The black female experience is an experience like none other. Hairstyles change by the day, #Blackgirlmagic is a quote lived by some things only other black women understand, a varied but collective experience. However, things are taken to an entirely new level in the workplace. In recent years, there has been media outrage over hairstyles, black women are denied jobs that they are more than qualified for, being black in the corporate world is an entirely different realm and experience. Like many experiences in a black person’s life, working twice as hard as counterparts will get desired results. A recent study by McKinsey & Company's annual Women in the Workplace study, The State of Black Women in Corporate America 2020 found that black women, who seek promotions at the same rate as white men, are only 58 percent as likely to be promoted to a managerial position and only 64 percent as likely to be hired into such positions. 

 

Alice, who works as a software engineer, details the highs and lows of her experience. She says that workplace culture is not too bad, as a coworker has dreads and she recently saw another woman with purple hair. “My company likes to push a progressive image, so employees can get away with more expression”, she said.

 

One part she does not enjoy too much is her treatment at times. “I think I’m not taken as seriously as my other teammates and often given more ‘grace’. I’m usually the only black woman on the team and sometimes I think it warrants special treatment, but I’m often dismissed as well.” “I would say, the hardest part is making sure you don’t get labeled ‘aggressive’ for standing your ground.” She details an experience that was quite tough when she was denied a raise after being told by Human Resources that she did not meet expectations.

 

“I never got any kind of warning or alert about my work pace beforehand, so I pushed back. I contacted all my managers, and everyone assured me I had met expectations. My manager at the time was new and told me to let it go. She said I should just work harder for my next raise. 

“I felt defeated and confused but stopped out of fear that I’d come off ‘aggressive’.” After moving to a new team, Alice mentioned the issue to a new manager, and it was discovered that there was an accounting error. She credits her new manager with taking charge, and if she had not, Alice believes she would not have gotten a raise.  The sad lesson she learned is: “Things like that remind you that everyone is looking out for themselves. Especially in corporate America.” Cynthia, who works as an accountant, spoke about her experience. “When I first started out in my field, clients (mostly men) that my firm worked with would often comment about how I didn’t look like an accountant.”

 

While some argue that looks should not matter, looks are unfortunately important for black women in corporate America. Natural hairstyles are often frowned upon or not allowed at all, in 2018, A black woman in Alabama lost a job offer because she refused to cut her dreadlocks, and later asked the Supreme Court to hear her case. Box braids and other protective styles are often questioned as well. In 2018, A professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, who happened to be a black woman, had the police called on her after she was simply eating in her office. Much has been accomplished for black women throughout history, A black woman is Vice President, The Small Business Trends reported that black women are 46% of all entrepreneurs, black women are the most educated group in America. 

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Black women have proven to be resilient and game-changers, when they will be treated as so, is another question.

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Published on June 7, 2021