Black Americans in the Workforce: Top 5 Gains and Challenges - Labor Day 2025

Happy Labor Day! Labor Day became a federal holiday on June 28, 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.

The holiday was established to honor American workers and recognize their contributions to the country's strength, prosperity, and well-being.

Some of us got the day off, while others see today as the last days of summer. Lots of cookouts are happening. School is back in session throughout most of the country, and we are preparing for fall and winter holidays and celebrations.

This Labor Day, I am contemplating my retirement next year and considering a second career. I thought about Black Americans in today’s workforce. My 36 years of experience in the federal government, including 26 years as a human resources specialist, I have worked in recruitment and staffing, employee development, leadership, and management development. I recognize the significant contributions of Black Americans to the nation’s civil service. While there has been meaningful progress in representation across several industries, major challenges persist, shaping the realities of work for millions of Black professionals today.

Five Areas of Growth for Black Americans

Professional and Managerial Roles Expand

Over the past century, Black workers have transitioned from being almost entirely concentrated in agricultural and domestic labor to holding over one-third of jobs in professional, managerial, business, and financial roles today. 1

Rising Representation in Science, Arts, and Management

From 2017 to 2022, the share of Black workers in management, science, and arts occupations increased from 30% to 32%. 2 This represents steady progress in industries where representation was historically minimal.

Public Sector: A Launchpad for Advancement

The federal government has long provided critical opportunities for career growth. In 2019, Black professionals made up about 18% of federal professional positions—far higher than in many private-sector industries. 3

More Black CEOs and Senior Leaders

As of 2024, eight Fortune 500 companies are led by Black CEOs—twice as many as in 2020. 4 This signals growing representation in top leadership, though progress remains slow given Black Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population.

Healthcare and Social Assistance Are Driving Job Growth

Black workers remain heavily represented in healthcare and social assistance, industries that added over 73,000 jobs in July 2025 alone. 5 These sectors are emerging as vital engines for upward mobility.

Five Persistent Challenges in the Workforce

Disproportionately High Unemployment

Despite job growth, unemployment among Black Americans remains elevated—7.2% in July 2025 compared to the national average of 4.2%. 6 Moreover, 300,000 Black women exited the workforce this year due to layoffs, DEI cuts, and automation pressures. 7

Ongoing Hiring Bias

Research shows that Black applicants still receive fewer callbacks compared to equally qualified white applicants. 8 In a 2022 Pew survey, 64% of Black adults identified race-based hiring bias as a “major problem.” 9

Mentorship and Sponsorship Gaps

Lack of mentorship and sponsorship continues to restrict advancement. Black employees who don’t receive adequate feedback are 1.5 times more likely to consider leaving their jobs. 10

The Wage Gap Persists

Despite education gains, Black men earn roughly 87 cents for every dollar earned by white men, with Black women earning even less. 11 Occupational segregation and systemic bias fuel these disparities.

Policy Rollbacks Threaten Progress

Recent proposals tied to Project 2025 and anti-DEI policies pose risks to workplace equity and diversity. These changes threaten civil rights protections and corporate diversity programs that have historically improved representation. 12

A Labor Day Reflection

Labor Day is more than a federal holiday—it’s a time to reflect on contributions and confront inequities. Black Americans are shaping industries, leading in government, and climbing corporate ladders, yet they remain disproportionately impacted by systemic barriers.

For sustainable progress, employers must invest in mentorship, ensure pay equity, and safeguard DEI initiatives. Policymakers must protect anti-discrimination laws and workforce access. Communities must continue amplifying success stories while addressing persistent inequities.

This Labor Day, let’s honor the work—and recommit to making sure opportunity reaches everyone.

