Editor’s note: “My Story” is where business executives share their personal and professional backgrounds and journeys that have made them who they are, in their own candid words, from the challenges of confronting stereotypes to the glory in overcoming them. Amid calls for racial justice, we can only make real change with greater awareness and understanding — and the ability to learn from each other’s experiences.
“You don’t look Black.”
“You don’t act Black.”
“You don’t talk Black.”
“You are so light-skinned.”
“Your hair is interesting. How come you don’t have a weave?”
“You did not get any of your father’s coloring.”
“I don’t think she is capable of doing good work.”
“But she is small. How much of an impact can she make?”
The above is just a small sample set of some of the things told to me throughout my corporate career. My seat at tables always came with more hoops or a longer journey. Throughout my career, I would suppress…
Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.
