Black in the boardroom
As Black History Month 2022 comes to a close, we had the pleasure of witnessing the announcement of the first Black Woman Supreme Court Justice nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson. Ketanji's story is historic for all Americans, but especially meaningful for Black American women. While the journey has been long, the satisfaction of representation still brings tears to my eyes. These are tears of joy, simply for the acknowledgement of Ketanji being qualified for and worthy of the nomination. They are also tears of pain because before Ketanji's nomination was even announced the scrutiny was already mounting. As a Black woman working in majority white spaces, the thinly veiled racist rhetoric and charades are all too familiar. Before I could allow myself to be excited for Ketanji, I was already sad for the road that lies ahead of her.
No matter how well-qualified you are, there will be questions about your existence and extra scrutiny reserved specifically for the Black skin that God draped you in. The questioning comes in different forms depending on the industry you work in and the level of visibility your success has garnered. It ranges from making extra calls to uncover a story about that one time you were rude to so and so, to excluding you from consideration because you don't fit the culture that was formed by people who make zero effort to have meaningful relationships with Black women in their lives. Unfortunately, as a result of the constructs of racism and the scarcity mindset it fuels in all people that are on the fray of the majority, you will at some point encounter this exclusionary behavior from another Black woman. In order to maintain her perceived position of power, she believes she needs to blend in as much as possible and changing the color of her skin isn't an option. I'm merely scratching the surface here, but know that when you see a Black woman succeeding in spite of the obstacles placed before her that she has earned far beyond what she actually has to show for her efforts.
No matter how well intentioned your leadership team is, they will miss opportunities to quell the questioning of the qualifications of a Black person. In many cases, people avoid speaking out against behavior that they know is immoral and inherently wrong because they don't want to draw criticism to their own credentials and qualifications. Also it takes real gumption to be okay with having a point of view that differs from the majority. Most people, no matter how grand their job titles are, simply are not capable of leading true change. They would rather allow harmful behavior to persist and excuse it away than jeopardize their position of perceived power. This is exactly why we are constantly seeing headlines about the lack of diversity in c-suites and on corporate boards. The lack of diverse talent in boardrooms has nothing to do with qualified people being available and absolutely everything to do with the lack of genuine commitment to change. If leaders are not equipped and willing to lead change then there will be no change.
Be your own best advocate. No matter your line of work, it's important to advocate for yourself and be willing to push back when anyone tries to label you as someone you are not. Accepting those labels only emboldens people to keep writing your story as they see fit. Make time to document your progress, achievements, and opportunities. Commit to your own development as a priority for your success. Share your story with others to increase awareness of your work. Curate the career that you want for yourself, with you in the center, not the company that you work for. This shift in mindset will ensure that your efforts are not wasted, but instead invested in your own success. Any company that you work for or create will greatly benefit from the time and effort you have invested in strengthening your knowledge and experience. It's also important to remove yourself from any environment that does not respect you at a minimum or appreciate you in the ideal circumstance. While there are many obstacles you will face in life that are beyond your control, where you choose to work is not one of them. There is no reward for expending additional effort to contort yourself to fit into a culture that is not welcoming of you.
How many Black women decide not to strive for the highest level of success in their fields because they are all too familiar with the arduous journey that lies ahead and decide that it's simply not worth the mental exhaustion?
How much talent is missing from the rooms where the most important decisions are made because Black people choose sanity over suffering for a chance to outshine the mediocrity that will question their greatness?
How much are we settling for good enough, simply because we don't have the courage as humans to put an end to the exclusionary nonsense that is summed up as culture?
In spite of it all, Ketanji will no doubt be triumphant. However, I can't help but wonder how much further along Black women would be if they didn't have to exhaust the energy required to simply be seen and acknowledged for their gifts, work ethic and unwavering pursuit of happiness.
*Written with joy on a sunny Saturday morning, after a very long and challenging week.