Bridging the inclusion gap is about more than adding color to your workforce. Leaders must get to know their Black employees, which means socializing with us. Meet us in our communities, read our stories, ask us about our challenges. This is how you understand the Black experience. And once you’ve built that understanding, you’ll be better able to create programs that move the inclusion needle.
What are the right programs for businesses to focus on? Here are three: Closing the racial pay gap, giving paid family leave, and reducing college debt.
Close the racial pay gap
Recent Census Bureau data shows that across all races, women earned 82¢ for every $1 earned by men. Unsurprisingly, this gap is larger for women of color.
The gap between college-educated white and Black employees also increased between 2000 and 2018. And on average, Black women earn 61¢ for every dollar a white male earns. So over a 40-year career, the average Black woman will make $946,120 less than her white male counterpart. This is disconcerting, especially considering our role in the family. An analysis found that 67.5% of Black mothers were the primary or sole breadwinners for their families, compared with 37% of white mothers. For the overwhelming majority of Black families, Black women are the main source of financial support.