Image
Source
Oh, Seyoung. 2019. “Found image: Black Woman’s Dollars.”Visualizing Toxicity within the UC Workforce, created by Seyoung Oh. In Visualizing Toxic Subjects Digital Exhibit, curated by James Adams and Kim Fortun. The Center for Ethnography. March.
https://twitter.com/AFSCME/media
Language
English
English
Substantive Caption: The image was created by AAUW (American Association of University Women) and uploaded by AFSCME on twitter. AFSCME originally posted this image to inform women workers of the advantages of joining labor unions such as narrowing the gender pay gap and having union health insurance. Instead of Alexander Hamilton, on the $10 dollar bill, the AAUW image represents a Black woman and gives a different numerical value which is 6.3. I chose this image to highlight injuries of Black women employees, who are the most vulnerable community within the UC workforce. The distinct wage gap between black women employees and white men employees within the UC workforce is striking. Under the UC system, black female workers suffer from great income disparities. Compared to what white male counterparts earn, they get 10% (Service care worker) to 23% (patient care workers) less in average starting pay. In other words, in order to reach a white man’s starting pay, each Black female patient care and service worker needs to work for 14 years and 6 years, respectively.
Design Statement:
- I chose this image since it represents an overarching injury of Black women employees in UC. The image lampoons current circumstances of black women workers by implying that they only get $6.3 when male employees receive $10 for the same work ㅡa wider example that parallels the toxicity produced within the UC workforce.
-This image can provoke larger social discourses on the pay gap between Black women employees and White men employees even beyond the UC workforce.