Blog: Navigate your Career as a Woman of Color
How to Navigate your Career as a Woman of Color
Black History Month has evolved from its 1926 inception from a week to reflect on Black history to a month-long national observance in the United States, as well as in other countries, to honor and celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black Americans throughout history. It is an ideal time for everyone to listen, learn, and understand that racism and discrimination continue today, affecting women of color in particular.
The WIT Network continues to support our members. In February 2024, we hosted a fireside chat with Trellis Usher, Senior Vice President, Global Talent, Learning and Leadership of Pax8, and Christine Bongard, Co-Founder and CEO of The WIT Network, to discuss how to navigate your career as a woman of color (watch the fireside chat HERE).
This was an incredible conversation filled with great tips for Black women and insightful opportunities for allies to understand what it is like to be the "only" in a room filled with others. Below is an excerpt from the discussion, edited for clarity and conciseness.
Christine (CB): Storytelling is an important way for us to learn from one another. Trellis, tell us a little bit about your career background as a woman of color in the tech sector.
Trellis (TU): I started my career 26 years ago in corporate America as an office administrator for a small business. Being a young Black woman in an office of predominately White men, I was always the youngest and brownest woman in the room. As I grew my career, one of my early roles was running leadership assessment centers for executive development. Once again, I was surrounded by senior White male leaders.
I always wanted to climb that corporate ladder but struggled with imposter syndrome. Being the only Black woman or one of a few women of color, it was hard to feel a sense of belonging throughout my career. When you don’t have a community, a strong network of other women of color, or see yourself represented in most areas of a business, you question whether you belong. Did I experience microaggressions, outright discrimination, and lack of access to fair promotions, or development opportunities like my peers achieved? Yes! So after 16 years in corporate America, I started my own company as I listened to my heart that I needed to continue the work that fueled my passions and purpose. It was hard being a solo-preneur and I missed being part of a larger team. I was thrilled to join Pax8 almost 2 years ago.
CB: What are the challenges for Black women in a predominately White business environment?
TU: It is everything from the microinsults and microaggressions to outright exclusion. We still face this discriminatory behavior, and when you don’t see yourself reflected in the environment, it is terribly isolating. People who represent the majority may not truly understand what it is like to be a "one of" or one of a few. Especially as you advance your career and the executive levels get even more homogeneous, more White, more male, and more straight. That is the legacy that we continue to have in corporate America. That is where I realized how important community in an organization is. Isolation breeds self-doubt and it challenges your confidence.
Here are a couple of questions. How would you feel if the quality of your work was constantly checked in ways members of the majority culture are not? What if the decision rights that should come with your role are removed or usurped without any real explanation or rationale? A Black woman might feel on her own and if she is more junior in her career, she might find it hard to speak up for fear of retaliation.
When I walk into the room, I am first noticed for being Black. Then the fact that I am a woman. This is the same for every person of color or person who has a disability or has a different identity than the dominant/majority culture.
CB: This is so interesting as I do not enter a meeting or event thinking about the fact that I am White. I have learned that I really need to check myself and understand my privilege as a White person. How do we all create a more inclusive culture or even welcome a better experience for all individuals?
TU: Black women are often asked questions on how to fix the problem or own the solutions when situations arise. I never understand why it is the person of color’s responsibility to educate people of other cultures, races, or ethnicities on what it is like to be a Black woman in their company. Leaders believe that diversity, equity, and belonging will happen organically if you employ decent people that align with the company values. It has never happened organically, otherwise, we wouldn’t be having these conversations in 2024 about representation.
As leaders in organizations with fingers on the exclusion button, we need to go the extra mile to use our privilege and platforms to ensure other employees don’t experience a damaging work culture. Companies need to focus on intersectionality as people can be of a certain gender, race, or other identities that all define them. You can hit parity with women but totally miss Black women or queer women or those with disabilities. Allies, especially those in leadership positions, need to be more aware that people are being judged.
CB: So true. I always try to ensure we are creating a welcoming environment for everyone at The WIT Network, both in our team and during the events we host. It is part of our values. Next question: How can Black women address microaggressions in the workplace without derailing their careers?
TU: Microaggressions are so subtle but can be so damaging. The person making the statement may not even realize what they are saying is actually a microaggression. People have often said to me, "Wow, you are well spoken." It starts off sounding like a compliment but in actuality it was a microaggression. I never hear that "compliment" said to anyone else. Or when someone of Asian or Indian descent is asked, where are you from? They answer California. Then they continue their bias: "No, where are you really from?" Again, they answer California. Now frustrated they ask, "No, where were you born?" For the third time, they answer California. People of color get asked this on a weekly basis. Please, just stop it. It is like death by a thousand paper cuts. The receiver of those comments over and over again continues to feel isolated and "othered" like we don’t belong.
