You observe things from a special vantage point when you live in a world and work in an industry that was built to hold you back. The perspective and biases of people who have never questioned their right to take up space or fought to be heard, becomes obvious. If you’re a woman, more specifically, a woman of color in a predominantly white field, you already know that. (View Highlight)
This kind of discrimination needs to be addressed at the institutional, organizational, and leadership levels. It is their problem to solve, and not ours. Nonetheless, when you are trying to excel inside of these environments, it’s a lot to go up against. (View Highlight)
People tend to favor those who look like them, meaning those in positions of power tend to look, sound, and think in similar ways. It’s harder for women of color, in general, to establish networks that can help them navigate their careers in predominantly white industries. (View Highlight)
with limited economic resources and a lack of social networks, and yet I was expected to excel with little structural support. (View Highlight)
Your ally can be an inclusive leader who wants to confront bad behavior and overturn patterns of injustice at the top. This person can create forward momentum for you by drawing attention to your contributions and recommending you for opportunities that advance your career. You can find them by asking around (“What’s it like to work with … ?”). If they are worth connecting with, they will appreciate your initiative, and reply to your email — if you keep it short and to the point. (View Highlight)
Your ally can also be someone at your rank who will put in the work to listen to you, understand you, learn from you, share their own story, and act on what they’ve learned. This is the person in the room who you hold in high esteem, and importantly, who holds you in high esteem as well. Take their support and keep paying it forward. Expand your network of allies, and continue to support people from other marginalized groups. (View Highlight)
No matter how conscious, unconscious, or seemingly kind a bias is, it has the same outcome: inequality, exclusion, and re-opened wounds. In my case, not being viewed as a professor translates to not being respected as a leader or deserving of my rank. Not being viewed as an American translates to not belonging — a feeling I have been battling since childhood. (View Highlight)
So you see, even though the issue lies at the institutional level, it’s personal. For my own mental health, for my survival and growth, I’ve had to get comfortable confronting these biases when they confront me. Because it’s what I can control. Because its effective. Because I need to set boundaries to focus on what matters: my work. (View Highlight)
Schedule a private one-on-one meeting. Conversations that take place at the same eye-level in a neutral space are most respectful and therefore, helpful. (View Highlight)
Focus on the other person’s behaviors. This will remind you that, more often than not, there are bad behaviors, not bad people. People grow and change. People have bad days. People say things without listening to what they actually said. Approach them with an interest in nurturing the professional relationship. (View Highlight)
Speak in a matter-of-fact tone. You want your message to take center stage, not your emotions. Avoid blaming, labeling, yelling, swearing, sarcasm, insults, or threats. Avoid inaccurate over-generalizations, like, “always,” “never,” “everything,” and “nothing.” (View Highlight)
Don’t bring up past events that could be misconstrued as a personal attack and derail the conversation. Focus the conversation on a single incident. This will help the other person gain insight into what happened and why it was wrong, whereas bringing up multiple incidents at once may feel overwhelming and cause the other person to shutdown entirely. (View Highlight)
When discussing the incident, make sure you can articulate and support your point with evidence. (View Highlight)
If the conversation gets heated, suggest a coffee break and reconnect in 10 minutes. (View Highlight)
Really listen to what the other person says when they respond. Have the intent of understanding where they are coming from. I find that asking questions helps clarify (“Can you please help me better understand … ?” “What did you mean by … ?”) (View Highlight)
End the meeting by thanking the other person for taking the time to engage and listen (“I’m glad you understand that … and you’ll work to … I now understand better …”) Ending the meeting this way nurtures the relationship. (View Highlight)
If you are also tasked with the emotional labor of mentoring others, thank you! Your work is needed, especially right now. However, if this work is going unrecognized and decreasing your productivity in areas that are recognized, you need to either stop saying yes to service or begin to work collaboratively with top leaders at your organization to build service into your reward model. (View Highlight)
Sure, I’m still perceived as difficult, out for herself, and bossy sometimes. But — and you need to hear this sooner than later — the expectation that you should agree with a point you don’t support or go along with an idea without asking “how” or “why” is absurd. (View Highlight)
We should never forget that it is ultimately the responsibility of the institution and the organization to address these inequalities. Nevertheless, there is a silver lining for us, the individuals being affected. Although women of color, including myself, often struggle with feelings of acceptance in many industries, it is these same feelings that can ignite a fire in us. Use this fire to find purpose in your work, to find your allies, and to challenge the status quo — something most of us have been practicing our entire lives. And do these things for yourself, if and when they feel good. (View Highlight)
