As a project manager, I would attend team meetings and make suggestions for the way forward and be ignored. “It was said in the way that indicated she wanted to say ‘aggressive.’ To be honest, I wasn't assertive enough. “I remember once being informed by my white female manager that I was quite 'assertive' in meetings,” recalls Global Publicist, Brenda Gabriel. Tone policing based on racial stereotypes It also puts pressure on them to a lot of unpaid work and singles them out as ‘different’ to everyone else. “I seem to always get asked these questions as if we all have the same experiences.”Įxpecting your Black female colleagues or employees to be the spokesperson for all Black women shows a lack of understanding, empathy and respect for each person’s individuality. I have always been seen as the representative, whether it’s a question about Black hairstyles, what to do about the diversity issue within the business or “what do you feel about knife crime,” explains Bonita. “In the work place I tend to be either the only Black woman, or a minority. These are some of the most common microaggressions Black women are subjected to at work.Īssuming that all Black women have had the same life experiences Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility, made a really important point in an article for the Guardian last year: that we have to get over the idea that racism is a series of “individual acts of intentional meanness.” We have to challenge the assumption (and I speak for myself here as well) that niceness and identification as a feminist does not automatically make us an advocate for all women. This requires a long-term approach and cannot be fixed overnight.”Īs Bonita says, learning is the first key to overcoming this situation and though acknowledging that the part you have played in the oppression of Black female professionals is difficult, it is necessary. The lack of diversity within businesses - especially in leadership - should be an ongoing discussion, rather than a reactive response to what is happening around us - leaders must become accountable for there to be real change through education, insights and data. Usage of the meme seemed to increase with the release of the popular movie Black Panther in 2018.“Firms must understand that diversity and inclusion has to become a priority through education and tangible actions. Memes featuring the phrase often include an image of an African leader taken from The African Kingdoms expansion of the video game Age of Empires II, which debuted around the time the meme was created in 2015. The overall intent is to portray blacks as crude, ignorant and uncivilized. Meme versions of the phrase similarly tend to feature images with racist stereotypes of black people, often contrasted with images of Egyptian pharaohs. Users employ phrases such as “We Wuz Kangs,” “We Wuz Kings,” and “Kings N Shiet,” featuring mock black American dialect that is intended to portray blacks as ignorant and a contrast to the ostensibly more civilized ancient Egyptians. The phrase and meme are intended to mock the Afrocentric theories and, by extension, anyone who might believe in them. Originating in 2015 and popularized by the website 4chan, the phrase is a racist shorthand reference to discredited but popular Afrocentric theories that claimed sub-Saharan Africans were descended from ancient Egyptians. “We Wuz Kangs” is a racist catchphrase and collection of memes directed at African-Americans and other people of sub-Saharan African descent. ALTERNATE NAMES: We Wuz Kings, Kings N Shiet
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