212 Days Later: EMILYs List Recognizes African American Women’s Equal Pay Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, EMILYs List released the following statement on African American Women’s Equal Pay Day. This date marks how far into the year African American women must work to earn what white, non-Hispanic men earned in the previous year for the same work — 212 days. African American women make 63 cents on the dollar, a nearly million-dollar loss in income over a 40-year career.

“Today, we are reminded of the staggering, intolerable injustices facing African American women in the workplace,” said EMILY's List President Stephanie Schriock. “Pay inequality clashes with one of our most fundamental values as Americans — the idea that, if you work hard, you can provide for your family. But rather than celebrating hardworking women, Donald Trump and his Republican allies have insisted on knocking them down. Rolling back critical workplace protections hurts everyone, but they have an especially brutal impact on African American women. It's time to speak out for a community that is sewn into the very fabric of the American story, yet continues to face injustice. That's why EMILY's List women around the country — including 16,000 women who are ready to run for office — are stepping up and fighting back. “

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making them one of the most successful political organizations ever. Our grassroots community of over five million members helps Democratic women wage competitive campaigns – and win. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research the issues that impact women and families, and turn out women voters. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. Forty percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Since the 2016 election, thousands of women and counting have reached out to us about running for office. To harness this energy, EMILYs List has launched Run to Win, an unprecedented effort to get more women to run at the local, state, and national levels.