{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://adams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/adams-frankel-leger-fernandez-watson-coleman-blunt-rochester-introduce", "Adams, Frankel, Leger Fern\u00e1ndez, Watson Coleman, Blunt Rochester Introduce Black Women\u2019s Equal Pay Day Resolution", "2026-07-21", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "NC", "Alma S. Adams", "A000370", "adams.house.gov", "adams", "https://adams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, Representatives Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12),LoisFrankel (FL-22),Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12),Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez (NM-03), and Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), introduced the Black Women\u2019s Equal Pay Day Resolution, marking July 21st as Black Women\u2019s Equal Pay Day and recognizing the deep, persistent wage gap that Black women continue to face in the United States.\n\nEvery year, the date of Black Women\u2019s Equal Pay Day is set to mark the amount of time Black women would have to work to earn what white, non-Hispanic men earned by the end of the previous year. In 2025, Black women earned roughly 65 cents for every dollar white men earned.\n\n\u201cToday, we confront an unacceptable wage disparity facing Black women, and recommit ourselves to correcting it,\u201d said Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Ranking Member, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. \u201cFor generations, Black women have been compelled to work twice as hard for half the reward. They have faced entrenched barriers, systemic discrimination, and a persistent denial of opportunity. We cannot ask another generation of Black women to wait months, even years, for the pay they rightfully deserve. I am proud to introduce this resolution, and I call on this Congress to act with the urgency this injustice demands.\u201d\n\n\u201cEqual pay is more than a slogan\u2014it\u2019s about whether women can pay their bills, take care of their families, enjoy a good quality of life, and eventually retire with dignity,\u201d said Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus Chair Emerita Lois Frankel. \u201cIn 2025, for the second year in a row, the gender pay gap widened, and for Black women the disparity is even greater. It\u2019s long past time for Congress to close the wage gap and ensure every woman is paid fairly for her work.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe wage gap has widened for two years in a row - the first time we've seen such an increase since the 1960s,\u201d said Rep. Watson Coleman. \u201cAnd as we navigate a nationwide affordability crisis, Republican policies have stripped away tools to narrow the pay gap and made it harder for black women to earn good-paying jobs. Black women are foundational to the progress and survival of this nation yet for far too long have been prevented from reaping the fruits of their labor. It\u2019s imperative that we address the racist, sexist policies that cause structural economic inequality in America so Black women are paid what they\u2019ve earned.\u201d\n\n\"Women hold this country together. We raise families, care for loved ones, teach our children, heal the sick, grow businesses, harvest our food, and serve our communities,\" said Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez, Chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus. \"Yet, year after year, our work is still valued less than men's. That is not just unfair\u2014it is a choice our country continues to make. Black Women's Equal Pay Day reminds us that while all women continue to fight for equal pay, Black women face an even steeper climb. We are well into Summer before their equal pay day rolls around\u2014that\u2019s too late, it\u2019s too tiring and smothering to fathom the disrespect this late date signifies. Congress must finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and make equal pay the law of the land so that Black women, and all women earn the pay they deserve.\u201d \u201cEven in the \u2018land of opportunity,\u2019 Black women must work 50 percent longer to achieve the same earnings as white men,\u201d said Senator Blunt Rochester. \u201cThis resolution sheds light on the challenges facing minority communities across the country and reaffirms our commitment to closing the pay gaps. I\u2019m proud to see all my Senate Democratic colleagues join me in making a concerted effort to improve the quality of life for Black women everywhere.\u201d", 1, "2026-07-23T07:31:02Z", "2026-07-23T07:32:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://adams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/adams-frankel-leger-fernandez-watson-coleman-blunt-rochester-introduce"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7461278475821018, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}