Reid Statement on Black Women's Equal Pay Day

Statement

Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued the following statement on Black Women's Equal Pay Day, which marks the day to which the average black woman has to work to earn what the average man earned last year:

"Black Women's Equal Pay Day recognizes a national disgrace: on average, African American women are paid far less for their hard work than men. A Black woman must work all of 2015 plus an additional 8 months and 23 days just to make what her male coworkers made in one year. This is completely unacceptable. We must work to ensure equal pay for equal work.

"On average, American women make only 77 cents for every dollar that their male colleague makes. But the wage gap is far worse for women of color. The average African American woman will make just 63 cents for every dollar that her white male counterpart makes. African American women deserve better than this injustice. Congress must take action and give all women and their families an equal shot at prosperity.

"We can fix this: the Senate should pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would help close the wage gap for African American women. For years, Senate Republicans have refused to support equal pay. Five times in five years, Republicans blocked paycheck fairness for political reasons. And now, they support the most anti-women, anti-minority nominee in my lifetime, Donald Trump. I hope my Republican colleagues will come to their senses and finally act to correct the scourge of unequal pay that hurts millions of American families. African American women and all women deserve our best efforts to right this egregious wrong."

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