The economic crisis has had an especially heavy toll on women of color. African American women were disproportionately impacted by the subprime and housing crisis that triggered the longer-term global meltdown and they continue to be marginalized in the US. job market. The total African American unemployment rate in February was 12.6 percent, the highest of any ethnic group, although in general, men appear to be losing jobs faster than women. According to the Center for Responsible Lending, 1.5 million homes were lost through subprime foreclosures and an estimated 9 to 10 trillion dollar decline in U.S. household wealth occurred between 2007 and 2009. "Nearly two-thirds of the wealth possessed by African Americans is in the form of home equity," noted researcher Andrea Harris in last year's National Urban League report on "The State of Black America." And "half of all households with children are headed by women," she added.
