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Black women have always been an undeniable cultural force.
It’s witnessing Beyonce become the most nominated woman in Grammy history. It's watching Kamala Harris take her place as the first Black and South Asian American Vice President of the United States.
Black women are not only brilliant and talented—their increased educational and occupational attainment has positioned them to assume influential leadership roles to impact social change.
The success of Black women should not be interpreted as society being void of racism, sexism, or other systems of oppression.
In spite of their attainment, Black women still experience a significant pay gap when compared to white men and women, as well as barriers to accessing C-Suite positions.
Black Women Are Vital Pillars
Historically, Black women have always played a vital role in sustaining the economic stability of their families and communities.
Black womanhood is multifaceted—as they must navigate the intersections of race and gender in a society that is both misogynistic and anti-Black.
In particular, Black women have been significantly impacted by COVID-19—Black women were more likely to be in frontline positions, and were more likely to experience job loss.
We can cite numerous studies and editorial pieces on the challenges and barriers Black women experience as it relates to work, careers, and pay equity.
Recognizing and developing systemic policies to rectify these inequities is critical, but very few studies and think pieces highlight the brilliance, ingenuity, and assets that Black women bring to the workplace, and to society at large.
Systemic racism overshadows and decentralizes the strengths and talents that Black women bring to the workplace. Highlighting these strengths matters for young Black girls who need to see and understand the beauty of Black womanhood, instead of being exclusively told stories about the trauma, pain, and struggles of being a Black woman.
In our workplaces, biases about women of color have impacted their career trajectory, hiring and promotion decisions, and have led Black women to feel devalued and ignored. Acknowledging the assets that Black women bring to their work environments helps create a counter-narrative to the biases and negative stereotypes that pervade our workplaces.
There are many reasons why Black women are an asset to any organization, but here are three important highlights.
Black Women Are Cultural Bridgers
Code-switching is the constant changing and maneuvering of one’s accent, dialect, and language between or within interactions.
Growing up as a young Black woman, I received many messages about speaking “proper” English when interacting with white peers. Proper English is free of slang or cultural colloquialisms, and speaking proper English was a way to fit in or gain approval in non-Black spaces.
We have often characterized code-switching as a consequence of white supremacy and have rarely conceptualized it as a talent or strength. Code-switching is advantageous because it allows you to bridge the gap and maneuver different cultures and interactions with ease.
According to the US Census Bureau, people of color will outnumber non-Hispanic white people by 2045.
This means that our workplaces and our consumers will become increasingly more diverse; employees need to possess a level of cultural competency that extends beyond simple respect and deference. They will need to possess the skills and languages to build rapport with other cultures.
Black women have had to be Cultural Bridgers—or multi-cultural linguists—as they have to operate in spaces that have often devalued and decentered their culture. They've been placed in positions where they were forced to adopt and demonstrate their cultural intelligence of other groups.
Black Women Have Always Been the Trailblazers for Social Change
We have all heard the phrases and read the hashtags #ListentoBlackWomen and #VoteLikeBlackWomen, which gained publicity after the 2016 election.
Black women overwhelmingly supported Hillary Clinton and have a history of supporting candidates whose political agenda is focused on social justice and equity for historically marginalized groups.
Black women have spearheaded social justice movements throughout history, including the Civil Rights Movement, and they even led the fight to pass the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
In the 2020 election, Black women like Stacey Abrams, and Tamika Mallory were the leaders behind the high voter turnout in Georgia and the eventual flipping of the state from Red to Blue.
In a society that has historically left out the experiences and needs of Black women, Black women have always been advocates and activists for social change.
COVID-19 forced many of our brick-and-mortar businesses to change how they engage with their consumers. Many businesses had to adopt online or remote forms of engagement in order to maintain their streams of revenue.
Additionally, with the recent deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, many organizations have focused on expanding their social consciousness and committing to sustaining a culture of equity and anti-racism.
Organizations that have lagged behind in social change need Black women in order to remain competitive—and to develop and sustain consistent practices of anti-racism.
Black Women Are Entrepreneurs
The fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in this country is made up of Black women.
From 2014 to 2019, the number of businesses owned by Black women grew by 50 percent, outpacing overall women-owned businesses, which grew by 21 percent.
Black women have had their careers stalled due to systemic racism and gender discrimination. While the challenges of entrepreneurship are numerous, it can be a vehicle for building wealth and cultivating leadership and job opportunities in Black communities.
Entrepreneurship requires dedication and ingenuity, as well as the ability to be aware of the needs of consumers and the landscape of business competition. This type of intuitiveness makes entrepreneurs successful.
As many workplaces call employees back to the office, Black women are reluctant to return. Why would Black women want to return to daily experiences of microaggressions in the workplace?
Organizations need to find ways to make their workplaces attractive to Black women in order to increase their retention and satisfaction.
They also need to find ways to cultivate and compensate for the entrepreneurial skills of Black women. These skills are essential to organizations' future success.
Black women are indeed brilliant, magical, and talented. As much as we talk about the challenges and barriers that Black women experience as they navigate jobs and careers, we also need to have conversations about the assets they bring to the workplace.
As Black women continue to believe in and understand their value to society, we also need our workplaces to both comprehend and cultivate our value and talent.
Their reputation and continued success depend on it.
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