Dear John,

This Friday marks National Caregivers Day. And as we honor Black History Month this month, we cannot forget the deep connections between Black history and caregiving in this country.

One of the many legacies of slavery in the U.S. is that care work was pushed onto the people in our society with the least power and fewest resources, and their labor received few protections. That legacy left Black caregivers underpaid, unpaid, and without structural support.

That’s why we led a successful campaign to bring 1.8 million home care workers under protections for minimum wage and overtime, to counteract the legacy of slavery and anti-Black racism in our labor laws.

But this country still has a long way to go when it comes to supporting paid caregivers – particularly Black caregivers. The majority of the country’s 2.4 million home care workers are women of color who earn $20,000 a year on average and haven’t seen pay increases in decades. 30% of the home care workforce are Black women.

Failing to give our care workers good pay and strong benefits has pushed us into a care crisis because other industries can and do pay more. Too often, care workers are forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet or leave the field entirely when care needs aren’t supported by employers. The shortage of direct care workers has left millions of family caregivers trying to fill in the gap with little structural support. 

A better care system is possible if we establish policies that support the people who give and receive care. We need better wages and benefits for Black and Brown care workers. We must improve access to home- and community-based services for low-income families and family caregivers who rely on Medicaid, disproportionately families of color. And more funding for home- and community-based services would be the biggest investment in the creation of good jobs to benefit Black women in the history of the United States.

Together, we can create a better care system and counteract the shameful legacy of devaluing of Black, Indigenous and immigrant women’s care work. 

Thank you for your partnership in advocating for better care for all.

With care,

Nicole Jorwic, Chief of Campaigns & Advocacy
Caring Across Generations

P.S. If you haven’t yet, sign on to our Care Can’t Wait petition. If enough of us speak up, we can make sure our elected leaders prioritize an equitable, strong care infrastructure.