Dear allies, I appreciate you supporting my strong voice on this platform. Did you know a lot of Black women silence their concerns & emotions due to the "angry Black woman" stereotype? What are you doing as an ally to support Black women's voices in the workplace and beyond?
I'll help you out with one, you reply with additional thoughts: When a Black woman is expressing her opinion, watch your coworkers reactions. Be on alert for tone policing. Be on alert for people mischaracterizing her words for "angry" "mean" or "abrasive". They are often wrong.
If you see something: SAY SOMETHING RIGHT THEN AND THERE! Not later, not after the meeting, not when you two are alone. It's UNCOMFORTABLE, but changing culture is not a nice and comfortable situation. We have to be socially and self aware enough to snap out of the status quo.
To be VERY clear, simply having POC *around* in your workplace does NOT equate supporting Black women's voices. If the culture is bad, even if you have 20 Black women, none of them will speak up if it's a toxic environment. The actual entire culture has to LITERALLY support them.
