While searching through my personal email account last month, I came across a 10-year-old email from a former supervisor that triggered me. It was belittling, condescending, passive-aggressive, and oppressive. I couldn’t believe a 10-year-old email had my stomach in knots. What I found to be the most interesting, however, was that I could search through my most recent employer-appointed email account and find similar emails. Different industry, different organization, different supervisor, 3 degrees later, and still, the same old anti-black undertones I have been experiencing since I entered the workforce at 14 years old. This accidental stroll down memory lane reminded me that being a Black woman in the workforce — especially predominately white spaces — is an experience that is unique from any other race or gender. It also reminded me that we have a particular set of coping strategies comprised of things that we have to tell ourselves (and sometimes others) to navigate these experiences without losing our minds. Here are ten Black woman proverbs for the workplace.
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“F*ck it, I’ll do it myself”
Sometimes, at the end of the day, we’re all we got. It would certainly be nice if people kept their word, but that’s not always the case. Either way, when our names and reputations are on the line, we’re going to get the job done.
