Amplifying Black Voices - By: Paulette Jackson

Amplifying Black Voices - By: Paulette Jackson

In recognition of Black History Month, we honor the invaluable contributions of Black Americans to U.S. history. At Lewis Roca, we cherish and cultivate a diverse culture, recognizing that our differences are sources of strength that pave the way for innovation and progress. Below, we share stories from Paulette Jackson that touch upon her experiences as a Black woman in tech.


Were there any specific individuals or events that inspired you in your career pursuit?

My IT journey started in 1982 as a NYC sophomore in high school majoring in Computer Science. My family had an Apple llc and I mentioned to one of my friends, Tony, that I was struggling with a computer programming school project and for the life of me, I could not work out what I was doing wrong. Tony offered to come over and help me with my project. He patiently explained the syntax of my program and how the steps resulted in each component of the result. He made it so easy to understand and I discovered a love of computers when I not only completed my project on time (we used a punch card machine to input our program into the mainframe) and received a grade of 100. While this story does not touch on significant challenges, it was life-changing to me. Back in 1982, I didn’t have a definitive view of what my future in Computer Technology would hold. There were no programs that I or my friends heard of that supported or guided young Black women. Tony had a natural aptitude for technology; his support, mentoring, and friendship enabled me to explore my growing love of technology.

Here are a few photos of the equipment Paulette used during her time in high school.

How do you believe your role contributes to the advancement of social justice and/or equality?

As a woman of mixed heritage, I’ve built upon my mother’s teachings, chief among them is to learn as much as I can about a task, so I only need to do it once because my time is very valuable and I shouldn’t waste it by redoing something. She also taught my sisters and me that all we have in this life is our honor and we should protect it like the priceless jewel that it is. I have worked since I was 14 years old and in all of those years, 99.99% of the opportunities to learn new skills for work have been made possible by the women I’ve worked with, who held positions in management. I felt obligated to repay those opportunities by holding myself to a higher standard and it has been my great pleasure to mentor a younger non-Caucasian woman in addition to younger Caucasian women as they travel the road of a woman in a field still dominated by men. It feels like we still have to prove how capable we are in the technology industry. We constantly have to bring more to the table than what’s required to get and keep our seats there, and we have to foot the financial bill to advance our technical education in order to qualify for advancement in our workplaces. The focused and committed Black woman walks this road with other focused and committed Black women who have either walked this same road or are walking this road together. It’s easy to lump non-Caucasian women together, but each nationality has its challenges to change the perceived view of those in the position to make change. So, in conclusion, I maintain my professional calm and contribute to a more inclusive environment by discharging my duties to the best of my ability with the expectation that in time, change will come.


Have you had mentors or role models who have influenced you in your career? How important do you think mentorship is, particularly for Black professionals?

Working in a male-dominated industry has not brought any role models into my sphere. If I’d had some, I’m sure I would have made better career choices and Black professionals do need mentorship. I think it is so important because the world is a very different place when you live in Black skin looking out into the world with the experiences of your past coloring that view. It’s not always a pretty one and it is never rose-colored. I know there are mentorship programs now that offer the benefit of their experience to aid in avoiding career pitfalls. There is a growing number of Black professionals who are giving of their time, to help bring the Black community forward.


What advice would you give to young Black individuals beginning to pursue a career in the legal field?

The advice I’d give to young Black individuals beginning a career in the legal field is to find Black professionals in the field and ask them to share their experiences, challenges, failures, and wins. Ask them what advice they have for you and do not sugarcoat the answers. I’d also tell them that while a lot of preconceived notions about Black people have changed, a lot haven’t and all of us need to educate ourselves on what prejudice, racism, and racial insensitivity look like now. I never had that and while other fellow female Technology co-workers passed on some training opportunities that I had to pay for myself, I was on my own because I never crossed paths with another woman, Black or not, who could help me in my Technology role. I got almost all of my information from the web and I never knew if it was legitimate or not.


要查看或添加评论,请登录

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了