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74%
of respondents said they felt they had been passed over for a job or promotion they were qualified for

PROJECT NOIR 2024

Has anything changed since 2020?

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Northeast Ohio ranks dead last as a livable region for Black Women - since 2020.

These metrics paint a picture of stark inequity, but they fail to answer the two most obvious questions:

  • Has anything changed for Black Women at work, in healthcare systems or education?

  • How can individuals and anchor institutions develop concrete Calls to Action for implementing solutions?

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Workplaces
2024

While economic indicators often suggest post-COVID growth, the reality for Black Women in the workplace tells a different story.

 

Workplace sabotage, limited opportunities for professional advancement, and damaging office gossip undermine confidence and ruin careers.

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Healthcare
2024

A troubling reality persists despite Northeast Ohio's global reputation for excellence in healthcare and innovation.

 

Deadly health disparities disproportionately impact Black Women and families seeking care in local institutions across Northeast Ohio.

Education

Education
2024

Education is often seen as a key to success in America, where hard work, talent, and luck are thought to open doors.

 

However, for many Black Women and girls in Northeast Ohio, racism and misogyny close doors to success and stifle potential. 

CALL TO ACTION • CALL TO ACTION  CALL TO ACTION • CALL TO ACTION 

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What does accountability in healthcare, workplaces, and educational systems look like for Black Women?

2024 | Major Themes

Office

Workplaces

"DEI Hire" as a Coded Slur for Black Women

The term "DEI Hire" has become a derogatory label used to diminish the accomplishments of Black Women in nonprofit and corporate spaces, reducing them to mere tokens of diversity.

Project Noir is not intended to prove or disprove the existence of disparate treatment of Black Women, nor is it meant to unjustly criticize Northeast Ohio.

Black Women Know What is Best For Them

Enlightened Solutions believes that because Northeast Ohio remains the most proximate to race and gender-based inequities, our region is the most apt to solve and export these solutions nationwide.

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Enlightened Solutions resolves to provide a research-based framework for public, private, governmental, and nonprofit organizations to improve the lived experiences of Black Women—who have long been leaders, colleagues, neighbors, matriarchs, and experts—yet continue to face systemic racism and misogyny.

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This report is organized into four key areas: Workplaces, Healthcare, and Education. These align with our original research while also incorporating the Project Noir: 2024 Call to Action.​

A Special Thank You

Project Noir 2024 Participants​

Black Women across Northeast Ohio​

Alyissa Sagoes, Project Noir Creative Consultant
Enlightened Solutions Board of Directors​

The Fowler Family Foundation​

The George Gund Foundation​

The Nord Family Foundation​​

Saint Luke's Foundation​​

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