Overcoming Systemic Racism in Corporate with Genesis Amaris Kemp

Today, I'm talking with Genesis Amaris Kemp, author of Chocolate Drop in Corporate America: From The Pit To The Palace, about overcoming systemic racism in corporate. She's sharing her experience as a young woman of color, including overcoming bullying, systemic racism, and oppression. She's sharing her breaking point and how she found the courage to speak up, and she'll be diving into her drive to help others navigate a system that's designed to hold them back more often than not.

What to Listen For:

About Genesis
Her early career and how that has molded who she is today
Taking a leap of faith and jumping into a large corporation

"It felt like I was starting all the way over. And when I say starting over, they brought me in as an administrative assistant, although I had the technical experience, what they sold me to bring me in the door was literally a pipe dream because once I got there, I kept hearing, 'Oh, once the admin always admin.'"

How she moved out of the admin position after four years
The boss from hell

"You would think that women, when we see another woman in a career field that's not populated by women, we're in it together. We should be able to complement one another, not be in competition with each other. And I felt like, no matter what I did or what I said, it was like her horns were always up. And she had her daggers and her darts ready to throw at me, but I had to snap one day and let her know, 'Hey, you will not talk to me this way.'

And it was in that moment that she started to turn a little bit and realize that she wasn't going to treat me like she did the last woman. I don't care what race you are; you don't treat someone any kind of way just because they look different."

How her very passive mom contributed to her persistence
How she balanced the risk of standing up for herself

"I could either speak up and get some mental release and some clarity, or I could remain quiet, continuing to be bullied, hate going to work every day, and roll my eyes when I pull up into the chemical plant. Or I could just take a stand, not only for me but think about those who were coming beside and behind me and paved the way for future generations, because who knows how long this lady's going to be here. And if she keeps repeating her behavior and no one is checking her in, like, how is she going to be aware?

Does she really want to be that office witch, or is it going to take someone who's going to be bold and courageous and unapologetically themselves to let her know you shouldn't talk to people any kind of way? I don't care how you grew up, or I don't care if you're having a bad day; check your emotions at the door because at the end of the day we're a team, and we should be able to win together."

Microaggressions from other people on the team that affected her work
A new manager who finally gave her a chance
The person at her company who became a mentor

"He just started coaching me and giving me tips and tricks. And that really helped because he didn't know me from Adam or Eve, but he showed that he cared. And I felt like there was transparency there, and he did it authentically.

So I felt like I was able to trust him and go to him with different things that were going on."

How her faith helped her find peace and navigate challenging situations
Shifting her degree plan to fit her company's mold

"Whenever I started with the company, I came in as a psychology major. So I had two years within the psychology program, and my very first boss in 2013 said, 'Hey, what do you plan on doing with a psychology degree working for this company?' And I was like, Oh, that's a good point.

I didn't really think of it. And so, I changed my entire degree plan to fit this company's mold. And once I did, I was like, okay, this company started paying tuition reimbursement. So that was good. I was like, okay, they're investing in me.