Every year, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day reminds us of the existing disparities in Black women’s wages. This day marks the exact number of days that a Black woman in the United States would have to work to match what a White man made in 2019. After the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and many other Black Americans this year, we’ve seen new conversations about race and equity arise in this country. In this moment, there is a spark of hope that our country will take meaningful action on issues of diversity, equity, and race.
Heather Foster, Senior Director of Public Engagement & Strategic Partnerships at Lyft, shared the following note with Lyft team members today about her personal experience navigating equal pay as a Black woman:
For the last 18 years, I’ve worked on issues at the intersection of race and public policy, starting with the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and eventually in the White House. As I advanced in my career, I quickly learned the importance of research and having a discussion with my employers to ensure I was being offered and paid a competitive salary. Let me be clear; I have walked away from many job offers after realizing that I would not be paid fairly vs. other individuals with the same credentials or experience.
An unfortunate reality is that Black women are often met with external messages that do not place us as being valued in society. While at times this realization has been hurtful and uncomfortable, it has motivated me to mentor and coach other Black women on negotiating and learning to ask for what they’re worth. We can only realize a more equitable and just society if we’re willing to remove the systemic barriers that have treated people of color, particularly Black women, differently than their White counterparts. We cannot permit pay disparities to continue being the norm.
At Lyft, we work with The National Women’s Law Center and Black Women’s Roundtable who advocate tirelessly on this issue and partner with companies on best practices. As we begin this new decade, conversations on race and the value of Black lives have taken center stage. Equal pay is now not only important but also necessary.
Lyft has many practices that underline pay fairness and our commitment to help prevent systemic gender or race-based compensation disparities. An annual external pay equity audit is one of those practices, and is currently underway, with results expected later this Fall. We (Lyft and our country) are at an inflection point in how we effectuate systemic change. Our actions today will determine if we are able to realize the promise of our tomorrow.