Being a Black intern during #BLM
Like many other graduate students across the nation, I spent most of the early part of the pandemic frantically applying for internships, waiting to hear back from potential employers, opening my inbox to rejection emails, and exhausting all career and alumni connections in hopes that I would land an internship that would fulfill my graduate requirements. But despite my panicking, I am blessed to have secured two internships. One with Aleria Research Corporation, a non-profit that conducts diversity and inclusion research and another with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, a public retirement system for Texas public education employees.
I was excited that I would be fulfilling my passion of advancing the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion with both organizations. That excitement quickly turned into fear and dread when George Floyd was murdered.
As a Black person, the pain that I felt watching the video that captured Mr. Floyd’s final moments is something that I will never forget. It is a feeling that reaches every part of your body and soul. It brings out uninvited emotions of fear, outrage, and sorrow that plagues your early morning and late night thoughts and day-to-day interactions with friends, colleagues, and family.
As this tragic event occurred a week before my start date, I constantly questioned if I was ready to start my internship experience. I thought of the support that I might need from my managers as I was navigating the burden of anti-Black racism and what it might look like. In all honesty, as an aspiring DEI professional, even I didn’t know what that support would look like. I knew that I was tired of explaining why Black lives mattered and I didn’t have the capacity to talk about it anymore, but I also knew that I wouldn’t feel comfortable in an environment that didn’t allow for those conversations to be had.
Oftentimes, interns aren’t provided the space to share their thoughts about company matters, let alone personal feelings. It wasn’t until about three weeks into my internships that I realized I had been given the exact support that I needed. The three forms of support that I received are key ways organizations can better support their Black interns.
Shatter status dynamics
During my interview processes and first days on the job, I was never made to feel as if I was just an intern. Instead I was invited into a team environment that allowed me to feel as if my contributions were just as important if not equal to the final decision maker. For example, when I gave feedback on a client presentation for Aleria, my feedback was implemented in the next client presentation. There wasn’t any form of unnecessary channels of bureaucracy or hierarchy to make me feel as if I was at the bottom of the food chain. It is extremely important to provide this kind of experience for all interns, but especially for interns of color because our opinions are usually overshadowed or invalidated.
Constantly check-in
In the midst of racial battle fatigue, I didn’t realize how much I needed my weekly check-ins with my managers. I am not talking about check-ins that pertain solely to work matters, but check-ins that invited me to think about my wellbeing. At the beginning of each weekly check-in with TRS, my manager and I are able to share how we are doing. It’s in those moments that I realize that my emotional health is a priority. Being a Black intern in the midst of a racial awakening means I can’t always compartmentalize work, my psyche, the #BLM movement, and my responsibility as a graduate student. It was important that I had the space to talk about race as it is embedded in everything that I do.
Provide a diverse team
The worst feeling ever is being in a space where there isn’t diversity of thought, sexual orientation, gender expression, race, and/or class. When I think about what makes it a great internship experience, I usually think about the people. Who were the people that made me feel like I belong? Who were the people that understood my experiences and backgrounds? It is true that the people in an organization drive organizational culture. For me, this is most prevalent in the case of representation. It’s knowing that there is another Black intern, full-time employee, or manager that can help me navigate my new experience. In both organizations, I had this environment and to take it further, this environment was a priority.
I don’t have all of the answers to what support for Black interns looks like during this time, but I know that these are a few factors that have made my experience meaningful and worthwhile. This is not to say “do all of these things and Black interns will be okay”, it is to point out that business shouldn’t be as usual during a global pandemic and racial awakening and that the needs of each and every employee regardless of status, race, gender expression, etc is valid and important.
Many Black interns at this time are taking on a lot. We are navigating our career fields, battling an unprecedented global pandemic, convincing our Universities that our experiences are different, and we are doing all of this while screaming at the top of our lungs “Black Lives Matter”.
