Ep. 90: On Representation and Making Space for Black Women in the Workplace (and a bit about Black Spirituality) — Christina McDade

Fact, everyday black women in the US are simultaneously under assault from the forces of institutional racism and institutional sexism.  They are the most educated demographic group: when measuring degrees earned, black women are the...

Fact, everyday black women in the US are simultaneously under assault from the forces of institutional racism and institutional sexism. 

They are the most educated demographic group: when measuring degrees earned, black women are the most educated demographic group in the US.

They are underpaid: black women in the US earn 61 cents on the dollar for the same job in comparison to men, with the gap not projected to close for literally 100 years. 

They are often taken for granted in the workplace: all over social media black women are reporting feeling burned-out or taken for granted in unhealthy workplaces. 

I recently came across a post on Medium by author, school counselor, and my friend, Christina McDade, on the tropes and narratives surrounding black women in our culture. The post begins “It’s 5 am, Wednesday morning, and I am exhausted.” Man, I want to use that to teach students about writing “a hook.”

Here’s a passage from the essay that really stuck with me:

It’s the narrative of the constant realization of the many roles that black women find themselves in, and the constant shifting that we have to do to simply be ourselves and who we are every single day. No black woman is immune to this struggle. For every Oprah and Michelle who can manage to be everyone’s best friend, you have the Gabrielle Union’s and Jenifer Lewis’ of the world who are a little too much and aggressive. Your star and proximity determine how varied the narrative majority spaces allow you to be.

Exhausting, right?

Obviously, I know what it’s like to deal with US racism. But I can’t imagine what it’s like to have to face sexism as well. It feels exhausting to even ponder and you can hear it in Christina’s interview. I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I did.

 The Socials

Christina on Medium

@mscdmcdade – Twitter

The Wind Down

This is Love Podcast

Your College-Bound Kid

Bonus Listening

Burnout Hits Different When You’re Black — At the Intersection Podcast

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