BLACK WOMEN AND APPRENTICESHIP IN THE U.S.
“Indentures of Apprenticeship
After the Civil War brought a symbolic end to slavery in 1865, white power brokers created the and a system of “indentures of apprenticeship,” creating working conditions that mirrored slavery. Black women were put in a particularly inhumane position. In addition to being forced back into slavery themselves, many mothers had children as young as three years old taken away and placed into indentures of apprenticeship, sometimes for decades.”
“National Apprenticeship Act
The National Apprenticeship Act (aka the Fitzgerald Act) passed in 1937, establishing the system for Registered Apprenticeship that included safeguards and protections for apprentices. However, black people remained highly underrepresented in apprenticeship due to localized racist policies like Jim Crow.
Source Article”
“Civil Rights Act
With the Civil Rights Act of 1964, black men gained legal protection in entering apprenticeship. Black women continued to be excluded from apprenticeship on the basis of their gender.”
“President Carter’s Executive Order
Finally, in 1978 women gained access to apprenticeship through an Executive Order by President Carter. The victory was short-lived.”
“Rollbacks Under President Reagan
Just two years later, President Reagan slashed major affirmative action accountability mechanisms by removing oversight for the inclusion of people of color in apprenticeship from the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) and by giving industry boards control of their own compliance. As a result, the growth of women entering apprenticeship plateaued at seven percent of total apprentices (article). It was in this climate of exclusion that Cassandra Banks entered the workforce.”
“Women’s share in apprenticeships (pre-pandemic) reflected the same low seven percent of more than four decades ago. According to Department of Labor statistics, 88 percent of new apprentices that came into federally registered programs were male, and 56 percent were white in 2019.
(source article).”
“COVID-19 and Women in the Workforce
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how many black women and women of color work in low-wage jobs that can disappear due to macroeconomic changes. Black women were nearly twice as likely as white men to report that they had either been laid off, furloughed, or had their hours and/or pay reduced
(source article).”
“Looking Ahead …
More and more black women and women of color are embracing apprenticeship as a promising alternative to low-skill, low-wage work –- and a path to economic freedom.
(source article).”
Timeline