Chicago-Style Footnotes

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “More Than a Century of Occupational Changes Among African American Workers.” BLS Blog, February 2024. https://www.bls.gov/blog/2024/more-than-a-century-of-occupational-changes-among-african-american-workers.htm

2. BlackDemographics.com. “Employment Status of African Americans.” 2024. https://blackdemographics.com/economics/employment/

3. Economic Policy Institute. “Racial Representation Across Professional Occupations.” EPI, 2023. https://www.epi.org/publication/racial-representation-prof-occ/

4. Investopedia. “Top Black CEOs of Fortune 500 Companies.” June 2024. https://www.investopedia.com/top-black-ceos-5220330

5. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “The Employment Situation — July 2025.” BLS News Release, August 2025. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

6. Ibid.

7. The Week. “Black Women Are Being Pushed Out of the Workforce En Masse.” April 2025. https://theweek.com/politics/black-women-labor-force-employment

8. Quillian, Lincoln, et al. “Meta-Analysis of Racial Discrimination in Hiring.” PNAS, 2022.

9. Pew Research Center. “Black Workers’ Views and Experiences in the U.S. Labor Force.” August 31, 2023. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/31/black-workers-views-and-experiences-in-the-us-labor-force-stand-out-in-key-ways/

10. Catalyst. “How to Retain Black Employees.” January 2025. https://www.catalyst.org/en-us/insights/2025/retain-black-employees

11. “Racial Pay Gap in the United States.” Wikipedia, July 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_pay_gap_in_the_United_States

12. Associated Press. “Urban League Declares a ‘State of Emergency’ for Civil Rights.” March 2025. https://apnews.com/article/74b79d4dba14a37d487f0504feb066cc

Historic Preservation Month 2025: Protecting African American History from Political Erasure

Every May, communities across the United States celebrate Historic Preservation Month. We repaint old storefronts, lead walking tours, and post photos of restored barns. The goal is simple: save the places and objects that tell our national story. Yet this year’s celebration feels urgent. During the last week of April, curators at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) started boxing up landmark artifacts—including pieces of the 1960 Woolworth’s lunch-counter sit-in—to ship them back to their owners. The move came after the President signed an executive order demanding that federal museums strip out what he calls “improper ideology.”[1]

May is National Historic Preservation Month

What Happened at the “Blacksonian” This Week?

On April 25, museum staff began disassembling exhibits tied to Black resistance. Reporters with AFRO and Black Press USA confirmed that the lunch-counter, a Bible used during Civil Rights marches, and early editions of History of the Negro Race in America were among the first items slated for removal. Lawmakers and activists condemned the action as “erasing history.”

Visitors rushed in to see the galleries before more objects disappeared. “We came today because we heard things might get taken down,” one tourist told Cronkite News, which noted seven school groups crowding the museum that Thursday alone.[2] 

The Executive Order Behind the Purge

The immediate trigger is Trump’s March 27 order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” The document says museums have embraced a “divisive, race-centered ideology.” It directs Vice President J.D. Vance, a Smithsonian Board of Regents member, to “remove improper ideology” from all Smithsonian properties.[3]

The order also tells Congress to freeze or cancel funding for exhibits that “degrade shared American values,” and it even singles out future displays that recognize transgender women. Historians warn that language like this opens the door to broad censorship.[4] 

Why the “Woke” Label Is Dangerous

Since taking office in January, President Trump has attacked what he calls “woke ideology.” In speeches, he claims that honest discussions of slavery, segregation, and systemic racism teach Americans to hate their country. He argues that cutting such content will unite the nation. Critics point out that erasing harsh truths does not heal divisions; it simply hides them.[5] 

Labeling exhibits about Black history as “divisive” sends a chilling message: some stories are safe only if they comfort the powerful. Historic Preservation Month reminds us that preservation is not just about buildings. It is about memory—whose stories survive and whose disappear.

Why This Matters to Everyone

African American sites comprise less than two percent of the National Register of Historic Places. Artifacts at NMAAHC fill gaps left by centuries of neglect. When those objects vanish from public view, we all lose a piece of the American mosaic.

