Black Unemployment Is Surging Again. This Time Is Different. NYT | Top Stories By: Lydia DePillis 12 October 2025 at 17:01 Federal layoffs and an end to diversity initiatives have weakened a historically strong labor market for Black workers. © Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York TimesSherri Marshall, who graduated from college a few years ago with a degree in psychology and lives in Los Angeles, is still looking for a position that would allow her to use her education.