How to support Black women in media

Far too often, Black women are only approached to speak on topics like diversity, racism, or “Black issues” which are obviously important and valuable but event planners limit the scope of inclusion if they don’t look beyond these topics. Black women are leaders in finance, STEM, entrepreneurship, sustainability, mental health and beyond. Challenge your own bias and prejudices; if you’re hiring a Black woman to speak at your event, ask yourself: Are you hiring her to tick a diversity box or because her voice truly adds value to your schedule? When planning your line-up, ensure Black women are represented across topics not siloed into panels about inclusion unless that’s their area of expertise. We hear about “manels” (all male panels) all the time but be mindful of falling into the “whanels” (all white panellists). You have to show Black women the same level of respect that you would show all speakers; approaching a Black woman speaker with “We’d love your perspective as a strong Black woman” or vague language like “We want to be more inclusive” isn’t just lazy, it’s disrespectful. Show that you’ve researched her work, taken the time to review her digital footprint, understood her niche and are inviting her based on her unique insights and who she is not simply to make you look good. I share some more thoughts in this piece.

Black women are the most educated demographic in America. Period. Despite centuries of systemic barriers, we: 👉 Earn a higher percentage of associate’s, bachelor’s, and advanced degrees than Black men. 👉 In many categories, we match or surpass white women in educational attainment. And yet, we’re still underpaid, under-promoted, and under-supported at every level. We earn just 66 cents for every dollar a white man makes. We’re consistently shut out of decision-making roles, even in fields we dominate. And we navigate workplaces where racism, microaggressions, and outright disrespect are still far too common, from managers and coworkers. So what do we need? Let me be clear: 👉 Stop the DEI Branding: Hiring Black women as symbols without power is performative. We are not your “Pet to Threat” case study. Invest in us as leaders with influence, autonomy, and compensation that matches our credentials, not your optics. 👉 Pay Equity: Not vibes. Not likability. Not who makes you feel “comfortable.” I was a recruiter, and I’ve seen how often less-qualified people are paid more simply because they “fit the culture.” That ends now. 👉 Sponsorship Over Mentorship: We don’t need another mentor lunch. We need advocates who use their power to open doors when we’re not in the room. Sponsorship creates career mobility. Mentorship just keeps us company where we are. 👉 Support Black Women Entrepreneurs: We’re leading in entrepreneurship, but we’re not getting funded or supported at the same rate. And when we create our own, we get attacked for it. (Google Fearless Fund, you’ll see what I mean.) 👉 Accountability: Track the promotions. Track the pay. Track who gets visibility and stretch roles. Hold leadership accountable when the numbers don’t lie and when the excuses start flowing. 👉 Retire the “Strong Black Woman” narrative: We are not here to survive your workplace. We are here to thrive, grow, and lead. Treat us with the respect and dignity every professional deserves. And most importantly, listen to us. Every time I posted about Black women, someone felt compelled to comment with their take. Let me save you the trouble: you don’t need to weigh in. Just listen. Despite all of this, we’re still here. Still rising. Still reclaiming our stories, owning our power, and doing the damn work. And let me say it one more time for the people in the back: I have NEVER worked with a Black woman who wasn’t qualified. Most of us are overqualified. Yes, we really are that good. Y'all be easy!

📉 266,000 Black women lost their jobs last month. Let that sink in. Not over the past year. Not during a recession. In just one month. And yet—where’s the media coverage? Where’s the national conversation? Where’s the outrage? Black women are the most educated demographic in America. We’re earning degrees, starting businesses, leading households, mentoring others, and innovating in every industry. But we’re also the first to be let go, the last to be promoted, and the most underpaid. This isn’t just a data point. It’s a crisis. And the silence around it is loud. We keep hearing about “diversity,” “inclusion,” and “equity”—but what happens when Black women are quietly pushed out of the workforce without support, without explanation, and without solutions? Here’s what needs to happen now: 🔹 Tell the truth about what's happening 🔹 Fund Black women founders 🔹 Hire, sponsor, and pay Black women equitably 🔹 Hold companies accountable—not just for who they hire, but who they *keep* This isn’t about blame. It’s about visibility, justice, and change. If you're in leadership, HR, or policy—you have the power to interrupt this trend. The question is: Will you? #BlackWomenAtWork #PayEquity #BlackWomenLead #Layoffs #WorkforceEquity #FutureOfWork #LeadershipMatters #InclusionIsNotRetention #DEI #WageGap #BlackWomenDeserveBetter

Since January 2025, more than 350,000 Black women have lost jobs. This Labor Day, that statistic reminds us that not all labor is valued equally and that the pursuit of dignity and fairness in the workplace is far from over. Labor Day was created because ordinary people refused to accept unsafe conditions, child labor and poverty wages as the price of work. And Black women have always been on the frontline leading movements, building communities, launching businesses and sustaining institutions to improve living conditions for everyone. Yet too often, we’ve been expected to do more, receive less and carry it all without the recognition, opportunities, protections or pay we deserve. And let me be clear: this is not a call for equal outcomes. It’s a call for equal opportunity especially because Black women are often more qualified, have consistently demonstrated excellence and yet are still required to play by a different set of rules. Ensuring everyone plays by the same rules requires intentional action, not just words or symbolic gestures, but concrete changes in how workplaces operate every day. That kind of fairness doesn’t happen by accident; it happens through intentional choices like these: ✅️Hold hiring managers accountable and only promote those who care about people, know how to lead with fairness and uphold the same standards for everyone. ✅️Look around. Who’s missing? True leadership reflects the community it serves. ✅️Collect and publish data on pay, promotion and retention by race and gender. ✅️Interrupt bias when you see double standards, microaggressions or goalpost-shifting. ✅️Audit pay and promotions regularly to ensure fairness and transparency and commit to closing wage gaps. ✅️Credit contributions so Black women’s ideas are not ignored until repeated by someone else. ✅️Review job descriptions and advancement criteria to eliminate bias that undervalues or screens out Black women. ✅️Create transparent systems for hiring, evaluations and career growth. ✅️Build leadership pipelines so Black women are not just participants, but decision-makers. ✅️Listen to and believe Black women’s experiences in the workplace. History offers us powerful role models: Mary McLeod Bethune, Fannie Lou Hamer, Pauli Murray, Lucy Parsons, Ella Baker, Dorothy Height, Rosina Tucker, Addie Wyatt and countless others who advanced the pursuit of dignity at work. But the work isn’t done. Double standards, shifting goalposts and both subtle and blatant disrespect remain barriers Black women face every day. And here’s the truth: when conditions improve for Black women, they improve for everyone. Advancing fairness strengthens workplaces, families, communities and society as a whole. Change happens when each of us chooses fairness over convenience. That’s the unfinished work of Labor Day and it’s work we should choose to finish together. #leadership #management #fairness