EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Black Women in California have always been a force—raising families, building movements, holding up communities, and breaking barriers with unmatched grace and grit. But while we are often celebrated for our strength, we are far too rarely supported with the resources, respect, and recognition we deserve. This report lays bare the truth: Black Women and girls in California are navigating systems that were never designed with us in mind—and too often, they work against us. Despite making up just 6.6% of the state’s female population, Black Women are overrepresented in every measure of struggle: poverty, wage inequality, housing insecurity, chronic health issues, and underrepresentation in leadership. We are earning less—just 60 cents to the dollar compared to white men. We are overburdened— spending more than half our income on housing and nearly 70% on childcare. We are underpromoted—receiving fewer leadership opportunities despite equal ambition and capability. And yet, we continue to lead, to rise, to build power from the margins.
This report doesn’t just illuminate the data—it tells the story of our brilliance, our resilience, and our undeniable impact. From record-breaking voter participation to surging entrepreneurship, from the Capitol to corporate boardrooms, Black Women in California are charting new paths forward. But we should not have to climb mountains just to reach what others are handed. We deserve systems that see us, policies that center us, and investments that elevate us. The numbers here are not just statistics, they are a mirror reflecting what we’ve endured and a map pointing to what must change. To truly build an equitable California, we must dismantle the structural barriers that limit Black Women and invest in the possibilities we represent. This is our moment to move from acknowledgment to action. Because when Black Women rise, we bring families, communities, and this entire state with us.
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CA BLACK WOMEN’S COLLECTIVE
EMPOWERMENT INSTITUTE
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