This blog post is dedicated to all of the black and brown women out there who are the only person who looks like you in professional spaces. Whether you’re the CEO or just starting out as an intern, I want you to know one thing: i see you…sis, you’ve got this!
I don’t have enough hands to count the amount of times I’ve walked into a room and gotten looks of surprise, bewilderment and confusion, or that I’ve simply been looked past because surely I wasn’t going to be the authority in that particular space. Not a young black woman, who happens to love fashion and makeup.
Surely, this black girl with the long box-braids and bright red AJ Crimson lipstick won’t be leading a presentation that’s educating me!
This is the response that I receive at least once a week at my corporate job, whether it’s from my peers or clients and quite frankly, it’s exhausting. These reactions to my presence occur in spaces that are supposed to be “off-limits” to women and especially people of color, so when I walk up in the spot it’s on! The
Sometimes these actions are explicit, and sometimes they’re masked by people not giving me eye contact or they talk to everyone else in the room except for me. I’m not saying that all of my professional experiences have gone this way, but many of them do.
The hard part is not having a sounding board or source of support from someone who has experienced this kind of treatment from the perspective of a woman of color. Many times, I have to confide in my fiancé or girlfriends who are pretty much experience the same treatment at times because they are also the only black and brown women on their teams at work.
On days like this I literally have to power pose, breathe and remember who I am. When they try to look past me, I command the room by speaking clearly, looking them dead in the eyes and stating the facts. People can’t discredit the truth, even if they go out of their way to!
The intent of this blatant dismissal is to shrink us, but we have to refuse to let ignorance diminish our value. We are in these spaces for a reason. We’re highly capable and qualified to get the job done!
So the next time you walk into a room full of people who don’t look like you, be encouraged to take up space–make your presence known sis! And on those days when you feel like throwing in the towel, remember that you’re not alone. I see you…sis, you’ve got this!
Ciao Bellas,
