Millennial black businesswoman addressing colleagues at a corporate business meeting, close up getty Living Boldly “Fortune does favor the bold and you'll never know what you're capable of if you don't try.” Black women are promoted at a lower rate than white women at the first step up to manager, and more than a quarter of Black women say their race has led to them missing out on an opportunity to advance. Indeed, the 2021 Women in the Workplace study shows Black women are heavily impacted by bias in hiring and promotions. Consumers, employees, and media must all do their part to keep corporations accountable for their abysmal numbers as it pertains to women of color in the workplace, especially as it pertains to Black women.” This means setting goals to hire and promote more women of color.

There is a price that we must pay to fix this. “Corporate America has been on a steady diet of fast food and all of a sudden it thinks we can start eating salad and everything will be fine. “You have to take opportunities and make an opportunity fit for you, rather than the other way around.” As a woman of color, my fear is that this language paints a picture that Black women can just decide to lean in and somehow the worst represented demographic in corporate America will all of a sudden be given a fair chance to have a seat at all levels of the organization,” states Smith-Akinsanya. Leaning in and taking initiative are indeed best practices on the surface. “Sandberg shares some nuggets of wisdom for women who are looking for a proactive approach to help advance their careers.

Lean in sandberg