Our Founder's Story...Three Years in the Making

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

Nine Black women, nine different careers, and nine stories with striking similarities, of career struggle, self-doubt, mental and physical health issues, and general unhappiness caused by varying forms of work related stress; nine stories of fortitude and resilience that eventually morph into nine stories of rejuvenation. These women form the inaugural part of a multi-layered interactive media project titled BlackFemaleProject—a project attempting to peel back the skin of the often unseen effects of racism and sexism, not only in the workplace, but also in terms of how these issues elbow their way into other areas of Black women’s daily lives. We begin this journey with the voice of the Project’s founder, Precious J. Stroud. Precious’ story opens with her in the midst of her stint as director at a prestigious nonprofit organization. After being hired she quickly realized that she was not there for her input, thoughts, or even production, but instead, selected to simply give the company color—a toasted figurine to be seen and not heard, a role assigned, given to grown Black women during days thought long gone. Unfortunately for Precious—and America, for that matter—not so. All of the women who share their stories in our inaugural collection have found themselves in a battle for sanity, cultural autonomy, or simply professional courtesy. Each of these women have also found their own strategies of success; some are still developing these methods and share their experience with us in real time. Let’s join them now. THE BAR FOR EXCELLENCE Precious J. Stroud DOWNLOAD Click the button above to download a copy of this story. AUTHOR'S STATEMENT Who are you and where do you live? My name is Precious J. Stroud and I live in Berkeley, CA. What’s your career focus? Marketing Communications I provide leadership within consulting organizations to help individuals and community-based organizations tell their stories. I promote good in the world and build awareness to increase funding. #workforgood What’s something positive that came out of writing your story? I feel validated. Everything I have gone through serves a bigger purpose--to support our collective healing and the restoration of our mindset, behaviors, and self-efficacy. Further, I hold sacred the belief and action of elevating and amplifying my voice and the voices of Black women worldwide on this topic. Three words of advice for your 18-year-old self? Invest in yourself. Donate! Join the campaign: #100SistersStrong Every dollar counts $5, $10, $15 Listen: Podcast Watch: BlackWomenThrive! Read: Blog Follow: Facebook Engage: Twitter CONTRIBUTE #100SistersStrong