When will Black Immigrant Women and Girls Day be celebrated? March 15th of each calendar year.
What is Black Immigrant Women and Girls Day? Celebrate the black immigrant women and girls whose courage and intellect have pushed our society towards a more equal union.
There are approximately 21 million immigrant women living in the United States, of which, an estimated 1.7M (8.2 percent) are Black. Black immigrant women and girls come from diverse regions of the world but primarily originate from African countries, like the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Caribbean countries, with Jamaica, Haiti, and Nigeria among the leading places of origin for Black immigrants overall.
How should Black Immigrant Women and Girls Day be celebrated or observed? Gathering to share food & stories of empowerment.
Why was Black Immigrant Women and Girls Day created? Many Black immigrant women and girls that migrate to the U.S. are survivors of gender-based violence and fled to the U.S. to escape sexual assault or dangerous relationships. Although the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) * Executive Committee “strongly condemns persecution through sexual violence” and “supports recognizing people entering the country based on fear of persecution, through sexual violence, for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”
Many Black immigrant women fleeing domestic and sexual violence and abuse, are turned away at the border, detained or deported. Those permitted to enter the U.S., often meet a system that lacks cultural competence and is unprepared to meet their acute needs.
In total, there are almost 12 million immigrant women workers in the U.S.; in which African women have the highest rate of participation. Immigrant women work in a variety of fields including hair braiding, healthcare, hospitality, and food service. The largest makeup of immigrant women are domestic workers, with light industrial occupations, nursing, and psychiatric services also high up on the list. The labor done by immigrant women is an important piece of the U.S. economy, yet many immigrant women earn less than a minimum wage. In 2015, almost half of immigrant women workers made less than $20,000 per year. Sadly, nearly 20 percent of Black immigrants live below the federal poverty line.’ Haitian women experience the largest economic gap, earning 18.6 percent less than White women.
Although the population of Black immigrant women and girls is rapidly increasing, their experiences continue to be erased in public discourse and advocacy efforts to advance race, gender, and immigrant equity. Contributing to their lack of visibility in racial justice and immigration debates is the sparse availability of research and data on this population.
Advocates must amplify the voices of Black immigrant women and girls. The community must actively pursue and model a gender justice analysis in organizations and within the racial justice and immigrant’s rights movements broadly and uplift the leadership of Black immigrant women and girls to achieve holistic liberation.
*Black Alliance For Just Immigration
Who created this day? This day was created by Amini Bonane of Brains Then Beauty in 2024.