Video: Black Women on the Challenges and Opportunities of the Past 18 Months
Black women are often “the onlys” in their organizations, often leading to tremendous pressure and responsibility.
November 02, 2021
Summary.
In talking to other Black women professionals, Ellen Bailey, Vice President for Diversity and Culture at Harvard Business Publishing, realized that her feelings of stress and fatigue over the past 18 months were not unique to her, nor were they signs of failure. As Black women have been at the center of discussions around racial injustice and inequality at organizations, Ellen and her counterparts talked through the pressures of helping develop solutions to these problems. But while it could feel incredibly impactful or invigorating to lead such important work, it could also lead to exhaustion or feelings of battle fatigue. In this video, Ellen talks with career coach Octavia Goredema and organizational psychologist Laura Morgan Roberts about balancing self-care with the pressure to do well not only for one’s self, but for others.