How Black women can thrive despite workplace racism

Black women should not have to be twice as good just to survive at work. The recent attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is yet another reminder that when Black women rise into positions of power, our competence and right to lead are too often questioned. Even when we are more than qualified. Even when we are simply doing our jobs. The truth is: • We should not have to be twice as good to be seen as enough. • We should not have to carry the burden of resilience just to endure constant scrutiny. • Yet—time and again—Black women prove that we are built for times like these. At Ellevator, we know this story is not new. It’s lived every day by Black women across industries. That’s why we exist: to create a community where we can build collective networks, share strategies, and lean on each other in the face of challenges—whether in this political climate or beyond. If you are a Black woman navigating these realities, you are not alone. Ellevator is here to support you, amplify you, and stand with you. ✨ Join Ellevator for free today and be part of a community designed exclusively for Black women, mid-level managers, and first-time founders: www.ellevator.co https://lnkd.in/ejfPP2Sg #BlackWomenAtWork #Leadership #Equity #Ellevator

You don’t have to collect more degrees to make a bold career move. In this week’s episode of Getting Black Women Paid, Annie Pelissier shares how she pivoted with confidence — not coursework — and built a path that honored her skills, her story, and the value she brings. If you’ve been waiting until you feel more qualified to make your next move, this conversation will change the way you see your own value. 🎧 Listen now: 🔗 Buzzsprout: https://lnkd.in/gAgCT7gv 🔗 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gAe6Cvde 🔁 Reshare this to remind another Black woman she doesn’t need more degrees to be valuable. 👉🏾 Follow along for more powerful career conversations. #GettingBlackWomenPaid #CareerPivot #BlackWomenInBusiness #AudacityMoves #CareerConfidence #NoMoreDegrees 🗓️ 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦-𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘥. Because yes, I’m working during the day—and still building something big. I teach Black women how to do both (without burnout). DM me if you’re ready to move different. 🖤✨ #ClaimYours

Career Love LLC, founded by career coach Mercedes Swan, is launching a free online community to help Black women laid off from their jobs access support, training, and mentorship. “Black women are tired of surviving systems and spaces that weren’t built for us. We deserve more. [...] This space is our way of offering hope, direction, and inspiration for a better future.” 🔗 https://buff.ly/XVVIGJ9

You don’t have to collect more degrees to make a bold career move. In this week’s episode of Getting Black Women Paid, Annie Pelissier shares how she pivoted with confidence — not coursework — and built a path that honored her skills, her story, and the value she brings. If you’ve been waiting until you feel more qualified to make your next move, this conversation will change the way you see your own value. 🎧 Listen now: 🔗 Buzzsprout: https://lnkd.in/gkn-S9xx 🔗 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gtRHSTJA 🔁 Reshare this to remind another Black woman she doesn’t need more degrees to be valuable. 👉🏾 Follow along for more powerful career conversations. #GettingBlackWomenPaid #CareerPivot #BlackWomenInBusiness #AudacityMoves #CareerConfidence #NoMoreDegrees 🗓️ 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦-𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Because we believe in honoring our 9–5 while building our vision. If you’re juggling both right now—there’s a smarter way to do it. DM us if you want help setting it up. 🖤

Join us for our October LinkedIn Live today at 1pm EST! Is Your Promotion Process Aligned with Your Values—or Your Biases? When promotions feel unfair, trust breaks. Discover how to transform biased criteria into transparent, values-based practices that help Black women—and everyone—thrive. Only 33% of Black women believe job performance is evaluated fairly—and vague criteria like “executive presence” reinforce that mistrust . In this LinkedIn Live, we’ll preview the Values Aligned Equitable Promotions Tool, a four-phase roadmap that helps organizations root out bias, align promotions with core values, and build the transparency and trust employees are asking for. If your promotion process doesn’t reflect your values, it’s time to rethink it.

