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It's Black Women's Equal Pay Day!

Posted at 5:55 PM, Aug 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-13 18:00:09-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — According to Forbes, it takes a black woman 590 days to make as much as her male counterpart does in 365. That day is commemorated on August 13, Black Women's Equal Pay Day. On average, a black woman earns 62 cents for every white male's dollar. That number has not bugged in 25 years.

"And statistically speaking, women of color make only 66 percent of average earnings of white men, so we still have a long way to go." founder of the Women of Color Summit Sara Taylor said.

The Women of Color summit is a four-week virtual learning course on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

"When you look at who's in power. When we talk about the institutions, when we talk about policies and legislation, well, it's white males who're in power," Taylor said. "So, until we're able to really address the imbalance of power and who's in power, we're gonna continue to see these gaps."

Regardless of career path, white men and women make more than a black woman does each year. And according to aMarch 2020 study, that lost income adds up to almost a million dollars over the course of a 40-year career path.

"Women of color are among the most educated groups that continue to advance our education," Taylor said. "And do everything we're told to do to advance our careers. But, when we look at pay, we are still far behind compared to white males."

Taylor says she does not expect the gap to close overnight, but she says change can begin today.

"We need to be at the table. Our voice needs to be heard, and not only do we need to be at the table, but we need to be some of the decision-makers leading the conversations as well as leading the strategies," she said.