The Highland Project envisions a world where Black women imagine, design, build, and sustain structural change to create an equitable society where Black communities thrive.
The net wealth of a typical Black family in America is around one-tenth of a white family
Black women are paid $0.58 for every $1 a white man makes
Black women are three times more likely to die in pregnancy and postpartum
Black women are 7.5 years ‘older’ than white women because of stress related aging alone
Our stories as Black women are one of power. We:
Earn 71% of master’s and 65% of doctoral degrees conferred on Black students
Drive economic power: our spending power is estimated at over $565 billion
Have registered and voted at higher rates than their male counterparts in every election since 1998
And yet we are under-considered in leadership positions driving wealth creation.
0% Governors and U.S. Senators are Black women
0.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs are Black women
3.6% of School Superintendents are Black women
Black women are essential to the future prosperity of this nation. They have a long standing track record of creating and sustaining solutions representing intellectual, economic, and electoral power. To realize the power of Black female leadership requires multi-year and multi-million dollar investments.
If the country eliminated racial disparities in health, education, incarceration and employment, the U.S. economy could be $8 trillion larger by 2050.