There’s Always Work at the Black-Ass Post Office

Talking Black jobs!

May 08, 2025

*Robert Townsend was and is such a baddie!*

Welcome to This Black-Ass Life! This week we want to discuss Black jobs and the huge ripple effect of the federal layoffs for Black communities.

l. The Conversation

From the very inception of this country, Black intellect and public service has shaped American Democracy.

The first Black federal employee is believed to be Benjamin Banneker, a free Black man who helped lay the literal foundation of the District of Columbia as a surveyor.
Following the Emancipation Proclamation, Black Americans poured into the federal government as clerks, messengers, and skilled laborers. By the late 1800s, Black people held thousands of federal jobs, particularly in the U.S. Postal Service, making the USPS a significant cornerstone of Black economic advancement.
- By the way, the U.S. Postal Service has historically been a critical incubator for civil rights leadership; notable postal workers like John L. LeFlore, Heman Marion Sweatt, and W.W. Law used their roles to organize, advocate, and advance the movement for racial justice in cities like Mobile, Houston, and Savannah.
The public sector has historically been one of the most stable pathways for Black people in the U.S. because the federal government offered steady wages, health care, pensions, and promotion pathways, and also Black people flocked to federal jobs because they were locked out of the private sector.
In places like Prince George’s County, Maryland, federal employment fueled the development of the wealthiest Black suburban community in the country. PG County went from being 8% Black in 1960 to 62% by 1990, largely because federal jobs offered economic mobility and made homeownership and college access possible.
And it’s not just Maryland suburbs, over 90% of federal workers are based outside of D.C., meaning the ripple effects of these layoffs extend through and well beyond the U.S. capital.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, in 15 states and D.C., Black people make up at least 20% of the state’s federal workforce with the highest shares being in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Finally, contrary to racist beliefs, Black people were not simply handed federal jobs. From Woodrow Wilson-era segregation to the slow pace of civil rights protections, Black Americans had to fight through union advocacy, civil service reforms, and landmark legislation like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, to make federal jobs safer, fairer, and more accessible for Black professionals.

Why does it matter?

As of 2024, Black people make up about 18.5% of the federal workforce, compared to just 13% of the overall workforce, making the U.S. government the single largest employer of Black people in the country.
DOGE, Terracotta Turdface, and their drive to gut the public sector is a direct assault on the Black middle class. The sweeping layoffs, hiring freezes, and elimination of DEI programs disproportionately harm Black federal workers.
Let’s just be clear, both the impact and the intent of the direct threat is racist. Entire departments where Black employees make up more than 30%, like HUD, Education, and SBA, are being gutted. These moves are racist and will undo generations of Black economic progress in a literal matter of months.
In fact, Black public sector workers earned about 25% more than their private sector counterparts and Black pensioners accumulate the same pension wealth as white pensioners (unlike nearly any other part of the U.S. economy). We also have D.C. as the number 1 metro area where Black residents thrive financially largely due to federal work.

"It began with the Postal Service and the military, and their roles have expanded. In the last 40 to 50 years, we have made great progress and advanced through the ranks of these civil service positions with pride and distinction, and the nation has benefitted from it."
- Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League

These layoffs also affect Black people beyond jobs lost, such as students who rely on supports from the Department of Education (ahem, loans!), workers who rely on Labor Department protections for pay and safety regulation, and those who rely on crucial Medicaid and Medicare services.
A reminder from the classic Hollywood Shuffle is the sentiment was always, “There’s always work at the post office.” (Or at least there used to be)

What can my Black ass do?

For laid off workers in D.C., here is a list of resources to turn to.
Here is a resource list for laid off federal workers nationally.
And here is a resource specifically for food service workers.

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II. Other Things

Black-ass happenings.

A Met Gala recap.
We must discuss the NY Liberty at the MET and specifically Jonquel Jones!

The only Sinners review that matters. Because Annie?? 😮‍💨🥵
Ms. Tina Knowles is a bestselling author.
As action movie hive, we’ll be sat for the upcoming Kerry Washington-Omar Sy thriller.

Ass song(s) of the week (Mitu):

Follow me, y’all. The Yacht Rock Dock-umentary (excellent) reminded me of this Will Smith banger inspired by the legend Bill Withers.

Things we look forward to / Things we recommend:

I (Jumoke) look forward to the RHORI. Bring on the New England nonsense!!
I (Mitu) recommend a bit of dillying and a touch of dallying. Last weekend, Jumoke and I did arts & crafts & snacks, and we had a time! Plus we came home with pretty homemade bookmarks and floral arrangements!