About

Chaired by Congresswomen Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Robin Kelly (IL-02) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls was created in March of 2016 as the first caucus devoted to public policy that eliminates the significant barriers and disparities experienced by Black women.

Despite more than 430 registered congressional caucuses and Member organizations, no group on Capitol Hill had previously sought to make Black women and girls a priority in the policy debates that occur in Washington.

“From barriers in education, to a gender based pay gap that widens with race, to disparities in both diagnoses and outcomes for many diseases, our society forces Black women to clear many hurdles faced by no other group, and asks them to do it with little assistance,” said Rep. Watson Coleman. “Black women deserve a voice in a policy making process that frequently minimizes, or altogether ignores the systemic challenges they face. This caucus will speak up for them.”

"Black women and girls are disproportionately affected by myriad socioeconomic issues that diminish their quality of life and threaten the wellbeing of their families and communities,” said Rep. Kelly.  “The Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls gives Black women a seat at the table for the crucial discussion on the policies that impact them while also providing a framework for creating opportunities and eliminating barriers to success for Black women."

“In many ways, 23.5 million Black women and girls are consistently left out of the national discourse on a variety of policies that will affect their lives,” stated Rep. Clarke.  “This caucus will be purposed to ensure that the infrastructure of inclusion fully incorporates the varied and unique needs of Black women.  Our experiences must and will inform the direction we take as a nation and we can no longer afford to be excluded from important conversations.  I am proud to stand with my colleagues at the inception of this caucus to be a vehicle for change and look forward to the great work that we will do.”

Despite the achievements, Black women and girls are still disproportionately affected by issues that negatively impact the quality of life for them, their families, and their communities.  From economic disparities, to high rates of being victims of domestic and sexual violence, to negative interactions with law enforcement, Black women and girls require specialized and dedicated attention to reverse the trend that leave them vulnerable and stifle their success. The numbers are staggering, but clear:

  • Black women are paid 64 percent of what White men are paid. Additionally, The U.S. Bureau of Labor reports that the percentage of Black women who are full-time minimum-wage workers is higher than that of any other racial group.
  • The American Civil Liberties Union found that Black women represent 30 percent of all women incarcerated in US prisons, despite making up just 13 percent of the US female population.
  • A 2013 report by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund cited that a Black woman with a bachelor’s degree can typically expect an increase of about $657,000 in lifetime earnings when compared with a Black woman with a high school diploma. The same study showed that even when Black women enroll in college, they have low completion rates.  Among Black women who started full-time bachelors programs at four year institutions, for the first-time, only 44 percent received their bachelor’s degree within six years.

Black women have been, and will continue to be leaders at the forefront of many of our nation’s achievements in public service, business, science and beyond.  The Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls seeks to promote and encourage the accomplishments and success of Black women by building upon the impressive work that Black women organizations, leaders, and advocates across the nation have already done in bringing these issues to the forefront of the national discussion.