US unemployment rate spikes among Black women, prompting job fair in Minneapolis

A downward trend in the job market is adversely affecting Black women nationwide, prompting a Twin Cities entrepreneur to plan a job fair.

More than 300,000 Black women were laid off or left the workforce by mid-summer, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Penny Houston is one of many Minnesotans impacted. She was laid off a year and a half ago after a 25-year career and multiple advanced degrees. Houston said she has been laid off before, but has never been out of a job this long.

“It was really bad. I applied to over 100 jobs,” she said.

“And I’ve had to sell some things, you know, my personal assets. I had to use retirement, you know, I had to become very resourceful to try to make it, to make ends meet.”

Houston was among a group of Black female professionals who spent some of their Sunday workshopping resumes in hopes that another job was finally around the corner.

According to the latest employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released in early September, nearly 7% of Black women were unemployed. The national unemployment rate was about 4%.

State data is not as up to date, but as of this summer, it seemed to be on par with the national spike in unemployment among Black women, said Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Matt Varilek.

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He noted that marginalized groups have historically borne the brunt of rising unemployment, which could be a warning sign for the wider economy.

The statistics set off alarm bells for local entrepreneur Sheletta Brundidge of ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.

“And I thought, ‘Oh, my God.’ This is an unemployment crisis for Black women that nobody is talking about,” she said.

Asked what she thought could be behind it, Brundidge said, “You know, there’s a number of factors. You know, DEI is being cut back; a lot of Black women work in health, human resources, and HR departments across the country. And so, you know, those jobs, those positions, are being eliminated and scaled back. Black women make up a large part of federal employees.”

Varilek said it’s unclear at this point if DEI policy changes play a role, but he confirmed, “There is strong representation of Black workers in the federal workforce.”

“And when you have layoffs concentrated there, then it impacts those Black workers more,” he said.

All of this led Brundidge to plan a job fair for Friday, for Black women, by Black women, in a space that is co-owned by a Black woman.

“I need them to know and be reminded of how valuable they are,” she said.

“And just encouraging each other that better days are ahead. Black women in this country have been through worse, and we made it. We still rise above it all.”

Houston said the news of the job fair has provided hope for her own job search.

“Black women are very capable. We are equipped… And we want to — we want to just be able to thrive just like anyone else,” she said.

The job fair and brunch are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon at The Coliseum building on East Lake Street in Minneapolis.

The event is free, but Brundidge is encouraging attendees to register in advance to help organizers plan for food and drink.

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