CA Black Women’s Equity: History Behind the Headlines
By Darius Spearman (africanelements)
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Recent headlines are finally shining a light on the tireless equity work of Black women in California. In a year-end Q&A, organizer LaNiece Jones detailed the ongoing battles against pay gaps, for political power, and the immense pressure Black women face. They must hold families and movements together while simultaneously fighting for basic fairness. California’s progressive image often hides a deep history of discrimination, but this legacy of advocacy is not new. It is a story stretching back over 150 years, connecting the struggles of the past directly to the challenges of today.
To understand this fight, one must first grasp the concept of equity. It is different from equality. Equality means giving everyone the same resources, while equity involves giving people what they need to achieve fair outcomes (benevity.org). This distinction is central to social justice, which seeks to dismantle historical and systemic disadvantages to ensure everyone has a fair shot at success (traininginstituteonline.org). For Black women, this means addressing barriers rooted in both racism and sexism, a unique challenge best understood through the lens of intersectionality. This framework shows how identities like race and gender overlap to create distinct experiences of discrimination (wikipedia.org).
The Long Road to Political Power
The modern push for political representation by organizations like Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) has deep historical roots. The fight for the ballot box began long before most history books acknowledge. Black women in California were campaigning for suffrage as early as the 1860s, forming their own groups like the Fannie Jackson Coppin Club (coloredconventions.org). Pioneers such as Naomi Anderson and Sarah Overton lectured across the state, demanding equal rights for all people. Historian Delilah L. Beasley carefully documented these contributions in her 1919 book, “The Negro Trailblazers of California” (hcn.org).
California granted women the right to vote in 1911, and the 19th Amendment extended this right nationwide in 1920 (youtube.com). This victory, however, was not complete. Women of color continued to face discriminatory barriers designed to keep them from the polls. These included poll taxes, which required a fee to vote, and literacy tests, which were unfairly administered to disenfranchise non-white voters (wikipedia.org). It took the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 to finally outlaw these practices and begin to secure full electoral participation for Black communities (google.com). Therefore, BWOPA’s modern work of conducting voter registration drives and training new leaders is a continuation of this century-long struggle (bwopatileleads.org).
Fighting the Architecture of Systemic Inequity
The challenges Black women face today are not a series of isolated incidents. They are the result of systemic inequities, which are biases and unfair practices embedded deep within society’s institutions (ccpulse.org). These systems of disadvantage are built on the intersection of race and gender. Early Black women activists in California understood this concept long before it had a name. They fought against a world that discriminated against them for being Black and for being women.
For example, when Elizabeth Thorn Scott Flood’s son was denied entry to a public school, she started her own school for non-white children in 1854 (coloredconventions.org). Charlotta Bass, publisher of the *California Eagle*, used her newspaper to expose the Ku Klux Klan’s activities and organize community resistance against them (hcn.org). Biddy Mason, a former slave who became a wealthy philanthropist, funded Los Angeles’s first African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church. The AME church was more than a place of worship; it was a foundational institution for Black communities, serving as a hub for education, organizing, and social justice activism (medium.com). These women built the infrastructure of survival and resistance that advocates continue to rely upon.
Black Women’s Experiences in California Workplaces
Data from the “Invisible Labor, Visible Struggles” report by CABWCEI based on a December 2024 survey.
Workplace Discrimination Persists
The historical fight for basic dignity extends directly into today’s workplace. The California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute (CABWCEI), the research arm of the broader California Black Women’s Collective, documents these modern struggles (cablackwomenscollective.org). Their recent report, “Invisible Labor, Visible Struggles,” reveals harsh realities. A staggering 57% of Black women in California reported experiencing racism or discrimination at work in the past year alone (cablackwomenscollective.org).
These experiences create significant barriers to professional growth. Nearly half (48%) of the women surveyed felt excluded from opportunities for career advancement. Additionally, only 16% believed they had genuine access to leadership roles in their workplaces (cablackwomenscollective.org). These statistics are not just numbers; they represent the daily reality for countless Black women who are unfairly judged by supervisors and systematically held back. This modern data confirms that the intersectional struggle against racism and sexism remains a central battleground for equity.
The Unseen Weight of Invisible Labor
LaNiece Jones spoke of the “immense pressure” Black women face, a burden largely composed of what is known as “invisible labor.” This term refers to the unpaid and unrecognized work of caregiving, household management, and emotional support that disproportionately falls on women (americancommunitymedia.org). For Black women, this labor is compounded by the work of sustaining communities, navigating systemic racism, and acting as the backbone for both family and social justice movements. This immense responsibility often goes unnoticed and unsupported, leading to high levels of stress and burnout (americancommunitymedia.org).
This pressure is intensified by family structures that are themselves shaped by systemic forces. In California, 67% of Black households are headed by single mothers (ca.gov). This disproportionately high number is linked to historical factors and ongoing issues like mass incarceration, which destabilizes families by removing Black men from their communities (ca.gov). Consequently, single Black mothers face the immense challenge of being the sole provider and caregiver, often without access to affordable childcare or adequate social support. Advocacy for universal childcare is therefore not just a policy goal; it is a critical lifeline (ca.gov).
California’s Pay Gap (2022)
Median yearly wages for Black women and white men in California.
Also, Black women earn about 56 cents for each dollar paid to white men.
Data shows a large pay gap between Black women and white men in California in 2022. Source: 2022 California wage data
The Crushing Cost of the Pay Gap
Economic inequity remains one of the most significant hurdles for Black women in California. In 2022, the median annual wage for Black women was just $40,000 (ca.gov). In stark contrast, the median wage for white men was $71,189, creating a staggering gap of over $31,000 every year. The term “median” is important here; it represents the middle value, providing a more accurate picture of typical earnings than an average, which can be skewed by extremely high salaries (bmcclaw.com).
This pay gap is not an abstract statistic. It has devastating, real-world consequences. It severely limits a Black woman’s ability to build savings, invest in a home, or plan for retirement. This lack of disposable income makes it harder to afford necessities, access quality healthcare, and pursue educational opportunities for themselves and their children (bmcclaw.com). The constant financial strain forces many to work multiple jobs, perpetuating a cycle of economic disadvantage. Thus, policy recommendations from groups like CABWCEI for stronger pay transparency laws are crucial steps toward closing this chasm (cablackwomenscollective.org).
Black Households in California
Statistic illustrating the significant percentage of Black households led by single mothers in the state.
A Call to Action for a Just Future
The fight for equity for Black women in California is a continuous thread woven from the past into the present. From suffrage activists challenging disenfranchisement to modern leaders demanding fair pay and political power, the goal has remained the same: to create a society where Black women can not only survive but thrive. The work of organizations like the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute and Black Women Organized for Political Action is a testament to this enduring legacy.
The conclusion of this story is not yet written, and it includes a call to action for everyone. Supporting this fight means moving beyond awareness to engagement. Individuals can contribute by educating themselves and others on the realities of systemic inequity. Furthermore, they can support Black-led organizations through volunteering or donations (californialocal.com). Contacting elected officials to advocate for specific policies like affordable childcare and pay equity legislation is another powerful step. Engaging in respectful dialogue to challenge biases in our own communities can help create the just and equitable future that generations of Black women have fought for.
About the Author
Darius Spearman is a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College, where he has been teaching for over 20 years. He is the founder of African Elements, a media platform dedicated to providing educational resources on the history and culture of the African diaspora. Through his work, Spearman aims to empower and educate by bringing historical context to contemporary issues affecting the Black community.
