Author: Stefi Mar

Black women remain the backbone of the U.S. labor force—working more, earning less, and bearing greater burdens across nearly every sector. Even as the country added 177,000 jobs in April, Black women lost 106,000 positions, the steepest decline of any group. Their unemployment rate jumped to 6.1%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Black-owned businesses have experienced historic growth in recent years, but that progress is now under threat. A sharp decline in small business optimism, coupled with sweeping anti-DEI executive orders from the Trump administration, is creating new hurdles—particularly for African American entrepreneurs who remain vastly underrepresented in the U.S. economy.

On May 14, Gov. Gavin Newsom presented his revised 2025–26 state budget, a $321.9 billion proposal designed to close a projected $11.9 billion deficit while maintaining core investments in education, health care, and behavioral health. During a 90-minute presentation, Newsom started by touting California’s status as the world’s fourth-largest economy before laying out fiscal adjustments needed to guide the state through what he described as an “uncertain and volatile” climate.