By Freda Freeman
Correspondent
DURHAM – Black women from throughout the area gathered Aug. 11 to discuss pay inequality, how to walk in confidence and how to get paid what they are worth.
The Black Women’s Equal Pay Day Brunch, held at Garland Hall in Durham, was organized by Georgia-based 1000 Women Strong, a national organizing hub for Black women that works to build community and political power.
Following a seven-state strategy, the organization focuses its grassroots advocacy efforts on educating, mobilizing, and empowering voters in Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Michigan. “We are an issue-based advocacy. We try to support Black women on issues that matter to us, mobilize them to vote and teach them their power within the electorate,” said LaShonda Thomas, of Raleigh, the outreach fellow and field organizer for North Carolina.
The brunch was held to draw attention to the plight of Black women who are paid less than their white counterparts. “We want to bring awareness to the pay disparities and inequities regarding how Black women are paid in the workplace and have a safe place to have a conversation to discuss how to close the wage gap. We want women to leave here equipped with a new sense of confidence to understand what their value is and know how to advocate for the same pay that their peers are receiving in that same field or industry,” Thomas said.
The attendees were issued a call to action via a QR code that will send an email to their state representatives showing their support of signing the bill for the Fair Paycheck Act. The bill proposes to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex.
According to Congress.gov, the bill directs the Department of Labor to establish a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women; conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women; and make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in addressing such discrimination.
“That’s our call to action for today. We want women to understand what their power is to get this passed so we can have protection in place at the federal level to protect us in our work environments,” Thomas said.
The brunch featured a panel of three Black female entrepreneurs who shared their experiences in the workplace and how and why they started their own businesses. State Sen. Natalie Murdock served as moderator.
Citing the latest U.S. Census data, Murdock said Black women earn 69 cents on the dollar compared to what non-Hispanic white men earn for an hour’s work, and they earn 66 cents compared to all other demographics. “These wage gaps are unacceptable. Black women continue to be underpaid, undervalued and overrepresented in jobs that lack workplace protections,” she said.
Sharing her experience, Devanya Johnson said she worked as a leader in the health care IT industry for more than 20 years, yet she had coworkers who reported to her that were paid more. “You do the work, they get the pay,” she said, “but I encourage you, even when you face those scenarios, don’t back down, don’t become the ‘angry Black woman’ because that’s what they expect. But advocate for yourself. Find your voice and be able to speak for yourself but do it in a way your actions show up every day, and they know you can’t be denied.”
Lashonda Modest, owner of Melanated Wine, added: “We know who we are, what we stand for and how much we deserve. We’ve all had experiences like this, and it’s not because of your worth, lack of education or anything else. It’s solely based on the color of your skin.”
Ciara O’Briant, founder of Envision Her, encouraged women to own their confidence. “I really had to learn. When I walk into a room now, I know my worth. There’s nothing wrong with being confident; it just means I know my worth. And go where you are celebrated and not just tolerated,” she said.
