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Regina Lawless hit a professional high at age 40 when she became Instagram’s first director of diversity and inclusion. But after the sudden death of her husband in 2021, she wondered if she had been neglecting her personal life and what it means for a Black woman to be successful in the corporate world.
Although she felt supported in the role, “leaders were not willing to take it on to the end,” Lawless said. “In reality, it is leaders and all employees who create a culture of inclusion.”
This inspired her venture, Bossy and Blissful. The organization aims to help Black women executives empathize and coach each other on how to deal with misogynoir, a specific type of misogyny that Black women experience, or being the only person of color in a C-suite. It is a group. .
“I am now determined to help other women, especially women of color and Black women, understand that you don’t have to sacrifice yourself for success. , find a space where you can succeed and thrive, or create your own,” said Lawless, who is based in Oakland, California.
Many of the women in Lawless’ group don’t have co-workers at work, which can make them “the only ones,” or the only black or women of color, which can lead to feelings of isolation and isolation.
“Gathering together will help us when we return. We are the ‘lone lonesome’ in many organizations,” Lawless said.
As attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts intensify, Black women seeking to climb the corporate ladder face a more hostile landscape than ever before. Aside from constantly having to prove yourself and speak in a way that isn’t angry or emotional, getting a top management position also comes with the dual challenges of racial and gender pay disparities. The dilemma never ends. All of this adds up to a disproportionate representation of Black women in senior leadership.
Dr. Claudine Gay, who resigned in January as Harvard University’s first black president amid accusations of anti-Semitism and plagiarism, is a woman of color who is actively questioned and abandoned even after reaching the pinnacle of her career. It was just the latest in a revolving door.
Black women professionals were also dealt a major blow when an administrator at a historically black college in Missouri took her own life after accusing the school’s white president of bullying and racism. This allows some to build networking groups and mentorship. For others, it sparked an exodus into entrepreneurship and reinvention.
In Boston, Charity Wallace, 37, a biotech expert, and Chasity Coston, 35, a middle school principal, reflected on the struggles of their careers in light of the gay ordeal. Wallace said she is more aware of her mental health, which she said her Young Black Professionals group, sorority sisters and family are stepping up to help. .
“It’s a constant battle between belonging and whether I actually have a girlfriend or homegirl or my mom or my sister. I complain to them every day about things that are going on at work,” Wallace said. said. “So it’s important to have a circle of Black women who can really vent because, again, we can’t let issues like this go unchecked. We’ve been silent for far too long. Ta.”
Coston said she was saddened by Gay’s resignation and feared something similar would happen to her, causing her to reconsider her future in education. But she didn’t want to give up.
“Yes, we will continue to be disrespected as black people, as black women. It will continue to happen. But we cannot allow it,” Coston said, “I I’m speaking from my strength right now because that’s not always how I felt in my stages of grief. We have to keep fighting like Rosa (Parks), Just like Harriet (Tubman).”
Wallace said that despite Gay’s resume full of accomplishments, he struggled.
“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her to do that and get all these accolades and degrees and certifications, but I don’t think that was enough to keep her here,” Wallace said. Told.
The backlash against DEI initiatives is compounded by clashes over identity politics. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicole Hannah-Jones’ bid for tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill derailed in 2021 due to her work with the 1619 Project, a collection of essays about race. The 2022 confirmation hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman confirmed to the Supreme Court, drew criticism for harsh race-based questioning.
President Joe Biden deepened resentment over DEI by stressing that the high court would only consider Black women, said Johnny Taylor, CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management.
“Compare that to a CEO standing in front of his office and saying, ‘I’m just going to consider it, these are the only next candidates.’ That created a lot of tension. ” Taylor said.
Portia Allen-Kyle, chief adviser at the social justice group Color of Change, said black women are questioning whether it’s even worth pursuing top positions. Extreme surveillance and online criticism comes at a high price.
“What I’ve heard from quite a few Black women, family and friends, is a little bit of frustration at the idea that excellence is not enough,” Allen-Kyle said. “‘Work twice as hard, be twice as talented…maybe you’ll be recognized for your accomplishments.’ The lesson that probably won’t be is endlessly difficult, frustrating, and disappointing.” It’s something.”
Advocates say black women are at risk of declining in numbers in the workforce due to a lack of support and opportunities.
According to Lean In’s 2020 report, “The State of Black Women in Corporate America,” Black women make up 7.4% of the U.S. population, but hold 1.4% of C-suite positions and hold 1.4% of senior vice president positions. is only 1.6%. Black women working full-time year-round in 2021 earned 69 cents for every dollar earned by white men, while white women earned 80 cents for every dollar earned, according to U.S. Census data.
Lawless, who left Instagram/Meta in August, believes more Black women will decide to become their own bosses rather than join traditional workplaces.
“It’s going to have a chilling effect and cause more black women to pivot and go into entrepreneurship, which we’re already doing at high rates,” Lawless said. “Companies are in serious trouble. Since the pandemic, the number of women at director level and above has increased.”
Even bootstrapped businesses can’t avoid resistance to DEI. Fearless Fund, a small venture capital firm, is embroiled in a lawsuit accusing its grant program to black women-owned businesses of being discriminatory. The company’s founders say the lawsuit scared off potential investors.
Job openings for diversity officers and similar positions have declined in recent months. The total share of venture capital funding going to businesses owned by Black women and Latinx women rose to 1% in 2021, after briefly exceeding that threshold of 1.05%, according to nonprofit advocacy group Digital Undivided. It is said that it has fallen to below.
Stephanie Felix of Austin, Texas, just started her own DEI consulting company in January. It wasn’t the first thing the 36-year-old, who worked in DEI at company review site Glassdoor, saw with his own eyes.
“People say there are risks to leaving, but there are also many risks to staying,” Felix said.
Colleagues, family, and even Felix himself were concerned about her career leap. But too often, she said, she has seen DEI hires go from “office pets” to “office threats.” Although their arrival was hailed as the beginning of a new chapter, senior leaders were never given the promised resources or authority to effect change.
“I commend women who choose to step back and choose themselves. I commend myself for that, too,” Felix said. “Even if it’s not easy, I think it’s definitely worth it because it gives you more control over your life.”
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Associated Press Business Writer Alexandra Olson in New York contributed to this report.
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Terry Tan reported from Phoenix. She is a member of her AP Race and Ethnicity team. Follow @ttangAP on X (formerly Twitter).