Being a Black woman at work often means dealing with microaggressions from other co workers. This is a list of common ones and how to deal with them.
1- When White people think you’re the help- This happens often because people often don’t except Black women to be in corporate or professional positions. While we should never believe we’re above people in service positions always be assertive in telling people who you are when they assume you’re the waiter, waitress or bus person..
2-When your presence disturbs them- For some reason many people are afraid of Black women especially if we raise our voice or seem assertive. Don’t make yourself smaller to please anyone, always stand tall and speak your truth.
3-When your hair seems to be the talk of the office- Why do they always want to touch our hair? If you’re not comfortable with anyone touching your hair say please don’t touch my hair, I’ve done this before, they will get the message.
4-Your voice is heard but not acknowledged- You say something then your White co worker says the same thing and somehow they’re acknowledged. This is extremely frustrating. Speak up and make your voice heard.
5- When you’re stereotyped- Have you ever had a White woman co worker run to management crying because you corrected her? I had this happen with an intern I was supervising and I was told to be nicer to her. The tears can be annoying but remember they often cry because they don’t want to stand up to you and are afraid of your greatness.
It gets frustrating dealing with this stuff but no matter what remember you’re fabulous.
Transforming Lives 