Ayeisha Kone-Massouma is a commanding, unrelenting black voice in the Built Environment sector. Last night she convened senior leaders from across Cambridge at Bidwells to host a panel discussion around amplifying black voices in the sector. Did I mention she's 19 and was in sixth form this time last year? So when I say remember this name, Ayeisha Kone-Massouma, I mean it. Her panellists of exceptional black women working in real estate brought a fresh perspective on the lived experience of black professionals in the sector, with some unique takeaways below: ✨ Kevina Kakembo MRICS, PrQS spoke on the business case for a more diverse talent pool - the problem solving ability of teams improves due to a collective set of unique experiences and skillsets. As well as relatability to clients who are, of-course, diverse in their own right. It makes good business sense to not be a singular majority. Just another reason on top of the COUNTLESS other reasons why diversity matters. ✨Hanna Afolabi (née Osundina) MRICS built upon diversity in teams at the senior level. Putting mechanisms in place to ensure this happens is good but can dehumanise the effort. We know that business happens between people, human! And is conducted in pubs, on golf courses, after-hours at events, so invite skilled under-represented talent to be part of the process. ✨Kevina highlighted there is world of difference between 'mentorship' - learning directly and coaching to grow, and 'sponsorship' - speaking about those not in the room, inviting them into the space to be heard. This is huge. ✨Hanna made a starkly obvious point that extending friendship, without agenda, to your black, or other ethnic minority, colleagues benefits all, it benefits me! I will grow from diversifying friendships and truly, fully understanding the lived experience of under-represented people. ✨Retention is important. There is much work in opening doors into the Built Environment sector but change in the sector to retain black talent also needs to happen. Diversity needs to be seen at every level, it benefits everyone. How will incoming talent progress if, when they look up the ladder, no one is like them? ✨Nick Pettit raised the concern of being 'cancelled' from 'getting it wrong' when they speak out. The panel all concurred that by not speaking out actually we perpetuate the issues. Whilst language is important, intention is stronger. Ayeisha finished with a final word on one real action we can take to amplify blacks voices in the sector: Connect. Truly connect to understand. Literally make friends and expand your own world. Connection will generate the sponsorship, the advocacy, the inclusion and the community. Leann Janes MRICS, Alice Graham MRICS #BlackHistoryMonth #BuiltEnvironment #BlackVoices

Very interesting article .. 🤔 How does the racial makeup of your team shape career outcomes? New research from Harvard Kennedy School reveals that Black women are significantly more likely to leave their jobs and less likely to be promoted when surrounded by more White coworkers — even with equivalent experience and performance. A 1 standard deviation increase in White coworkers = ➤ +15.8% turnover probability ➤ –11.5% promotion probability for Black women This isn’t just about hiring. It’s about how inclusion, evaluation, and peer dynamics affect equity every day at work. Read the study: https://lnkd.in/e256qKU6

More than 300,000 women, particularly Black women, have lost their jobs this year. This situation is not about performance; it revolves around perception, politics, and the gradual erosion of equity commitments that once promised progress. As budgets tighten, the programs designed to level the playing field are often the first to be cut, resulting in talented women paying the price. This is why I wrote The Black Woman’s Strategic Guide to Thriving at Work. The goal is not to instruct women to “do better,” but to highlight the underlying issues and provide strategies for navigating systems that have yet to recognize our excellence. This book focuses on power derived from clarity rather than compliance. It emphasizes the importance of protecting your value when the surrounding structures begin to shift. While headlines may tally the job losses, this moment calls for something more profound: a blueprint for remaining visible, valuable, and whole when the system fails to play fair.

“I got tired of being decoration for their DEI deck.” This quote resonates deeply, unfortunately. I too have been asked to spearhead DEI campaigns, speak on global panels, pose for professional photos to go on the company website, invited to galas and major events just to show how diverse the company is. But when it was time to get credit for ideas, receive public recognition not just behind closed doors for activating strategic changes, and being the next up for the promotion I was met with heads turning in the other direction. I could say I was baffled by the behavior but I wasn’t. It is a sad reality that for some reason people are still pretending doesn’t exist… in 2025. I even had a company keep my picture up on their website years after I had left the company. I didn’t know until a former co- worker told me. When I reached out to the company, several times, they ignored me and kept the picture up. I had to send them a letter letting them know the next correspondence would be from my attorney and what do you know their website miraculously had a rebrand. But why should it come to this? I, like many other Black people, are not your token. And we are actually intelligent and talented. Instead of just using us for our pictures or for the hiring marketing materials, try to actually utilize our voices, creativity and skill sets. You may be surprised of the outcomes.

Black women have been disproportionately impacted by job losses in 2025—my analysis (featured in The New York Times and on MSNBC) showed over 300,000 pushed out of the labor force between February and July alone, costing the U.S. economy $37 billion in lost GDP. This is an economic and civic crisis. As Aerial M. Ellis, Ed.D., CPEC highlights, the connection between Black women’s employment, entrepreneurship, and civic participation is critical to the health of our democracy and our economy. 📢 If you are a Black woman impacted by unemployment or underemployment, I encourage you to consider participating in this important study. Your insights can help shape the policies and pathways we urgently need. #EquityByDesign #FutureOfWork #BlackWomenAtWork #EconomicJustice #IntersectionalGender #PolicyAndProsperity Morgan Williams Tara Turk-Haynes Santana Inniss, MS MCPC Tamara Brown, J.D. Payton Parkin, M.S. Karen Fleshman, Esq. Leslie Lynn Smith