In her book Ar’n’t I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South, Rutgers University history professor Deborah Gray White writes that the angry Black woman trope is embedded deep in the fabric of U.S. history stemming from chattel slavery. For example, the Sapphire archetype depicts enslaved women as aggressive, masculine, and unpleasant who presented in domineering ways on the field and at home. This narrative has touched not only mainstream media portrayals of Black women, but real life as well, namely corporate workplaces.
In a recent Harvard Business Review study, it was found that its participants were more likely to attribute the anger of Black female employees to internal characteristics, or her personality, according to the January 2022 report. This preconceived notion led to lower performance ratings and leadership evaluations.
Chicago-based employment attorney Chiquita Hall-Jackson is well aware of this. Her new book “We Gon’ Be Alright: A Black Executive’s Guide to Navigating Workplace Dynamics” unpacks the complicated inner-workings of corporate culture, and offers some key survival tactics for Black women.
What are some toxic workplace warning signs Black women should be on the lookout for?
Chiquita Hall-Jackson: Ultimately, a lot of microaggressions—overseeing their work or constantly questioning their performance for example. And sometimes it’s not even that. For years, people never even had a performance improvement plan in place, and next thing they know, they’re being terminated because ‘performance issues’ according to their bosses. What I usually see is Black women would make a complaint to human resources or to their manager, and as a result, they’ll get some kind of silly or less severe discipline in their record to kind of justify the next time you do something. This is normally referred to as progressive discipline. ‘We warned you months ago about something that’s totally unrelated to what’s going on here. And now you’re terminated.’
Regarding those microaggressions you touched on, we both know there are troubling statistics out there that support Black women’s feelings about being unfairly targeted in the workplace.
According to LeanIn.org’s recent Women in the Workplace report with McKinsey & Co., women are more than twice as likely as men to be cut off mid-sentence in meetings. Their emotional state is also more likely to be commented on at work than men.
Is there specific corporate jargon that are red flags?
When there’s mention of your tone and how it’s been perceived, that’s definitely one. Another is if your attendance has been brought up. Even if a grace period is baked into the corporate policy, being 5 to 10 minutes late can be one of those little things employers flag. Issues made with our hairstyles is another microagression that often comes up as well. Comments like “Your hair so different, or nicer pulled back/straight. Or “can you make sure that it’s more tamed, a little bit more neat, those things.” And then another one I saw are loud colors in outfits. General nitpicking about things non-germane to your role are huge red flags.
What are some ways Black women can advocate for themselves when facing these microaggressions?
I always advise that you start internally. You want to take notes, and this includes taking notes on the notes app in your phone. You can also always do old school journaling. You need to have facts. Dates, times, and exact wording of things that are said to you, and actions that have been taken. Without that, you’re just complaining and people love use the word harassment or discrimination baselessly. Be sure to take note of whatever actions a colleague did to make you feel that they’re harassing you or discriminating against you. Did they yell at you? They hit you? They threaten you? Make a comment that made you feel as if your job was on the line? What actions did they do to make you feel the way you’re feeling? Secondly, make sure you report it to someone in human resources. And if your employer is so small that you guys don’t necessarily have an HR office, check your handbook or go in a break room and see if there’s an 800 hotline number that you can call and report.
Lastly, never let yourself think you don’t have options. There are ways you an protect yourself no matter what.