National Black Justice Coalition Applauds

WASHINGTON, DC — Moments ago, the House of Representatives passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill dedicated to updating and strengthening the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and providing additional protections against pay discrimination.

If passed, the Paycheck Fairness Act would prohibit employers from relying on salary history to set pay when hiring, which will guarantee women can receive the same remedies for sex-based pay discrimination as are available for race- or ethnicity-based discrimination, promote pay transparency by protecting employees from retaliation for discussing or disclosing their wages, and require employers to report race and gender wage gaps to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In response to the bill’s passage in the House, Victoria Kirby York, deputy executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), issued the following statement:

“As the nation starts to rebuild from the pandemic, Black women and women of color have been disproportionately impacted both by the virus and resulting economic devastation. The pandemic has exacerbated systemic bias against Black women in particular. If passed, the Paycheck Fairness Act would provide a foundation to help level the playing field.

“Throughout the course of our careers, Black women lose nearly a million dollars resulting from unequal pay, as opposed to our cisgender, male counterparts. The pay gap is even more stark for Black queer, same gender loving women and transgender women, who are already extremely vulnerable to discrimination at work and economically disenfranchised.

“The Paycheck Fairness Act is long overdue. NBJC applauds the House for passing this landmark bill and urges the Senate to follow suit without delay."

In 2021, Black women make 62 cents for every dollar that white men make. Beyond the pay gap, Black women are shouldering more responsibility at home with less financial security. According to research, Black women are almost twice as likely as white men to say that they’ve been laid off, furloughed, or had their hours and/or pay reduced because of COVID-19.

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is America’s leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+, and same gender loving (LGBTQ+/SGL) people, including people living with HIV.