Speaking our Truth with dana e. fitchett
When Barack Obama was elected U.S. President in 2008, many Americans wanted to believe we were moving into—or had already arrived at—a “post-racial” reality. Black women in the U.S. are one of many groups of people who knew firsthand this was certainly not the case, as they continued to experience persistent discrimination in the workplace and beyond. If there is any so-called “silver lining” to the surreal 2016 election of Donald Trump into the presidential office, it is simply that more people understand the absurdity of the claim that America has somehow moved beyond race. We know that some of the harsh realities our BlackFemaleProject community has encountered in their professional lives are directly rooted in the inequitable foundation upon which the United States were built. They are contemporary manifestations of age old discrimination that continues to plague educational, political, healthcare, economic, and housing systems in our nation. The gravity of what BlackFemaleProject has created has also been counterbalanced by the healing that its founder created for herself in the vulnerable space of her own journey, which became a model that inspired the rest of the BlackFemaleProject network to follow suit. My interest arose not only from witnessing Precious in the nascent stages of ideation, brainstorming, and contemplation around what was possible, but also from seeing the way in which she facilitated the process from a stance of inclusion for others. Recognizing that BlackFemaleProject is the vehicle for Precious to address the essential needs of other women experiencing comparable and compatible challenges, I was drawn to serve in a leadership capacity and contributing role, as a listener, an observer, and a humbled student to Precious’s vision.
Workplace oppression in the U.S. stems from roots of a chattel slavery-based, patriarchal, capitalist economy that created a system of race-, class-, and gender-based discrimination. These dynamics still impact social, political, and economic freedoms; some people experience disproportionate discrimination and poverty while others experience heightened privilege and affluence. As women who are also Black, our participants are exponentially impacted by oppression in the workplace and broader community; it impacts their access to education, earnings, chances of being promoted, ability to provide for their families, and their overall wellness.
Though there are a number of professional affiliation organizations for Black women, they often separate by class, sector, and other societal differentiators, impeding sisterhood across age, industry, income, and education level. BlackFemaleProject exists to bridge this gap.
We at BlackFemaleProject believe the purpose of life is to realize our wildest dreams and live in alignment with our gifts and calling. This belief is at the core of our work. Black women continue to thrive in spite of having long been disproportionately impacted by workplace oppression. We celebrate their resilience and acknowledge their sacrifices. BlackFemaleProject is committed to helping Black women heal and helping all of us to learn from these healing journeys.