Removing artifacts also sets a precedent. If a future administration dislikes exhibits on Native history, women’s rights, or LGBTQ+ struggles, those could be next. Preservation is most fragile when it depends on political favor.

Five Things We Can Do Right Now

1. Record Family Stories

   Ask parents, grandparents, or elders about their lives and capture their words on video or audio. Oral histories become primary sources that no administration can delete.

   
   

2. Support Local, Black-Led Preservation Groups

   Donate or volunteer with neighborhood historical societies, African American heritage commissions, and cemetery friends’ groups. Small grants and extra hands help them save threatened sites.

   
   

3. Conduct Your Family’s History and Digitize Family Documents

   
   

   

   Teaching the next generation about their history.

   
   

   Do your family history research. Scan deeds, church programs, photographs, and letters. Upload copies to reliable repositories such as the Digital Public Library of America or your state archive. Digital backups protect against loss and make sharing easier.

   
   

4. Advocate for Protective Laws

   Call city council members, state legislators, and members of Congress. Support bills that fund underrepresented history and oppose measures that punish museums for telling the truth.

   
   

5. Teach the Next Generation

   Organize youth service days at local landmarks—pair students with elders to map ancestral neighborhoods or clean headstones. When young people feel ownership of history, they defend it fiercely.

A Call to Action

Historic Preservation Month usually feels festive; this year, it feels like a line in the sand. Objects that survived slavery, Jim Crow, and decades of neglect are being rolled out the back door of our national museum. Officials say the artifacts are “divisive, " but visitors say they are essential.

Preservation is not passive. It requires watchful citizens who refuse to let powerful voices write uncomfortable chapters out of the story. So, visit a museum this month—especially one under scrutiny. Sign a petition. Write about your family’s history, or hire a genealogist. Support a Black-owned preservation nonprofit because history does not preserve itself. People do. And in 2025, that work is more important than ever.

Subject	Websites for deeper reading
Historic Preservation Month & general preservation	• National Trust for Historic Preservation – https://savingplaces.org • Advisory Council on Historic Preservation – https://www.achp.gov • Preservation Leadership Forum (National Trust) – https://forum.savingplaces.org
NMAAHC artifact removals / Smithsonian policy	• Smithsonian Institution Newsdesk – https://www.si.edu/newsdesk • National Museum of African American History and Culture – https://nmaahc.si.edu  • Smithsonian Magazine (Culture section) – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/category/history-culture/
Trump administration’s “anti-woke” executive actions	• White House Briefing Room (archived executive orders) – https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/ • Congressional Research Service (CRS Reports) – https://crsreports.congress.gov  • Brennan Center for Justice (analysis of cultural-policy EOs) – https://www.brennancenter.org

 Sources:

[1] AFRO American Newspapers. "The Smithsonian PURGE: 47th President’s Team Removes Artifacts of Black Resistance." AFRO American Newspapers. April 25, 2025. https://afro.com/trump-smithsonian-african-american-history/.

[2] Cronkite News. "Trump Order Removing 'Woke' Smithsonian Exhibits Draws Backlash." Cronkite News, April 10, 2025. https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2025/04/10/donald-trump-order-removing-woke-smithsonian-exhibits-draws-backlash/.

[3]   White House. “Executive Order on Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” March 27, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2025/03/27/executive-order-history/.

[4] The Guardian. "Trump Executive Order on Smithsonian Targets Funding for 'Improper Ideology'." The Guardian, March 27, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/27/trump-smithsonian-executive-order.​

[5] American Historical Association. “Historians Oppose Federal Interference in Museum Exhibits.” April 3, 2025. https://www.historians.org/news/aha-statement-smithsonian-review.

Restoring and Dating Family Photographs: Unlocking Your Ancestral Past

Family photographs are more than just faded images; they are windows into the lives of our ancestors. Each old picture tells a story, capturing a moment in time that might otherwise be lost. As someone who recently inherited my Grandma’s collection of photographs, I understand the excitement and frustration that comes with piecing together family history. Before her passing in November 2024, she and I spent countless nights identifying the people in the images but only managed to name about half. Now, the challenge of restoring and dating these photographs falls on me—a journey that has proven both rewarding and enlightening.

