May 23rd, 2018

HOW BLACK WOMEN ARE FINDING THEIR OWN PATHS TO SUCCESS IN THE WORKPLACE?

 ​Underpaid and undervalued is the topic of discussion when it comes to modern day working black woman. Unfortunately, black women continue to face issues of inequality, lack of diversity, and other social injustices in the United States. 
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Carla McKnight leading Student Affairs Conference at Valencia College. Photo by: Berline Jean-Baptiste

​ “Now, the reality is there are injustices that exist both for people of color as well as women,” says Carla McKnight, a black woman, and currently the Human Resources Director for the west regional campus of Valencia College. “My goal is for those that are drawing boxes for other people is to break them down.” 

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 ​According to Stephen C. Scott, the author of Black Excellence: Fostering Intellectual Curiosity in Minority Honors Students at a Predominantly White Research Institution in 2017. The definition of “Black excellence” is “achieving success and fulfillment through a drive to question the status quo, to thirst for knowledge, and to be the best representation of one’s self while understanding the large societal implications beyond,” If that is the case, black women are the essence of black excellence, as the evidence shows they are educated, strong, and resilient, despite current social issues.

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What kind of Injustices does a Black woman have to face in America?

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Jessica Jocelyn Speech Pathologist doing In-home Therapy with Client. Photo by: Berline Jean Baptiste

​Jessica Jocelyn is a speech pathologist in Orlando, Florida. When asked about how her qualifications helped her career, she said, “I always felt like, I had to work harder and that my qualifications never spoke for themselves.”
 
Sadly, this is the perception and the feeling of a lot of women in the black community. In an article in Forbes Magazine, Candice Cook Simmons said, “The phrase, ‘You have to be twice as good and work twice as hard (for sadly half the pay)’ is twice as real for black women.”

Infographic created by: Berline Jean-Baptiste

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Black women in the United States who work full time, year-round are typically paid just 63 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.

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In a speech before the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty of Ohio said, “Black women earn 60 percent of what their white male counterparts do, which is why it takes approximately eight additional months for them to reach pay parity with white men.”  

The National Women’s Law Center reports that, “Pursuing higher education does little to close the wage gap. Black women with a bachelor’s degree are typically paid $46,694 (in annual salary) - just under what white, non-Hispanic men with only a high school degree are paid $46,620.” So black women’s academic achievements are not enough to get equal pay within the workforce. 

Another problem is that companies are now being exposed for lack of inclusion. For example, it was also recently revealed in an article in Essence Magazine in 2017, that Silicon Valley has a workforce that is approximately 2.2 percent black. 
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That is the reason the company Catalyst works with companies to help advance African-American women in the workforce. Research by Catalyst has shown that African-American women feel that their white colleagues perceive them as under-qualified.
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But on the contrary, black women are overqualified for many jobs

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Black Women are the most educated group of people in America

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Fontella Jones is the only black counselor at Valencia College. She says, “Just because I am black doesn’t mean that I am less than. I am smart just like everyone else.”
 
Black women are now the most educated group in the U.S. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between 2009 and 2010, black women earned 68 percent of all associate degrees awarded to black students, as well as 66 percent of bachelor’s degrees, 71 percent of master’s degrees and 65 percent of all doctorates awarded to black students.A 2017 study showed that a higher percentage of black women (9.7%) are currently enrolled in college than any other group, topping Asian women (8.7%), white women (7.1%) and white men (6.1%). Black women are entering and graduating college at a higher rate than other ethnic groups. 

            Different factors play a role in the boost of educational attainment for African-American women in the United States. National Center for Education Statistics reports, a 5% increase in black students enrolled in college during 1976-2012, versus white student’s enrollment which decreased by 24 %. 
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Khalilah Annette Shabazz the author of Black Women, White Campus: Students Living Through Invisibility references the book Black Women in the Ivory Tower by Stephanie Evans. Evans writes that “African American women pursuing higher education initially did it as a primary opportunity to uplift the African-American race.” Shabazz also quotes, Angela Y. Davis the author Women, Race, and Class who notes, “Black women needed to acquire knowledge- a lamp unto their people’s feet and a light into the path toward freedom.”

Rose Philius a Nursing Student at Valencia College reading article from Fortune.com. Photo by: Berline Jean-Baptiste

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Lorie Coachman the Manager of the Math Lab at Valencia College was asked what advice would you give younger black girls. She says, “Do not be afraid, it’s going to be okay.” 

​​Black women’s educational achievements, create opportunities and encourages a world full of possibilities for the younger generation with in the black community. Young black women can see more role models that look like them and have paved away.   In accordance to  Upworthy.com, “it's kind of incredible for a ​​multitude of reasons, including the fact that education reduces poverty, promotes gender equality, and helps to lessen the spread of various health issues.” 

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Black Women are Entrepreneurial

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According to Fortune.com, as of 2012, black women entrepreneurs owned approximately 1.5 million businesses across the U.S. and composed almost 60% percent of all black business owners. A 2016 report on the state of women-owned business, commissioned by American Express Open, stated that black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the U.S.

But several articles reference a low number of black women leaders in different industries. 
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Women of color find different routes of revenue when they face challenges in the traditional routes. Alyssa Thomas, who works in cosmetology, said, “School was not for me, so I decided to learn a trade and now I’m currently in business for myself as a nail tech in Orlando, Florida.” 

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Opposition Does Not Stop Black Women

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Despite some opposition, black women still find a way to adjust and move beyond their circumstances. Their drive is amplified by their vision and goals. ​

Words From A Successful Black Woman from Berline Jean-Baptiste on Vimeo.

Carla McKnight confidently says that she draws her own box, and that if she allowed for the color of her skin and gender to affect her, she would not be in the position she is today at Valencia College. She refuses to allow society to put her in a box. 
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She is not the only black woman to do that. 

Elizabeth Barnes in a know your worth meeting for Black women in Orlando, Florida. says “I am Unapologetically Black” Photo: Berline Jean-Baptiste

​Historical figures like Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and Katherine Johnson, and modern-day figures like Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama are popular black female icons that the public gets to hear about.

Infographic Created by : Berline Jean-Baptiste

​But as we have seen in more recent times, small steps by everyday black women are slowly but surely cracking the glass ceiling. While they may not make headlines, as time progresses, and successes build upon one another, we may finally be seeing the first signs that the fights for both racial and sexual equality are coming to fruition.

Black Girl Magic

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#BlackgirlMagic meeting in downtown Orlando, Florida. Photo by: Berline Jean-Baptiste

  
A quick scan of the social media hashtag #Blackgirlmagicreveals the ground-breaking things black women are doing right now in the workplace. For instance, Lauren Simmons is the only full-time female employee currently working as a stockbroker on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Kamala Harris is just the second black woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Brehanna Daniels is NASCAR’s first black female pit crew member. 

 This is the norm for a lot of black women who are successful and reach the top. They reached their positions because they did not let society define them and tell them how far they would go. Black women often make their own path if there is not one to take.

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