WASHINGTON — Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) called for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to address growing unemployment rates for Black women by Sept. 30.
In a Thursday press conference with Black activists, Pressley urged the Fed to uphold its mandate to maximize employment, which she said applied to all demographics.
She sent a letter earlier this month to Powell about rising unemployment among Black women — an issue she called a “canary in the coal mine.”
“This is not just a crisis for Black women,” Pressley said. “This is a glaring red flag for the entire economy.”
According to an August report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 319,000 Black women lost their jobs between February and July 2025, a 1.3% rise in unemployment.
That unemployment increase mirrors the trend in total Black unemployment which rose to 7.5% in August, from 6% in February. The national unemployment rate in August was 4.3%.
Since Trump took office, federal jobs have been on the chopping block. Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the federal workforce, estimates more than 200,000 federal employees have left their roles since February.
Black women comprise nearly 12% of the federal workforce but only about 7% of the civilian workforce, leaving them disproportionately affected by federal job cuts.
The White House is threatening more federal layoffs as a potential government shutdown looms in early October. The Office of Management and Budget released a memo Wednesday ordering federal agencies to prepare mass firing plans.
Melanie L. Campbell, founder and CEO of Black Women’s Roundtable, said the increase in unemployment among Black women isn’t getting enough attention.
“Had this been 300,000 white women who have lost their jobs at a higher rate than anybody else, it would be on the news 24/7,” she said.
Although Pressley’s remarks focused on her demands of the Fed, she also condemned the Trump administration’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and its hostility towards to Black people.
In her letter to the Fed, she specifically mentioned Trump’s attempted firing of Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to sit on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
“He is obsessed with Black women,” Pressley said.
