There is no group, gender, sexual identity, race, or cultural belief that can prevent mental illness from occurring, yet the prevalence of mental illness today is higher than heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. That’s especially alarming for minority women. Women are at least twice as likely to experience an episode of major depression as men. And, compared to their Caucasian counterparts, African American women are only half as likely to seek help.
- Erica Martin Richards, Md., Ph.D. (1)

2020-2022

Covid 19, the Pandemic

In February 2020, schools, stores, restaurants, airlines, businesses, and the world pivoted, and conducted as much business as possible online.

The gun violence against Blacks in America impact Black women and mothers, more than any other group. When George Floyd was being murdered, he cried out for his mother, and Black mothers in America could not save him. When Brianna Taylor was shot dead in her home, every Black woman wondered if it could happen to them. And when Ahmaud Arbery was shot while jogging, Black women who walk and jog were weary to continue.

The tragic truth is Black women today are under pressure to protect themselves and their families unlike any other sector of our population.

There is an exodus taking place and many Black American women are choosing to live in other countries. And for those who remain, they are entrepreneurial and unapologetically uncompromising their happiness, talents and worth less and less.

The Reality of WORKING BLACK WOMEN

Racism.
The Microaggressions Towards Black Women You Might Be Complicit In At Work, Forbes, June 2020. As all women know, the reason we call the negative gender-based actions previously mentioned ‘microaggressions’ is because they’re often small, subtle and difficult to pinpoint. Often delivered in a ‘well-meaning,’ not overtly aggressive way, microaggressions are their own form of gas-lighting. For Black women, this experience is only more concentrated, as they suffer for both their gender and race. Source: forbes.com
Discrimination.
Black Women and Double Discrimination in Employment. Studies on earnings inequality find that Black women are underpaid relative to similarly qualified Black men, as well as relative to similarly qualified white women. But in economics, standard analytical approaches treat race and gender separately, overlooking the possibility that race and gender interact within the context of labor markets to compound the disadvantages faced by Black women workers. With an award from the Foundation, economist Marlene Kim will conduct a quantitative study comparing the wages of African American women with the wages of white men, as well as with the earnings of African American men. She will use PUMS data from 2000 to ascertain whether wage differences are due to discrimination based on race, gender, or a combination of the two that results in a distinct disadvantage for African American women.
Source: www.russellsage.org
Single Working Mothers.
Black moms, too, have relatively high labor force participation ratesbBlack mothers – two-thirds of whom are equal, primary or sole earners in their households – have higher labor force participation rates than other moms. This has historically been the case, and 2020 was no exception: 76.0% were in the labor force, compared with 71.3% of white moms, 62.8% of Hispanic moms and 64.3% of Asian moms. Source: US Department of Labor
Intersectionality.
What is Intersectionality? The term describes how the overlapping and intersecting of distinct identities can generate unique forms of discrimination. “Black women, for example, are discriminated against for being Black and being women. This double discrimination can be greater than the sum of either. Imagine the intersecting impact of being Black, Muslim, an immigrant, and a woman.” –The State of Black Women in Corporate America (2) Source: leanin.org 
Unemployment.
Black women have also experienced high unemployment, especially in the wake of the pandemic. In 2020, Black women’s unemployment rate was 10.9%, compared to 7.6% for white women and 8.3% for all women. This is no doubt reflective of the steep job losses and slow job recovery experienced by this group since early 2020, though even prior to the pandemic, their unemployment was relatively high (5.6%) compared with white (3.2%), Asian (2.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%) women. Source: US Department of Labor 
Depression.
“There is no group, gender, sexual identity, race, or cultural belief that can prevent mental illness from occurring, yet the prevalence of mental illness today is higher than heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. That’s especially alarming for minority women. Women are at least twice as likely to experience an episode of major depression as men. And, compared to their Caucasian counterparts, African American women are only half as likely to seek help.” – Erica Martin Richards, Md., Ph.D. (1) Source: hopkinsmedicine.org 
Mental Health.
Studies have shown that Black individuals are less likely to seek (and subsequently accept) mental health care, secondary to concerns regarding stigma.
Compound these psychosocial stressors with those magnified by the ongoing traumas experienced by the murder of George Floyd, and by countless other Black Americans victimized by unjust policing practices and structural racism, and the result often is that people of color seek clinicians who look like them and (presumably) share a common belief system. Source: psychiatrictimes.com 
Wage Discrimination.
Black women’s labor market history reveals deep-seated race and gender discrimination. Black families, however, are more reliant on women’s incomes than other families are since 80 percent of Black mothers are breadwinners in their families. The legacy of Black women’s employment in industries that lack worker protections has continued today since Black women are concentrated in low-paying, inflexible service occupations that lack employer-provided retirement plans, health insurance, paid sick and maternity leave, and paid vacations. Over a third (36 percent) of Black women workers lack paid sick leave. Source: epi.org

Out of Tragedy Comes Change

JOYFUL BLACK WOMEN (JBW) profiles four women who made dramatic career changes. They either once worked typical nine to five jobs or evolved into their current positions. They all share a common denominator, technology.
CHANGING DYNAMICS
Companies are saving money by having their staff work from home. Employees work more hours and are more productive.
IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT
We watched the environmental reports as there were less cruise ships, airplanes and cars flooding the world with toxic emissions.
MENTAL HEALTH
Less stress from eliminating commutes, dressing comfortably, and eating at home while saving more money is a winning trend.
TRICKLE DOWN JOY
Families started bonding rituals that were lost as they spent more time together.
SOCIAL LIFE
Having more time to spend with family and friends proves to be healthy.