Level Up
Project Summary
Level Up: Greater Pittsburgh Pay Equity Project mission is to ensure employers and policymakers within the Greater Pittsburgh region use their power to take action to close the gender pay gap, which disproportionately impacts women of color.
For far too long, structural racism and sexism have negatively impacted women… particularly women of color. The 2019 Gender Equity Commission report Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender and Race, put a spotlight on the gender and racial inequality persistent across health, income, employment and education in Pittsburgh. Among findings related to economic inequalities, Pittsburgh’s Black women make only 54 cents to every dollar Pittsburgh’s White men make and are five times more likely to live in poverty than White adult men. In addition, Black women in 85% of U.S. cities are doing better than Black women in Pittsburgh. It is time Pittsburgh becomes America’s most livable city for all its residents.
This disparity is not just bad for our families and our communities, but it weakens our region’s businesses as well. Above all, it undermines the very fabric of our region, whose reputation is based on hard work and building towards a collective future. When a Black woman, who may be the head of the household, makes less money, it means she is often forced to work two jobs and sometimes more to ensure basic necessities for her family. In turn, this denies her children– our future – the resources and attention they need to thrive. When a Black woman, whose leadership is needed in her community, makes significantly less money and has to work longer hours to pay bills or student loans, it means her community suffers in her absence and cannot flourish.
When a Black woman, whose skills and talents are needed now more than ever to help fill our labor shortage, can only expect to be paid a fraction of what her labor is worth, it can have a profound impact on her self-esteem, result in anxiety and depression, and ultimately reduce work productivity. This is not good for her. This is not good for business.
It’s time to level the playing field – by paying Black women as you would anyone else in your company/business. The “Level Up” Project is not just for the sake of employees, but for the sake of Pittsburgh’s future. Black women are a cornerstone of the Greater Pittsburgh regions communities, and it’s time to recognize them as such.
Project Committee
Renee Aldrich
Kimberly Manigault
Alana Griffin
Amber Thompson
Rochelle Jackson
Sharnay Hearn-Davis
Carmen Anderson
RaQueeb Bey
