Black women always have been among the hardest, most dependable workers. Even black mothers with small children are overwhelmingly likely to work. But despite a strong work ethic, black women remain behind economically, largely because they work on low-wage jobs and earn far less than others in every workplace. In fact, black women are more likely than any group in America to work for poverty-level wages, thereby making them the most likely of all Americans to be among the working poor.