Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts is calling on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to address a troubling trend in the job market: a sharp spike in unemployment for Black workers—particularly Black women.

According to NBC News, which first reported on Pressley’s letter to Powell, 319,000 fewer Black women were employed in July than in February, driving their unemployment rate up 1.3%. The rate for Black men jumped 1.5% over the same period.

Similarly, August data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed unemployment among Black women running 2.4 points above the national average.

“Black women unemployment has remained significantly high since March 2025. Mass federal workforce layoffs by the current Trump Administration have disproportionately impacted Black women, who

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