Do I Go or Do I Stay?
Is Staying in Corporate America Worth It for Black Women?
Despite over four million Americans leaving the workforce this year, 122 million stayed. According to Catalyst (2022), about 14% of those are Black women but just because we remained working through the pandemic, it doesn’t mean we are doing well, though. In fact, my guess is that at least 60% of us are on some spectrum between struggling and suffering.
Despite these historic successes Black women are achieving….the highs are filled with some serious lows, but we’re used to it.
On the surface between 2019–2021 US Black female professional workers- those of us in managerial positions in tech, healthcare, government, etc. were looking surprisingly good. We were celebrating having not only one but two…yes TWO African American female Fortunate 500 CEOs- thank you Walgreens and TIAA-CREF! I stood proudly in front of my TV taking a picture of newly elected Vice-President Kamala Harris with my sorority pearls, helping to welcome a fellow Devine Nine sister to the second-highest position in our land. On her heels was Amanda Gorman, who I still call “Lil Maya Angelou”, reminding us all of “The Hill We Climb” toward democracy and free society for everyone.
Despite these historic successes Black women are achieving, we are still only:
· 0.3% of Top Tech Executives*
· Less than 2% VP roles*
· Over 80% of our white colleagues consider themselves allies, but only 26% of Black women feel supported at work*
Ok, this means that the highs are filled with some serious lows, but we’re used to it. Black women take our wins where we can get them and keep it moving. We bought into the “Strong Black Woman” myth and lived it to its fullest- especially at work!
The problem though is that lately, it has been increasingly difficult to keep our heads down and stay on the grind. It’s not easy every time we lift our heads up to see a smug, disrespectful, arrogant jerk get ahead- yet again! Executive leaders telling us to keep working and our time will come is- well….no longer working. Throwing more company perks like stock options, unlimited personal time off, or even bonuses at us like some two-bit-hooker who just put out her best work for a “tip” isn’t going to keep us.
We are in the “in-between.”
We are languishing. We are somewhere between depression and prospering; we are in the “in-between.” The time between online calls has us bouncing from putting dinner in the oven early so the kids aren’t starving when they return home to preparing for a presentation on the metrics of our department to documenting a performance issue with one of our team members. The “downtime” is less and less and the to-do list is ever-growing.
Oh, and let’s not forget that we are still struggling with post-Pandemic stress. The effects of our own illness as a result of Covid-19 (and yes “Covid brain” is a thing- I can’t remember my keys, glasses, or cell phone to save my life these days), and the stress related to caregiver burnout with children AND/OR seniors is just lingering. I lost my grandmother in early 2021. A spry 93-year-old, dancing, cussing, loving everybody’s “grandma” that left me in a haze of exhaustion and grief when she passed from kidney failure. The overt discrimination and harassment that I received from her White nurse will make for another article.
Finally, let’s pile on issues of Corporate Trauma (aka prolonged microaggressions that are dashed with racial discrimination and misogyny) with a cherry topping of emotional tax. You know, the tax we pay when we take on the extra non-paid work of creating, planning, and executing the diversity, equity, and inclusion work for our team, department, or sometimes the entire organization- yeah- THAT tax!
Why stay in an environment where…you clearly aren’t valued?
So, with all of that…why stay?
After you get past the paychecks and golden handcuffs, why stay in an environment where you get the message, you clearly aren’t valued? For most of us, it isn’t for the promise to keep climbing the ladder. No, it’s much more altruistic than that- it’s for the next generation. I keep thinking. “If not me, then who?” My thoughts swirl around a core tenant that says “Hey, I’ve gotten this far and learned so much, it’s my duty to stay to help the next group of Black women come through.” I’m the only Black woman at my level in my department and I definitely don’t want to keep it that way. I want to reach back and help others climb but I gotta be honest, my mental and emotional stamina is waning.
When we “come up” we support the whole village and that becomes just another reason to stay.
Also, once I hit my first career milestone, the extra dollars did not go to just support me, and they still don’t. Two kids in private school, two mortgages, two car notes, money for relatives’ student loans, and when my grandparents were alive- funds for healthcare and medical supplies. When we “come up” we support the whole village and that becomes just another reason to stay.
Despite the pros and cons of going solo, still, I wonder…
Many of my sisters have opted to exit. As of 2021, Black women’s small businesses are the number one fastest-growing entrepreneurial population. Despite the pros and cons of going solo, lack of start-up funding for us, and discrimination in us being awarded contracts, still, I wonder…should I stay, or should I go?
Sources: https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-of-color-in-the-united-states/
* https://leanin.org/research/state-of-black-women-in-corporate-america
