This Week in ESG and Impact Investing

Jonathan Capehart (Left) and Michele Norris (Right) at the Library of Congress. Photo by Gabriel Philipp On Thursday, June 5, 2025 in the US Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building's Great Hall, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart discussed his memoir, “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home.” Capehart was in conversation with journalist Michele Norris. He discussed his experiences growing up and his path through his career in journalism. I found it an interesting talk that connected to a very personal aspect of my life. Socially Disconnected:  The thing that stuck with me most during the discussion was Capehart’s confession that he felt he didn’t belong in Washington, DC. He went on to talk about his feelings of disconnection from people. He experienced this as an environment where people had their separate groups, and that he felt it was hard to feel connected: if you’re not in the group then there’s only so much you can do to be conn...

Forecast (Black Women) : 6.4% Actual (Black Women) : 6.2% We accurately predicted a rise in the unemployment rate for Black women , but the increase was less severe than expected . The direction of the rate for Black women validates our concerns, even though the rate itself came in below our projection. Key Takeaways from the Data Unemployment Among Black Women : Rose to 6.2% in May 2025 , up from 6.1% in April: Still notably elevated and well above the national average, indicating continued labor market fragility for this demographic. Labor Force Participation : Participation among Black individuals declined slightly—from 62.1% to 62.0%—reflecting growing discouragement and withdrawal from the labor force. Employment Level : Modest gains in overall employment helped cushion what might have been a more dramatic rise in the unemployment rate. However, the nature of this job growth—its quality, sector concentration, and sustainability—remains a concern. For...

President Donald Trump has a history of railing against US economic policy; many of his campaign promises rely on the premise that our economy needs to be fixed. His attempt to fix the US economy through the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) will reportedly increase the deficit by between 3 and 5 trillion dollars. US Representative and Chair of the Joint Economic Committee David Schweikert of Arizona talked with Betty Liu of The Hill (shown in photo, left) on June 4th to address some of the concerns both surrounding the bill and the US economy as a whole. The Economy: According to Rep. Schweikert, the most significant factor driving the growth of U.S. sovereign debt is demographics. As the age group of 65 and older grows due to longer life expectancies and the aging of the Baby Boomer generation, it places enormous strain on federal programs like Medicare and Social Security, both of which are major components of the federal budget. The 65+ population is typically retired, which means they...

Based on the most recent data, the unemployment rate for Black women aged 20 and over increased from 5.1% in March to 6.1% in April 2025, marking the highest level since 2022 . This rise was driven by a loss of 106,000 jobs among Black women during April. Considering these trends, it is plausible that the unemployment rate for Black women remained elevated in May 2025. Factors contributing to this include ongoing reductions in federal employment, rollbacks of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and economic pressures in sectors where Black women are overrepresented, such as retail, healthcare, education, and public services. Black unemployment rates are historically more volatile due to structural labor market inequities, lower wealth buffers, industry concentration, and sensitivity to policy shifts.  Based on the available data and prevailing economic trends, it is reasonable to estimate that the unemployment rate for Black women aged 20 and over in May 2025 likely...