With the understanding that this is a daily or weekly occurrence for women of color, I would advise you to think about cultivating two kinds of awareness: First is your self-awareness. You need to know who you are and what you stand for. How and to what degree do you want to engage when things like this are happening to you or others? Is it happening at the interpersonal level or on a systemic level at the company? You also have to be aware of your triggers and where you have emotional capacity. Second is situational awareness. Black women have had to develop a keen sense of working and learning to thrive in corporate America.
CB: What more should companies be doing especially when DEI is starting to become a taboo topic or phrase in corporate America?
TU: Every organization is on their own journey and every company is at a different stage in this journey. If they are at the beginning of their DEI journey, the workplace culture will be very different than with a more mature DEI practice. If they do not have community and representation within the organization, it is really important for people of color who are looking at joining a new company to ask questions about what the experience will be like for them as a person of color. Or for someone who is disabled to ask if the organization can accommodate their wheelchair, for example.
It was not a great experience back in the 1990s. DEIB is a lot cooler and hipper now. The newer generations now walk into a room with power and confidence as they were raised being told they are great and can do anything. They ask, "Is this a place for me? Can I be my authentic and best self?"
And so again, I think of that awareness piece, both self and situational, is hugely important when you're thinking about how you show up as a Black woman in predominantly White corporate spaces and how you do it in ways that won't necessarily derail your career.
I think if you're a woman and a Black woman where you are used to working for very mature organizations, you're going to have a very different experience when you're working with an organization that's just starting that DEI journey because there's no scaffolding or support. Chances are there are limited resources and maybe even just simple awareness. So, you really have to ask yourself whether that type of organization will be not only right but safe for you.
Some companies say it is just hard. Hard is not an excuse for inaction within companies.
If our current leaders don’t have these same lived experiences as Black, Asian, and other cultures who experience racism and don’t understand how isolating it can be without community, they don’t see it. But if they take the time to listen and learn, they can’t unsee the hurtful behaviors and can take action to change. This is very powerful as it allows organizations to better represent the industries they sell to and service, which leads to better business results overall.
CB: You wrote a book on authenticity titled, The Blueprint: How to Design and Live a Life of Authenticity and Purpose. How does a woman of color balance the importance of being authentic while managing the awareness piece you mentioned?
TU: Authenticity is something we are always growing into ourselves each day. How my 18-year-old son thinks of authenticity today is going to be different in 10 years. The book is a blueprint on how to design and live a life of authenticity and purpose. Not just in the corporate space but in your life as a human being.
Book available here: The Blueprint: How to Design and Live a Life of Authenticity and Purpose: Usher, Trellis
I often use the metaphor of a house when understanding who you are. Each room in the house represents a different area of your life. The kitchen is responsible for your nutrition and eating habits. The den is your social and family relationships, where you host guests or watch tv. The bathroom is about getting rid of the waste - getting the toxicity out of your home and life. Each room of the house represents a different area of your life.
The central question is who you are and who you perceive yourself to be predicated on what’s been handed to you. Do you give yourself the freedom to ask? Does this life that I am living right now fit who I am and who I’m becoming and want to be?
For me authenticity is internal. If we do the work of really figuring out who we are and who we are becoming, then walking into any workplace becomes a new room in the house and you should decide how it is to be decorated.
The challenge to this when you're a woman or a person of color is that you've learned that sometimes the systems don't support your authenticity of expression or appearance. We have had to learn to code switch. The Trellis outside with a friend or family member is different than how Trellis is expected to show up at work. However, with all my lived experiences, I have been able to bring those two Trellis' together. This takes a level of agency and courage that not everyone has gained yet.
CB: You mentioned that corporate systems don’t support authenticity for employees. Please tell me more about that.
TU: We need to be thinking about the employee experience because these oppressive systems have targeted lots of different people in lots of different ways, right? There is this notion of only focusing on one gender or one race or any identity that we have to somehow pick and choose. We don’t have to choose. We know that there are groups who are historically marginalized and excluded, and that is why the focus is important to become a better workplace.
CB: There is a different feeling within companies who prioritize welcoming and belonging for all employees. What do you think is most important to come first: building diverse teams or building the inclusive culture?
