#blackwomensequalpayday
News Brief
Damola Durosomo
Aug. 07, 2018 12:02PM EST
Image via TONL

#BlackWomensEqualPayDay Is the Day When Black Women Finally Earn What White Men Did Last Year

"Equal pay is not about getting what's fair, but about getting compensated for the value and expertise we bring to the workplace."

Black Women's Equal Pay Day marks the day that a black women will earn the equivalent of what a white man earned the previous year. This year, it took eight months and seven days for this to happen which makes today, August 7, Black Women's Equal Pay Day.

Despite being the most educated demographic in the US and working the most hours on average, black women are paid only 63 cents for every dollar a white man makes, the AAUW reports. There is also a major pay gap between black and white women, as black women are payed 21 percent less than what black women are payed on average.

This divide applies to women in all fields. According to a report from the National Women's Law Center, a black woman stands to lose over $800,000 throughout the span of her career under the current wage gap and up to $1 million in certain states.

These discrepancies are astounding and they affect the everyday lives of black women who are often the financial backbone of their families, yet according to the Huffington Post, only 1 in 3 Americans are aware of it. "Equal pay is not about getting what's fair, but about getting compensated for the value and expertise we bring to the workplace," Lisa Skeete Tatum, CEO and founder of career guidance platform Landit.

Not only do black women face salary discrimination, but they are often subject to prejudice and microagressions in the workplace. Last year, the Twiiter hastag #BlackWomenatWork was created to address these issues and allow black women to share their stories.

Black Women's Equal Pay Day is intended to combat this, and is a day to remind and inform people about such injustices against the livelihoods of black women.

Much like previous years, many black women have taken to social media to share their experiences and demand folks to "give us our money," using the hashtag #BlackWomensEqualPayDay.













#blackwomensequalpayday
Interview
Photo: Benoit Peverelli

Interview: Oumou Sangaré Proves Why She's the Songbird of Wassoulou

We caught up with the Malian singer to talk about her new Acoustic album, longevity as an artist, and growing up in Mali.

When Oumou Sangaré tells me freedom is at her core, I am not surprised. If you listen to her discography, you'll be hard-pressed to find a song that doesn't center or in some way touch on women's rights or child abuse. The Grammy award-winning Malian singer has spent a significant part of her career using her voice to fight for the rights of women across Africa and the world, a testimony to this is her naming her debut studio album Moussolou, meaning Woman. The album, a pure masterpiece that solidified Oumou's place amongst the greats and earned her the name 'Songbird of Wassoulou,' was a commercial success selling over 250,000 records in Africa and would in turn go on to inspire other singers across the world.

On her latest body of work Acoustic, a reworking of her critically acclaimed 2017 album Mogoya, Oumou Sangaré proves how and why she earned her accolades. The entirety of the 11-track album was recorded within two days in the Midi Live studio in Villetaneuse in 'live' conditions—with no amplification, no retakes or overdubs, no headphones. Throughout the album, using her powerful and raw voice that has come to define feminism in Africa and shaped opinions across the continent, Oumou boldly addresses themes like loss, polygamy and female circumcision.

We caught up with the Malian singer at the studio she is staying while in quarantine to talk about her new album, longevity as an artist, and growing up in Mali.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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