Tell-It Report: Black Women Lost 106,000 Jobs in April. It’s a Troubling Sign That Could Get Worse.

Black women’s unemployment rate increased by one full percentage point, indicating their disadvantaged place in today’s job market.

(Envato/ContrabandCamp)

In Gullah Geechee communities, a "tell-it" was a designated lookout, community warning system and the most trusted source for news and information. The Tell-It Report is ContrabandCamp’s weekly roundup of the Black stories that deserve more attention — from politics to entertainment.

This week marked yet another series of fallouts from the Trump administration’s attack on DEI. Even though the jobs report came out earlier this month, most people are just waking up to a troubling trend: Black women have been bearing the brunt of Trump’s chaotic economy, as they lost 106,000 jobs in April. Meanwhile, Congress is pushing back on the president’s librarian of Congress appointee after the president fired Carla Hayden, the first woman and African American to hold the post, for being too “woke.” And an Ohio man allegedly burning 100 history books related to race, religion and LGBTQ issues is evidence that the ongoing federal anti-DEI efforts are emboldening racists.

Black women lost 106,000 jobs in April. Is the worst yet to come?

Black women are being disproportionately affected by the United States’ turbulent job market despite the overall national unemployment rate remaining steady at 4.2%.

In April, the demographic lost a whopping 106,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics job report released May 2. The unemployment rate for Black women over 20 climbed to 6.1%, 1% higher than the previous month. That is the highest disparity amongst all demographics accounted for in the jobs report despite a market that added 177,000 jobs within the same time period.

Overall, Black women have had the highest rise in unemployment since President Donald Trump took office. His administration’s restructuring and cuts have left tens of thousands jobless with more layoffs expected, according to CNN. The full effects of Trump’s federal job cuts are yet to come fully into view, but with Black women overrepresented in the federal workforce, these job numbers could get worse. Economist and owner of Creative Investment Research William Michael Cunningham told Black Enterprise that Black women account for a huge share of federal workers laid off.

“The unusual nature of this increase in Black women’s unemployment is a testament to and a direct result of the anti-DEI and anti-Black focus of the new administration’s policies,” he said. “This is demonstrably damaging to the Black community, something we have not seen before.”

He added that those who are looking for work have been unsuccessful in finding it. “The jobs that have traditionally been a path to stability are disappearing,” he said.

The job numbers reflect the dual barrier of race and gender that Black women face in the job market. Black women also over-index in industries that are often lower paying and hit first in times of economic downturn, including education and service jobs. This has larger implications for Black families, of which 3 in 10 live in homes where the household head is a woman, according to the Pew Research Center.

Overall, the Black unemployment rate rose for the third month in a row, from 6.2% to 6.3% in April. It’s a number to watch, as some economists believe “a spike in the Black unemployment rate can be a strong predictor of an impending recession,” according to the Financial Express.

The May jobs report will be released on June 6.

Trump names former attorney acting librarian of Congress after the firing of Carla Hayden

Congress is pushing back after Trump named Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general and his former defense lawyer, acting Librarian of Congress on Monday. The friction has left Blanche and the position in limbo.

The appointment comes just days after Trump abruptly fired Carla Hayden, the first Black person and first woman to serve in the position in 2016, on May 8. Hayden, appointed by former President Barack Obama, was nine years into her 10-year term.

According to USA Today, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Hayden was let go due to “quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI, and putting inappropriate books in the library for children.” Books can not be checked out of the library, and anyone who wants to use the collection — on the premise — has to be 16 years old.

Democrats condemned Trump’s move. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it “unjust” and a “disgrace.” Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released a statement praising Hayden for her service and stated that the president is “taking his assault on America’s libraries to a new level.”

In a May 13 essay in Time, Alondra Nelson wrote that she resigned from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.

“The erosion of these institutions’ integrity — and the growing realization that it is impossible to fulfill their missions in good faith — has made the cost of continuing untenable,” she wrote.

With Hayden fired and Blanche in limbo, it hasn’t officially been announced who is currently in charge of the world’s largest library with its 162 million cataloged items, more than 3,200 employees and 1.6 million annual visitors.

Interim Director Robert R. Newlen told library staff that he is the acting head, according to The Washington Post. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) of the Rules Committee said that administration officials understood and are respecting that.

Blanch represented Trump during his 2024 criminal trial, in which he was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Both democrats and republicans have expressed concerns over a Trump ally having access to confidential information reserved for the Congressional Research Service and lawmakers.

Because the librarian of Congress is a legislative position, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said lawmakers are investigating whether Trump has the power to fire the position, according to The Guardian. It is the Senate’s role to confirm the permanent librarian of Congress.

“This is the Library of Congress, not the library of the president,” Padilla told the Post. “To be clear, this is not a Democrat versus Republican thing. This is a separation-of-powers, co-equal-branches-of-government discussion.”

Ohio man accused of burning 100 Black, Jewish and LGBTQ books

An Ohio man reportedly filmed himself burning 100 Black, Jewish and LGBTQ history books he checked out just days after he got a library card from Cuyahoga County Public Library in Beachwood, WKYC reports.

The man posted a video of the book burning to social media, police told the outlet. He applied for a library card on April 2. Upon approval, he was able to check out 50 books. On April 10, he borrowed another 50 books from the same branch. News 5 Cleveland reported that he told the library that his son was a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

A Princeton University Bridging Divides Initiative notified the library that the man posted a photo of a trunk full of books that appeared to be the same ones he checked out, according to WKYC. The group also reported the video of the burning.

“It was a man's voice and image and foreboding tones describing the need to cleanse the community of the library of the books that he was setting a fire,” Robert Nosanchuk, rabbi at Congregation Mishkan Or, told News 5.

The platform he used, Gab, is notoriously used by white nationalists, extremists and neo-Nazis.

Interfaith Group Against Hate, an organization led by Jewish, Muslim and Christian congregations, held a press conference condemning the burning on Monday. They also announced a plan to collect and donate 1,000 books, 10 for each one destroyed. As of Thursday, the group has collected 100 books.

"Our goal is to collect a thousand new books that lift up Black, Jewish, and LGBTQ+ voices and experiences, and to share those books in libraries and community organizations and congregations all over our country. The Interfaith Group Against Hate wants to take this act of hate and turn it into a powerful symbol of unity, solidarity and love," Rev. Ryan Wallace of Fairmount Presbyterian Church told WKYC.

The man, who has not been identified, has not yet been charged. WKYC reported that the library called the police to report the incident, but the books he borrowed were not overdue as of May 2. Police are currently investigating the situation, according to News 5. The library plans to send a bill to the man once the books are overdue. The books are worth $1,700.

Cuyahoga County Public Library said it is taking steps to protect staff, customers and property. It also noted, “This customer has been restricted from all Cuyahoga County Public Library properties and their borrowing privileges have been revoked. We are in the process of replacing the books in question.”

ICYMI

While ICE is conducting raids and the Trump administration is offering undocumented immigrants $1,000 to leave the United States, white South Africans, known as Afrikaners, have been granted refugee status.

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the all-Black woman military unit known as the Six Triple Eight, received a Congressional Gold Medal 80 years after their historic World War II feat.

New York will honor the 10 Black people killed by a racist gunman at Tops supermarket in 2022 with a memorial that was unveiled this week.

If you haven’t watched yet, Mara Brock Akil’s “Forever” is a refreshing adaptation of Judy Blume’s book of the same name, and it’s been renewed for a second season.

Prime Video has picked up a new series based on the Barbershop film franchise that will star Jermaine Fowler.