Build What You Imagine To Be Your Black Future
VOL 32 - THURSDAY, MARCH 4
Good Morning #NoteddTribe! Did You Know that March 1 is Black Women's Day? It's the beautiful day that lies at the intersection of Black History Month and Women's History Month.
Right before Black Women's Day, a Black woman made history while another honored her husband's legacy beautifully at the 78th annual Golden Globes last Sunday. Andra Day became the second Black woman to win Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama for her breakout leading role in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Taylor Simone Ledward accepted the award for Best Actor in a Movie Drama for her late husband's, Chadwick Boseman, role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
In honor of Black Women's Day and Women's History Month, we're excited to continue highlighting the Black women who are trailblazers and paving new paths. We're launching a new series of one-on-one chats with members of the Notedd Tribe called Tribe Talks.
This weekend, we're going live on Instagram with Jasmine Kent, Founder & Chief Strategist of Jasmine LaVerne & Co. This Saturday, March 6, at 1 PM EST, we'll dive into Jasmine's journey from being a 9-5 superstar to an entrepreneur rockstar, along with best practices for small business owners from strategy to operations.
We can't wait to see you then. In the meantime, check out what we've Notedd for you this week! Enjoy and, as always, #staynotedd!
On Black Women’s Day, Sonceria “Ann” Berry was sworn in as the 35th secretary of the Senate, making history as the first African American to serve in a position that dates back to the 18th Century.
Connecticut just became the latest state to advance The CROWN Act, prohibiting natural hair discrimination in schools and workplaces.
Pamela A. Smith is taking command of the oldest federal law enforcement agency, the U.S. Park Police, for the first time in 230 years.
WNBA Star Renee Montgomery retired after 11 seasons in the WNBA and became the first former player to co-own a WNBA team Atlanta Dream. #ByeLoeffler
Thasunda Brown Duckett joins the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), becoming Fortune 500’s third-ever Black female CEO.
The town of Evanston, Illinois, will be the first city in the US to pay Black citizens who live within its borders "reparations for generations of lost wealth, inequality, and systemic racism as an ongoing result of slavery in the nation's past."
With an approximate population of 75,000 with a 158-year old history, Evanston is a small city located outside of Chicago. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the city is planning to distribute" $10 million in tax dollars to the cause over the next decade, with $25,000 payments to eligible residents beginning this spring."
A policy spearheaded by 5th Ward Alderman Robin Rue Simmons, who walked through Evanston's history in ABC's Soul of A Nation, builds on the legacy of a Black woman who sued for reparations after being kidnapped back into slavery. At the same time, this policy also will serve as an example for House lawmakers now.
After the Civil War, Henrietta Wood made history suing her kidnapper and won 2,500 — roughly $65,000 in today's dollars — for lost wages and freedom. Now we have Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who is leading the charge and debating for legislation to commission to study and develop proposals on how Black Americans should receive reparations from the federal government. We'll be watching this story closely to see if this will play out in other local and state governments and whether this path to restorative justice will reach the federal government level.
For women of color, is it imposter syndrome or systemic bias in the workplace that has conditioned this feeling? In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Ruchika Tulshyan examines the originally defined concept "imposter phenomenon," which dates back to the 1970s, and how the term became "imposter syndrome" as we know it today. She argues that imposter syndrome "fails to capture this dynamic [daily battles with microaggressions, and expectations and assumptions formed by stereotypes and racism] and it puts the onus on women to deal with the effects."
Ruchika notes that the intersection of race and gender often places women of color in a precarious position at work, pushing the notion that many have felt: being told that we don't belong in white- and male-dominated workplaces.
So what's the solution? Just as the title of her article suggests: Stop telling women they have imposter syndrome (THAT PART). Read Ruchika’s HBR article on the other suggestions she provides that could certainly make a difference in workplace culture and addressing the implicit bias.
This year, we set a goal to move away from the TV screen and start reading more. We're looking forward to adding Black Futures to our list!
Black Future is a visual, mix-media anthology "that pays homage to the intricacies of Black culture and illuminates what it means to live a vibrant Black life in both the present and the future."
The anthology was edited by Kimberly Drew, an art curator, and the previous social media manager for Metropolitan Museum, and Jenna Wortham, a New York Times culture writer (Refinery29).
After exchanging DMs on Twitter, Drew and Wortham conceived the basis for Black Futures to highlight and recognize the infinite beauty that resonates through the various corners of Black culture through various artistic elements (essays, recipes, tweets, and more).
Read the next honorable mention to find out how you can purchase Black Futures at a Black-owned bookstore.
So, where can you purchase Black Futures or other books? Check out this database of Black-owned bookstores provided by Oprah.com.
There are now 125 Black-owned bookstores in the US, but they only make up just 6% of indie bookselling companies.
Please support your local bookstore or check out if there is a store that will ship your next book to you directly.
While you are shopping for your next book at a Black-owned bookstore, make sure you also check the Black Business Greenbook.
Racial justice advocacy group, Color for Change, launched this digital directory to help Black-owned businesses continue to thrive during the panny. Consumers can browse through the Black Business Greenbook under different categories, including home goods, art, food brands, clothing, books, and beauty brands.
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