Every March, the nation takes a moment to honor women. This month, The Root holds a space specifically for Black women. With melanin in their skin and coils in their tresses, they move through rooms they were deemed unqualified to enter and reshape them with leadership, vision and influence.
Suggested Reading
Black women are some of the most educated and entrepreneurial in the U.S. They have sent men to space, broken ground on the nation’s highest court, and quietly made history in households nationwide. And their numbers back their accomplishments.
As more people notice Black women’s achievements, some have called them a “model minority.” While the term is often used to praise Asian Americans, it’s been criticized for reducing experiences to a stereotype. The perspective highlights why Black women’s achievements deserve recognition on their own terms.
With these points in mind, let’s look at the facts.
Leading in the Classroom
Black women represent 13 percent of all women in the U.S. and outnumber Black men in higher education. Within the Black student population, women earn more than 64 percent of bachelor’s degrees, nearly 72 percent of master’s degrees, and almost 66 percent of doctoral, medical, and dental degrees, according to the American Association of University Women (AAUW). The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education has reported similar trends at the nation’s highest-ranked universities, where Black women earn about two-thirds of the degrees awarded to Black students.
Building Businesses at Record Speed
Between 2019 and 2024, businesses owned by Black women grew faster than any other group, according to a 2025 Wells Fargo Impact Report. Their businesses increased by 51.2 percent, compared to 10.2 percent growth for other women-owned businesses during the same period, demonstrating unmatched entrepreneurial momentum. Additionally, the report revealed that revenue increased by nearly 81 percent for Black women-owned businesses. While a revenue gap remains compared to businesses owned by men, closing it represents a massive opportunity to add $1.7 trillion in new economic value.
Leading Under Pressure
When more than 300,000 Black women were pushed out of or left the workforce in a single quarter, the ripple effect was resounding. In corporate America, Black women had already held less than 2 percent of top executive positions, according to McKinsey & Company. In the federal government, they were hit disproportionately by DOGE cuts and now make up 12 percent of the remaining workforce. Even under heightened pressure and increased workloads, their impact remains clear.
Driving Political Change
Black women have strong voting power. In 2024, they were the most reliable voting group, with 92 percent casting ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris, according to NBC News. In 2020, more than two-thirds of Black women voted in the presidential election, the third-highest turnout among race-gender groups, according to the League of Women Voters. Despite challenges, Black women continue to be some of the most politically active people in the country, supporting a democracy that often fails to support them.
The data make it clear that Black women lead in education, build businesses at record rates, keep workplaces running, and do it all, often without recognition, fair compensation or protections they’ve earned. And yet, their impact is impossible to ignore. It’s not a supernatural phenomenon, but it is a result of skill, perseverence and generations of leadership.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.