From boardrooms to warehouses — Black women are the least respected
A sprinkle of microaggression here, a dab of microaggression there to complement my morning almond milk vanilla latte is always a selection on the job menu — never changes. It’s so old, it’s putrid.
I swear — it is exhausting as the only Black woman in upper management, for that matter the only one in the two hotels of over 100 employees where I handle sales departments.
I guess one could say I’m lucky to be in management at all based on the employment statistics of a Black hospitality director.
In 2022, there was only one Black director for every 33 director positions in the hotel industry nationwide. We remain underrepresented, far below parity, although Black labor built the hospitality industry. We serviced the industry as the first housekeepers, a natural progression from servicing the dominant class as domestics in their private homes. But here we are.
Speaking from the shadow
I’ve been working on my shadow self, the one that feeds me a narrative from a broken child’s perspective, but it’s difficult when circumstances awaken deep-seated insecurities.