COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - ColoradoDesk -- COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Black women ended 2025 with an unemployment rate of 7.3% — the highest in four years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Institute for Women's Policy Research confirms they lost jobs at more than three times the rate of other women. Researchers warn the next wave is already forming: 21% of Black women work in roles highly exposed to AI-driven automation yet hold just 3% of computing jobs in America.

Michelle Harris, Certified Prompt Engineer and Founder of Bookshelf AI Publishing Solutions LLC, calls it the AI Access Gap — and she has spent two years building the tools to close it.

On Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 10:30 to 11:30 AM, Harris hosts a free, in-person AI Confidence Conversation at Library 21c, 1175 Chapel Hills Drive, Colorado Springs. No tech background required. Seating is limited. Register free at eventbrite.com/e/1985314514155

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The conversation continues beyond June 27. Harris will launch BLAQ on Break™ — A Lunch-Break AI Confidence Masterclass Series, meeting every first and third Monday starting July 6, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at 685 Citadel Dr E, Colorado Springs, CO. Each session delivers one AI concept, and one workflow attendees can apply immediately. Free to attend. Walk-ins welcome.

"You are the authority the algorithm answers to. Come curious. Leave confident."

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Report, May 2026; Institute for Women's Policy Research, February 2026; The Corporate Curly, April 2026.

Bookshelf AI Publishing Solutions | AI Confidence & Literacy for Women (https://www.bookshelfaipublishing.com/)