your future. According to Blavity , the full retirement age for Social Security will begin increasing from 67 to 70 starting in 2026. While lawmakers say this is to 'save' the program for future generations, critics note that it disproportionately harms working-class Americans. It's especially concerning for Black and Brown communities already experiencing shorter life expectancies and chronic health disparities. Gen Z and Millennials are questioning whether they'll ever be able to retire at all, or if they're stuck hustling forever in the name of 'economic sustainability.' As if things weren't already heavy, another article from Blavity reports that the Trump administration is officially ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants this September. Over 200,000 Haitians who've legally lived in the U.S. for years could now face deportation. This move comes despite Haiti's ongoing political instability and humanitarian crises. Immigration advocates warn that the decision is not just cruel, but it's deeply anti-Black and undermines the U.S.'s role in global humanitarian responsibility. Now for the absurd: President Donald Trump's newly announced migrant detention center named 'Alligator Alcatraz' flooded in one day. Located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, inside Big Cypress National Preserve, in Ochopee, Florida, some have likened the facility to Alcatraz due to its isolation and harsh conditions. Just their luck, the facility flooded within 24 hours of opening. Yep—you read that right. One day into operation and it was already underwater. The irony is rich: the Trump administration, which has aggressively pushed immigration crackdowns and privatized detention centers, now faces backlash not just for cruelty—but incompetence. Critics say it's a metaphor for the administration's entire immigration agenda: rushed, inhumane, and unsustainable. From aging Americans expected to grind longer, to Haitian families under threat of deportation, to Trump's dystopian detention facility quite literally sinking, it's been another week of WTF-level political whiplash. Whether it's your retirement, your rights, or your safety, this political moment demands our attention. Stay alert, stay informed, and keep asking WTF is going on. SEE ALSO WTFGO In Politics: Social Security Shake-Ups, Deportation Drama & Trump's Alligator Alcatraz Disaster was originally published on
New York Times
06-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
First Came Forbes' ‘30 Under 30.' Then Came Love.
Morgan Rose DeBaun never had a lot of time for pickup artists. Then she went dancing in Nashville and changed her tune. It wasn't with a cheesy line that Joshua Lamar Shaw picked her up on Aug. 20, 2021, at the speakeasy nightclub Dirty Little Secret. It was with his hands. 'He just picked me up and moved me,' Ms. DeBaun said. That no man had been brazen enough to do this before had less to do with her immovability — she is a compact 4-foot-11 — than her reputation. Ms. DeBaun, 35, is a founder and the chief executive of the digital media company Blavity and an adviser to brands including American Airlines and PepsiCo. In 2016, two years after she started Blavity, she was on the Forbes '30 Under 30' list alongside Aaron Samuels, her fellow founder. She is now a serial entrepreneur at the head of companies including AfroTech, a platform for Black technology executives, and an author. This spring, 'Rewrite Your Rules,' her mantra, became a book about the path to personal fulfillment. A rejection of hustle culture for something more authentic is at its foundation. So was the path that led her to go dancing that night in Nashville. Binge more Vows columns here and read all our wedding, relationship and divorce coverage here. Ms. DeBaun grew up in St. Louis with an older brother. Their parents, Sandra and Michael DeBaun, raised them with what she called solid Midwestern values. 'Everything at home was consistent and stable,' she said. 'My mom and dad were high school sweethearts, my grandma picked me up from school every day.' In Los Angeles, where she moved in 2015 to grow Blavity after graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science and entrepreneurship from Washington University in St. Louis, she wasn't meeting men who shared those values. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Social Security Payments For February 2025: What Beneficiaries Need To Know
Social Security beneficiaries can expect their monthly payments this week. The payments, scheduled for Wednesday, will provide thousands of dollars to many recipients, Fox Business reported. These payments are distributed on four different dates each month. The specific payment date depends on the beneficiary's birthdate and how long they have been receiving benefits. Payments are sent on the second, third, and fourth Wednesdays of the month: If your birthday falls between the 1st and 10th, you will receive your payment on the second Wednesday. If you were born between the 11th and 20th, you will receive your payment on the third Wednesday. If your birthday falls between the 21st and 31st, your payment will be sent on the fourth Wednesday. For retirees who have been receiving benefits since May 1997, payments arrive on the third day of the month. Those who also receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will get their payments on the first of the month. The maximum monthly Social Security payment depends on the age at which a person claims benefits: Retirees who claim at the full retirement age of 67 can receive up to $4,018 per month. Those who opt for early retirement at 62 receive a smaller maximum benefit of $2,831 per month. Individuals who delay benefits until age 70 can receive up to $5,108 per month. Social Security benefits are adjusted annually based on the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which reflects inflation. In 2025, the COLA increase is 2.5%, making it the smallest adjustment since 2021. 'The 2025 COLA will be the lowest received by Social Security beneficiaries since 2021, at the same time inflated prices persist on key essentials such as housing, meats, auto insurance, any type of service and repairs,' said Mary Johnson, an independent Social Security and Medicare policy analyst, Newsweek reported. 'Despite it being the lowest COLA since 2021, a 2.5% COLA would be considered about average.' This version maintains clarity and formatting while removing bold text as requested. Let me know if you need any more refinements!The post Social Security Payments For February 2025: What Beneficiaries Need To Know appeared first on Blavity. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kanye West, Bianca Censori, And The Dark Underbelly Of The Modern Muse Motif
A man and his muse, a pairing as old as time, has been a consistent trope in the world of fashion. The most viable 'weapon' in the arsenal of dapper men with exquisite style personas more than Celine button-downs and Richard Mille wristwatches is a woman they can 'dress like a doll' as a reflection of their style prowess. Perhaps one of the biggest purveyors of this trope is Kanye West, who infamously crafted Kim Kardashian's style rebrand back in 2012. Kardashian herself has gone on the record stating that West 'totally picks out my looks' and did a complete overhaul of her closet when they first began dating. His most recent sartorial takeover took place at the 2025 Grammy Awards on Sunday, where he urged wife, Bianca Censori, to shed her fur coat on the red carpet, revealing her fully nude body, covered with a completely see-through mini dress. But like many of West's recent stunts, this outfit reveal didn't land as innovative or boundary-pushing. It was just dehumanizing. Many describe Censori's assumed cooperation in this dynamic as some sort of humiliation ritual, while others are calling out the signs of abuse reflected in their interactions. This isn't the first time West has urged Censori to bear it all in attempts to farm engagement and reel in the attention that fuels the social media tirades, anti-Black interviews and anti-semitic rants that have marked much of the last 10 years of West's life. Beyond this being a gross display of objectification and another tack on the board for West's history of abhorrent and dangerous behaviors, it also sheds light on the harm enacted by the muse trope. While it may seem cute and even romantic to have a partner so dedicated to your aesthetic advancement, appearance surveillance, like any other controlling behavior, is post Kanye West, Bianca Censori, And The Dark Underbelly Of The Modern Muse Motif appeared first on Blavity.