TU: They must be tackled simultaneously. You need the policies, benefits, practices, and systems to protect both the employee and the company. Companies have to start somewhere, and it is often with hiring. However, get yourself together internally first before you just start hiring. Ensure those new employees will be welcomed and be able to do their best work. This is not about quotas and goals, it’s about looking at the data and recognizing that your company demographics do not represent the communities, customers, or partners you do business with. If you only have 2% Black and Latinx, it's not enough to move the needle on your engagement survey for example, but leaders will say everything is just fine - no action required.
You need to recognize how your business strategically should represent multiple people. There are people waiting to hold you accountable for that. I have been Black all my life and chances are I will continue to be Black. I have a Black son and a Black daughter. They don’t get to set that aside. My daughter doesn’t have the privilege to look away when it comes to the racism and inequities that Black people face.
My passion is for the women who feel like they don't have a voice, who feel like they don't have the agency to speak truth to power in our organizations and make sure that we're focused on the things that are going to ensure everybody has a great experience. Allow every employee to show up as their authentic self. That is important work to me.
I love the White male allies that we have in this space who come alongside women and people of color. They see the microaggressions and systemic inequities, and they come stand alongside and call it out and use their own social capital, privilege, and power to work on the issues.
CB: Younger generations are bolder in asking questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion during their interviews. They are holding the companies accountable. If the company misrepresented themselves during the interview process, they are going to get called out and retention of top talent will be a challenge. What do you think about this?
TU: Talented people can always find a new position. You are right, those talented people are going to ask and hold us accountable. When a company puts a stake in the ground, there are implications. There are going to be some people who will push back. It is going to be a little discomfort, but if you are not uncomfortable, you are not learning. These conversations are hard to start, but they get easier as more people are having them. We need allies to start educating themselves. Listen and create a culture of learning. Slice the demographic data to see the great experience that people of the dominant culture are experiencing vs. other cultures. It will always look positive if only the dominant culture tells their side of the story.
The work is hard. The work to drive equity around the world is hard. People often choose charity as the means to answer the question about trying to drive change. Charity is easier than equity. We can find causes we like and write checks or volunteer our time. Equity is tougher in both corporate spaces and communities in general.
Imagine we have ten strings of yarn, each color representing a different systemic challenge associated with equity. They’re tangled into knots. It is almost impossible to untangle those strings because there are systemic processes, policies, and assumptions pulling them taut. Even if you let go of three or four strings, it’s still near impossible to untangle it.
Folks in senior leadership sometimes think if they are individually a good, decent person who believes in the inherent value of everybody on the planet regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, they think that something magical is going to happen organically. Your individual personal relationship to diversity has very little to do with how systems work, right?
You're one individual, and so if you don't attack the system, if you don't decide that you need to essentially drop all of the strings or be intentional about which of the strings you're going to drop at what time, and work on the system, you can still be a great, decent human being but it’ll never fix the problem.
CB: So here is a scenario: a manager is hiring, and her list of candidates includes only White men. She can go back and say I want more women candidates, but that doesn’t solve the problem. What can?
TU: There is a bunch of missing insight to that. As I said, talented people have options, so the people you want working in your organization – of any race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity – those folks can always find something else to do. They also know the logos where they are friendly to Black and Brown folks. They know the places where women of color are welcomed. Change is hard. People are fearful of change.
If we are truly looking to hire with intention, we need to look at where we’re sourcing that talent, particularly now that we have this flexible, hybrid, sometimes remote-first approach for many tech companies. It has become an employee benefit to work from home some or all of the time. But how are we supporting local communities where diversity lives? Showing up once a year for a career fair isn’t going to cut it. Are you being exclusionary because of a lack of education or awareness, or because you are discriminating against communities who are systematically discriminated against or excluded? When we get our internal house in order, we will attract more diverse talent.
I know there are some folks who don't even think this is an issue. When a company commits to tackling the issues of systemic racism or a lack of belonging, you're going to have some pushback. So, this is where I encourage our allies to jump in again. Start educating yourself. Deepen your listening and believing in people of different identities when they start talking to you about the company culture from their perspective.
End excerpt
Deepest thanks to Trellis Usher for taking the time to share her wisdom around navigating your career as a woman of color and providing context for those on their allyship journey.
Watch the full Fireside Chat: LINK HERE
Here is a list of recommended reading for all – allies and people of color – to gain further insight and understanding around the experiences of people of color in today’s society.
• Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
• Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum – This book is not only about Black children. It is about all cultures on the notion of tribalism and why community is so important.
• The Memo by Minda Harts – What women of color need to know how to secure a seat at the table. Excellent read for women of color and allies. It emphasizes the power of your network.
• Did that just happen?! Beyond Diversity – Creating Sustainable and Inclusive Organizations by Doctor Stephanie Pinder-Amaker and Dr. Lauren Wadsworth
