The workplace; whether an office, retail store, or business company can be pretty stressful as an employee. As a black woman in a predominantly white workplace, stress is the least of my worries. Sprinkle in the microaggressions, being overlooked, underappreciated, underrepresented, and subtle favoritism towards my non-black coworkers. Being one of the few black women in a workspace can be exhausting.
At my first job, Chick-fil-A, most of my coworkers were black. Working as a front-of-house team member was your typical fast food service. My only problem was the favoritism of some coworkers due to how long some of them have been working there and certain friendships. Though I only worked there for 4 months, it was a good first experience in the working class.
My second job was at Victoria’s Secret Pink. I started as a seasonal associate and stayed as a regular sales associate for a year and one month. This job was a slight change from my first job; most of my coworkers were non-black. There were days when I was the only black sales associate on the floor. It was days like that where I felt completely alone and looked over. I noticed that when my non-black coworkers and I were on the sales floor, some customers didn’t take me seriously and would engage with my coworkers instead. There was also an issue with the differing treatment of my black and non-black coworkers by our store manager and assistant store manager. During the first few months of my employment, I could sense an energy from my black coworkers that there was a bit of an issue with the managers. It wasn’t until I was engaging with them daily that I noticed the way the managers interacted with us compared to our coworkers. The tone of voice and behavior, when I would make a mistake compared to a non-black coworker, was shocking and heartbreaking for me. My first experience of microaggressions was an eye-opener and only the tip of the iceberg of what I will go through as a black woman in the working industry.
“Someone told me I was ‘so articulate.’ They thought they were paying me a compliment. It’s frustrating to hear those comments, to have your decisions questioned, to be perceived as the angry Black woman.” —Black woman, senior manager
“Black Women Face More Bias and Get Less Support.” Lean In, leanin.org/article/women-in-the-workplace-black-women. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.
I’ve currently been working at Pandora for 8 months. Its been quite the experience so far. There are five black workers including myself, and so far it’s been ok. Though I’ve had some micro-aggressive experiences from some managers and customers (a customer called me the “n” word to my non-black coworker), I’m not letting it get in my way of performing my duties on the sales floor. For the 8 months that I’ve been working at Pandora, I have had nothing but positive feedback from loyal customers and coworkers about my customer service.
I know the treatment of black women in the work industry won’t change overnight, but I have hope for the future and plans for bigger, better, and more opportunities.
Happy Black History Month!