August 3, 2021, was Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, the date marking how long a Black woman must work into 2021 to finally catch up to what white, non-Hispanic men earned in 2020.

Across industries, Black women are paid only 63 cents for every dollar made by white men, according to the National Women’s Law Center.

This gap is much wider than the 82 cents white women earn for every dollar made by a man. This is why the Columbus Women’s Commission continues to focus on this issue, growing the Columbus Commitment through new adopters and offering resources and support for addressing the gender and race-based wage gap. We understand the fight to close pay disparities between men and women must include women of all races, and we must continue to work toward 100% pay equity by not only starting the conversation but taking action – at work and with employers as well as within our own homes and local communities.

Companies and organizations have a unique opportunity to play a vital role in leveling the playing field for Black women. Here’s how:

• Encourage others in your network to sign the Columbus Commitment Pay Equity Pledge. Click here to see the list of 282 organizations that have signed the Columbus Commitment Pay Equity Pledge. Is your organization on the list? Encourage your organization to sign on to the Columbus Commitmentand join the community on this journey!
• Inclusive hiring practices. Only one in five C-suite executives at Fortune 500 companies is a woman, according to a 2019 McKinsey study conducted in partnership with LeanIn.org. Despite this current reality, there's good news: Companies can change and implement hiring practices that center on Black and brown women who have not been prioritized in the past.
• Pay transparency. A first and important step is for all companies and organizations to conduct annual or quarterly pay audit reports and make them available to their employees. Between 2016 and 2020, only 22 percent of companies reported performing salary audits, which can be used to assess any differences in pay related to gender and

3 Articles Worth a Read:

• Black Women Were Paid Less than 70 Percent of What White Men Were Paid in Almost Every State
• Ensuring Equal Pay for Black Women is Not Just About Work—It’s Also About Family
• Black women aren’t paid fairly, and that hits harder in an economic crisis

Go deeper, listen to this NPR story, How Wage Gap Turns To Wealth Gap For Black Women