Nov 17, 2024 Story by: Editor
“What Black women are telling us in Cleveland is that the problem is still very much here,” said Bethany Studenic, co-founder of the local think tank Enlightened Solutions.
Following the national study’s release in 2020, Studenic and her co-founder, Chinenye Nkemere, initiated Project Noir, a qualitative survey involving 500 Black women from northeast Ohio. Four years later, the pair conducted a new survey, Project Noir 2024, which gathered nearly three times the responses of the original.
The latest data indicates persistent challenges for Black women, with many reporting similar forms of discrimination in health care, education, and the workplace.
“Black women giving us quotes about their health care experiences, their education, and their workplace experiences,” Nkemere said. “But once you start looking at the statistics, it becomes extremely stark.”
The 2024 findings revealed alarming statistics: 79% of respondents reported being paid less than others in comparable roles, 63% felt they needed to exert more effort to achieve the same academic grades as their peers, and 56% experienced condescension when discussing health-related symptoms.
“When you start thinking about each individual story, that’s each Black woman in a system where their work is being undermined and, more than that, destroyed,” Nkemere added.
This time, Nkemere and Studenic emphasize the role individuals play in maintaining systemic issues, alongside the importance of institutional investments. They argue that personal accountability is equally crucial.
“This is doctors coming in and not listening to their patients,” Studenic explained. “This is educators looking at young Black women and saying, ‘You’re not good enough.’ And we really need metrics around accountability. We need programs around accountability.”
Dr. Dave Margolius, Cleveland’s public health director, acknowledged the gravity of the findings, stating that while efforts are underway to improve conditions for Black women, it’s critical to confront these disparities openly.
“We know that the experience as a Black person in Cleveland is worse than the experience as a white person in Cleveland,” Margolius said. “And it’s important for people who look like me to really say that and acknowledge it so we can move forward on solutions.”
Despite the grim findings, Nkemere and Studenic remain optimistic that with sufficient commitment and resources, Cleveland can become a supportive environment for Black women.
“We have a kernel of something good here,” Nkemere said. “We have the ability to actually change and effectuate change here. So why not continue doing this work? Why not continue doing racial and gender justice so that all Black women and all Black girls are able to thrive here in this region? We’re just not going to stop.” Source: Spectrum News 1
