"Say 'no' nicely": Toxic workplace culture demands Black women shrink themselves and never speak up
SalonImagine being forced to wear a permanent mask, altering your voice and muffling your culture, so that you can perform weekly from 9-5, Monday through Friday. Author Jennifer Farmer illustrates the harsh reality of "working twice as hard to be perceived as half as skilled," in her new book "First and Only: A Black Woman's Guide to Thriving at Work and in Life," and she and I got the chance to discuss it this week on "Salon Talks." You can watch my "Salon Talks" episode with Farmer here or read a Q&A of our conversation below to hear more about what she's learned from her experiences, how she copes with it and what everyone from Black men to non-Black women can do to better support their colleagues. When you go into the workplace, many of the Black women who I've talked to have had the experience of being told, "Oh, you're too angry," or "You made so-and-so cry," or "You're too direct." I think that the people who want to be allies, I think the organizations, the people who hire Black women it's time for them to do their work as well.
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Black women struggle to find their way in a job world where diversity is under attack
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