Women in the United States have worked diligently to close the gender gap in education over the past several decades, aided by the passage of Title IX of the 1972 Education Amnedments which prohibited discrimination in educational institutions. Unfortunately, the great advancements made by women have not been distributed equally across racial and ethnic groups. Those women who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander are 48.4% likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher, followed by a 32.6% likelihood for those who identify with another race, or two or more races, followed by a 15.5% likelihood for those of Native American identities, and 15.3% likelihood for those of Hispanic identities. This data does not include the Middle Eastern North African (MENA) population who are dangerously underrepresented in research secondary to having been recorded as “white,” in the United States Census and most other applications for educational institutions. Women of color are making strides in their educational pursuits, and Omniwomyn lives in the mission of increasing the likelihood of minority women to become more educated and credentialed— thereby, setting them up for success. We are committed to bettering these statistics through our goal-based mentorship program, networking opportunities, and professional development events.
Like education, the number and share of women-owned firms that are owned by women of color have increased dramatically in recent years. In 1997, women of color owned 929,445 businesses in the United States, representing 17 percent of all women-owned firms. By 2014, this number grew to approximately 2,934,500 or 32 percent of women-owned firms. This number continues to increase today with 5.4 million firms majority-owned by women of color in the United States. Omniwomyn empowers young minority women to take hold of what may seem “unimaginable,” by promoting the visibility of minority women business owners and offering internship placements at large companies.
