Why Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Senate Hearing Is Triggering For Black Women

Now, more than ever, retention has become a pressing topic of conversation when it comes to Black professionals. Join me Thursday, March 31st at 4 pm ET as I share insights on how to successfully recruit and retain Black talent. RSVP here.

For a sneak peek at my thoughts, take a look at my recent Adweek article.

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The day that President Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court Justice, Black women rejoiced. Judge Jackson would be the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the nation -- further propelling hope and the thought that "you can be what you see" in Black girls around the country.

Despite this being a historical nomination, Judge Jackson wasn't exempt from the harsh realities that Black women face on a day-to-day basis as we continually have to prove ourselves and worth for positions we aspire to be in. This hearing has shed light on the many of the issues Black women face behind closed doors in corporate America.

One of the firsts came from Republican Senator Ted Cruz. In an effort to shift the focus to critical race theory, Senator Cruz brought up a book by Ibram X Kendi titled Anti-Racist Baby. He then asked Judge Jackson if she believed babies were racist. With a slight pause, Judge Jackson stated that she hadn't reviewed the books and was there to talk specifically about her work as a judge. She added that the questions she was being asked had absolutely nothing to do with her work. This exchange is familiar to Black women in that often times our white counterparts see us as the go-to source for all things Black culture or issues around Black movements. Or, expect us to have an opinion and be vocal on things outside of what's required for our 9-to-5. And, if I'm honest, most of the time we just don't have the energy.

As the days went on, things came to a head when Judge Jackson faced many interruptions when questioned by Senator Lindsey Graham. According to a 2014 study by George Washington University, brought to light during then Democratic California Senator Kamala Harris' Vice Presidential debates, women are 33% more likely to be interrupted when talking to men. For Black women that number increases.

Judge Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearings are personal for Black women and continually shine a light on the way we are treated in corporate America. Additionally, what's playing out on television only amplifies the fact that Black women have to work twice as hard to receive the same or similar opportunities as white men or women. In an article titled "Racism and Sexism Combine to Shortchange Working Black Women," the Center for American Progress states, "This work expectation [of Black women] is deeply rooted in longstanding racial and gender biases that have been present since the nation’s founding—extending back to the nation’s dehumanizing history of slavery and continuing into the post-slavery era, 20th-century workforce expansions, and the present day."

Even though over the past two years we've seen an increase in awareness of the importance of DEI and initiatives aimed at fostering a more inclusive workplace, Black women still have a worse experience at work. This further amplifies their feelings of burnout and negatively affects their mental health at work.

As we continue to progress towards a more diverse, inclusive and equitable world, I'll leave you with these three tips on how you can immediately begin support Black women at work.

How You Can Support Black Women At Work:

1) Allow Them Space To Speak. When Black women talk to me about not being heard or interrupted at work, I always refer to what women staffers were doing during the Obama administration. They adopted a strategy called "amplification" and when someone was interrupted, or when a male staffer said something one previously said, they made a key point to credit the original author and make space for someone to finish their statement. You can read more about it here.

2) Don't Assume They Know It All. The Black experience is not a monolith and based on sexual orientation, gender, and socio-economic status one person's experience could vastly differ from another's. Stop expecting Black women to speak on all Black issues.

3) Unless You Hire Them For A DEI Role, Don't Expect Them To Be Your DEI Go-To. When companies began rushing to create DEI programs after George Floyd, it was common for the already employed minorities to assume the position of Diversity Program Manager or Chief Diversity Officer, but without the pay and title change. Understand that Black women live these experiences on a day-to-day basis and unless hired for a role where they analyze and create strategies to increase DEI at your company, giving them this task could only increase their stress levels while decreasing their opportunity to complete the work that they were actually hired for.

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Want to learn more about how to support Black talent? Join me Thursday, March 31st at 4 pm ET as I share insights on how to successfully recruit and retain Black talent. RSVP here.