In 2020, Bloomberg CityLab published a report that dubbed
Cleveland the “worst place in America” for Black women
to live based on a wide range of livability metrics including income, educational and health outcomes.
In response, Enlightened Solutions, a Cleveland-based non-profit research and advocacy firm, initiated Project Noir to collect and analyze the lived experiences of Black women in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. To see how accurate the study was. To find first-hand accounts of what life was like. To collect ideas for how to improve.
Four years later, Project Noir 2024’s survey has revealed that Black women have seen no progress in treatment within areas of healthcare, education and the workplace.
“[It] highlights that the systemic challenges Black women face cannot be addressed in isolation,” says Bethany Studenic, the co-founder and managing director of Enlightened Solutions.
Between February and April 2024, Enlightened Solutions distributed the Project Noir 2024 survey to more 1,300 Black women from rural, suburban and areas in Northeast Ohio – including Cleveland, Lorain, Youngstown and Akron. The response rate from Project Noir 2024 nearly tripled from its 2020 response rate, with 85% participation this year.