Why Restoring and Dating Family Photos Matters

Photographs are invaluable pieces of family history. They provide tangible connections to the past, allowing us to see the faces, clothing, and environments of those who came before us. Restoring and accurately dating these images can help confirm identities, discover lost family stories, and bring ancestors to life in ways that written records alone cannot.

There are ways to determine how old a photo might be. A few tips are listed below.

How to Date Old Family Photos

1.   Looking for Photographer Imprints

Many studio photographs from the 19th and early 20th centuries include the photographer’s imprint, often stamped or embossed on the front or back. Researching these photographers can provide clues about when and where the photo was taken. Websites like Langdon’s List of 19th & 20th Century Photographers and Ancestry.com’s city directories can help track studio names and their active years.

2.   Examine Clothing Styles

Fashion trends changed frequently throughout history, making clothing one of the most reliable indicators of a photo’s time period. Some general guidelines include:

Women’s Dresses: Bustled gowns (1860s-1880s), high-neck blouses with puffed sleeves (1890s), drop-waist dresses (1920s), and cinched waists with full skirts (1950s).

Men’s Suits: Wide lapels (1870s), bowler hats (1880s-1910s), high-buttoned suits (1920s), and double-breasted jackets (1940s-1950s).

Children’s Attire: White gowns for infants (common until the early 1900s), knee-length knickerbockers for boys (late 1800s-early 1900s), and sailor suits (1890s-1920s).

3.   Analyze Background Details

The settings of old photographs offer additional clues:

Props and Studio Settings: Painted backdrops featuring Greco-Roman columns and elaborate furniture were standard in the late 1800s.

Street Scenes: Automobiles, street signs, or recognizable landmarks can narrow down a time period.

Interior Elements: Household items like radios, telephones, or wallpaper patterns can hint at a particular decade.

My 2nd great-grandparents circa 1920.

Restoring Old Photos for Preservation

Once you’ve identified and dated your family photographs, restoring them ensures their longevity. Here are a few simple steps:

1. Digitize Your Photos

   • Scanning your photographs at a high resolution (at least 600 dpi) preserves their details and makes digital restoration easier.

2. Use Editing Software for Restoration

   • Adobe Photoshop: A powerful tool for professional restoration, allowing for scratch removal, color correction, and contrast adjustments.

   • MyHeritage Photo Enhancer: Uses AI to sharpen blurred images and bring faces into clearer focus.

   • GIMP: A free alternative to Photoshop, great for removing stains and creases.

3. Store Originals Properly

   • Keep photographs in acid-free archival sleeves.

   • Store them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

   • Avoid using adhesive tapes or albums with sticky pages.

Organizing a Large Photo Collection (5000+ Photos)

For those inheriting a massive collection of photographs, staying organized is essential. Several user-friendly software options can help:

• Google Photos: Offers free cloud storage and AI-powered facial recognition to group photos by people and locations.

• Adobe Lightroom: Ideal for extensive collections, allowing for tagging, batch editing, and metadata organization.

• MemoryWeb: Specifically designed for genealogy, this app enables linking photos to family tree profiles.

• ACDSee Photo Studio: Great for professionals, offering powerful cataloging and editing tools.

Bringing Your Family’s History to Life

Restoring and dating old family photos is a deeply personal and fulfilling endeavor. Identifying every face in Grandma’s collection may take time, but each discovery strengthens my connection to my ancestors. By preserving and organizing these cherished images, I am ensuring that future generations will know their stories.

Take it one step at a time if you’re embarking on a similar journey. Every name identified, every date uncovered, and every image restored is a victory in preserving your family’s legacy. Happy researching!

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“I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera.” — Gordon Parks, photographer