This story was reported for IVNSanDiego.org in November 2020.
Native San Diegan Shakema Martin says she may still be employed today if she weren’t Black.
Martin, a Mira Mesa native, was working at a Carlsbad company until August when she caught COVID-19. She quarantined until she felt better and returned to work with a doctor’s note, clearing her of the highly contagious virus.
“They let me start work right away but told me I needed my doctor to fill out other paperwork,” she said.
Martin found it difficult to complete her extra work during her Monday through Friday shifts when her doctor’s office was open. When she finally completed the paperwork, her supervisor said it was one day late.
“I told them I sent in the paperwork but they said it was too late,” Martin explained. “I was fired. I do think if I were White, they would have given me the benefit of the doubt.”
Martin is one of many Black women who are currently unemployed. In fact, data provided by California Budget & Policy Center show Black women in the Golden State are losing their jobs amid the pandemic faster than women of other races. From February 2020 to July 2020, there was a 17% drop in the number of Black women working in California. During that same period in the state, data shows a 13% drop among Latinx women, an 11% drop among Asian Pacific Islander women, but just a 10% drop among White women.
Read the full story at IVNSanDiego.org.