Working While Black

Provides a black employee's guide to success when working in a white workplace, and focuses on getting hired, pursuing legal support, and using one's own style, history, and goals.

Black women are the highest educated group of employees in the workforce, but continue to earn $0.67 for every dollar a White man earns. And only two Black women hold the coveted position of CEO on the Fortune 500 list. If they are doing all of the right things based on what they are told is required to earn career success, why are they being left behind? In Working While Black: A Woman's Guide To Stop Being the Best Kept Secret, Dr. Tana M. Session explains that many of the unfortunate disadvantages faced by Black women are actually the reasons why Black women are also the largest and fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. They are opting out of a system that was not built for them to succeed. Her candid stories of Black women in this book from multiple backgrounds and industries give a behind-the-curtain view of what typically happens to Black women along their corporate career track, But it doesn't end with this empowering stories of success against the backdrop of adversities. Dr. Session also provides strategies for what it takes to Stop Being the Best Kept Secret(R) under the prescriptive captions of: Own Your Power, Own Your Truth, Own Your Healing, Own Your Worth and Own Your Destiny. Readers will gain innovative tools to help avoid corporate landmines while gaining sponsors and allies along the way. Dr. Tana M. Session personally experienced these landmines. She felt like she was the only one and often felt very alone. Through sharing these experiences with close friends and family, and becoming a performance coach for Black women, she learned that their stories were also her story. Through her work, she has gained the advocacy of other influential and successful women who trusted her to tell their stories for others to learn from as they grow in their careers and businesses.

In recent years, there has been a rise in diverse racial representation on television. In particular, Black characters have become more actualized and have started extending beyond racial stereotypes. In this collection of essays, the representation of Black characters in professionally defined careers is examined. Commentary is also provided on the portrayal of Black people in relation to stereotypes alongside the importance of Black representation on screen. This work also introduces the idea of Black-collar, a category which highlights the Black experience in white-collar jobs. The essays are divided into six parts based on themes, including profession, and focuses on a select number of Black characters on TV since the 1990s.

Looks at the issues facing African Americans in the job market, covering such topics as finding a job, adapting to the workplace, and achieving success.

Working While Black: The Untold Stories of Student Affairs Practitioners will examine the narratives of student affairs professionals and how they navigate their professional experiences. While student affairs can be a high pressure and high stress environment for all professionals, Black professionals are often overworked, underheard, and made to feel devalued. Therefore, it is important to consider how student affairs professionals are managing the profession, colleagues, and students while Black. I approach this book from an asset-based approach where chapter authors are approaching both the challenges and opportunities they have experienced due to being a Black while working as a student affairs practitioner. Chapter authors also provide poignant advice on how current and potential student affairs professionals can successfully navigate the field. One especially important contribution of this book is that our authors are from a variety of student affairs areas including: residence life, student engagement, career services, counseling, student conduct, athletics, student activities, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and academic advising. Additionally, chapter authors are student affairs professionals at predominantly White institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, and online universities. Given the breadth of experiences each chapter will provide poignant suggestions for student affairs practitioners across the nation as well as for institutions who are looking to better understand these experiences to better support their own employees. Popular education press and scholarly conversations have focused on the experiences of student affairs professionals (Renn & Hodges, 2007). There has also been scholarship around the Black student affairs professional experience (West, 2015; Husband. 2016). This book will add to the current press and scholarly conversations by allowing Black student affairs professionals to tell their own stories, providing additional insight into what it is like to work while Black. Institutions of higher education can learn much from the stories shared in this book that can inform the recruitment and retention of Black professionals. Thus, Working While Black: The Untold Stories of Student Affairs Practitioners is positioned to be a must read for all higher education professionals and institutions who are looking for strategies to support Black student affairs professionals.

In recent years, there has been a rise in diverse racial representation on television. In particular, Black characters have become more actualized and have started extending beyond racial stereotypes. In this collection of essays, the representation of Black characters in professionally defined careers is examined. Commentary is also provided on the portrayal of Black people in relation to stereotypes alongside the importance of Black representation on screen. This work also introduces the idea of Black-collar, a category which highlights the Black experience in white-collar jobs. The essays are divided into six parts based on themes, including profession, and focuses on a select number of Black characters on TV since the 1990s.

Just as the first edited volume of this book, Working While Black: The Untold Stories of Student Affairs Practitioners, examined student affairs professionals' narratives and how they navigate their professional experiences, this one has a similar aim. This new volume birthed from the overwhelmingly positive feedback and massive interest from other Black professionals needing to share and tell their stories. So, with that in mind, a goal of this book is to share more of the “untold stories of Black student affairs practitioners by Black student affairs practitioners.” (Tomlin, 2022, p. X). This book, crafted from an asset-based approach, chapter authors share the challenges and opportunities they have experienced due to being a Black while working as a student affairs practitioner. Additionally, chapter authors provide poignant advice on how current and potential student affairs professionals can successfully navigate the field. Authors within the book are from various student affairs areas and have a wide range of knowledge, expertise, and lived experiences. Such areas include Greek Life, Residence Life, Athletics, International Student Support, Diversity, Access, Career Services, Financial aid, Enrollment and more. Given the depth and breadth of experiences and expertise, each chapter will provide poignant suggestions for student affairs practitioners across the nation and institutions looking to understand these experiences to support their employees better. College campuses and spaces operate as models of the greater society. Therefore, all of the challenges and issues of racism, discrimination, and anti-Blackness are present (Rankin et al. 2017). While students experience these challenges and issues first-hand, so do the folx hired to support students, the student affairs practitioners. Kanagala and Oliver (2019) claimed that “for institutions of higher education to be equitable and inclusive, college administrators, faculty, and staff, including student affairs professionals, must attend to the needs of students, especially students with multiple marginalized identities.” (p. 410). I argue the same is accurate in creating more equitable and inclusive spaces for student affairs employees. Student affairs practitioners Blackness must be accepted to move toward equity and inclusivity. So, this book roars, “student affairs and white colleagues, please respect our Blackness. Our Blackness is a part of our story, not yours!” (Tomlin, 2022, p. 176). Higher education institutions can learn much from the stories shared in this book that can inform the recruitment and retention of Black professionals. Thus, Still Working While Black: The Untold Stories of Student Affairs Practitioners is a must-read for all higher education professionals and institutions looking for strategies to support Black student affairs practitioners.

A Guardian “Best Book of 2021” Selection A powerful look at the impacts of anti-Black racism and a practical guide for overcoming racial trauma through radical self-care as a form of resistance Over the past 15 years, radical psychologist Guilaine Kinouani has focused her research, writing, and workshops on how racism affects both physical and mental health. Living While Black gives voice to the diverse, global experiences of Black people, using personal stories, powerful case studies, and eye-opening research to offer expert guidance on how to set boundaries and process micro-aggressions; protect children from racism; handle difficult race-based conversations; navigate the complexities of Black love; and identify and celebrate the wins. Based on her findings, Kinouani has devised tried-and-tested strategies to help protect Black people from the harmful effects of verbal, physical, and structural racism. She empowers Black readers to adopt self-care mechanisms to improve their day-to-day wellness to help them thrive, not just survive, and to find hope and beauty—or even joy—in the face of racial adversity. She also provides a vital resource for allies seeking to better understand the impacts of racism and how they can help. With the rise of far-right ideologies and the increase of racist hate crimes, Living While Black is both timely and instrumental in moving conversations from defining racism for non-Black majorities to focusing on healing and nurturing the mental health of those facing prejudice, discrimination, and the lasting effects of the violence of white supremacy.