Black Visionaries: Making the Invisible Visible, Black Women in Employment

Led by Dr Victoria Showunmi,  this roundtable will analyse experiences of women in workplace with a focus on the intersection of gender and race.  The audience will be invited to challenge their beliefs as we explore well-known phenomena through the fresh lens of unacknowledged and hidden forms of sexism and racism.  We will uncover the true extent of the impact of discrimination on the well-being of Black women in a range of contexts. We will also consider how Black women can deploy strategies to combat racism.  They have the power to ‘flip the script and change the narrative’.

This presentation will explore race and gender in the context of the workplace, analysing the experiences of Black women in employment enables one to create a better understanding of what it is to be Black and a woman in contemporary British society.  The main themes of this paper are elaborated through the lens of critical Black feminism.  The historical origins of inequalities are outlined foregrounding their influence on how Black women are described and regarded.  The damaging impact of everyday and sophisticated racism intersecting with sexism is explored and exemplified.  Concepts and theories serve to elucidate the discrimination suffered by Black women in academic roles.  White women do not offer unequivocal support to their Black colleagues and may even undermine their career progression.  When Black women gain leadership roles, the traditional characteristics associated with leaders often conflict with the stereotypical expectations of Black women.  A closer examination of the workplace reveals the extent of the racial trauma endured by Black women and the resultant decline in their well-being.

Black Visionaries is an annual discussion platform that centres the voices of international Black women academics with the vision to build and sustain meaningful inter-generational debates and strategies for positive action.