Just As I Am
VOL 28 - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4
Happy Friday, Jr! Happy Black History Month! We’re so glad to meet with you all again, especially after an inspirational conversation we had last weekend. We hosted our first virtual event of the year, Building Your Professional Trifecta. Thank you all for joining our discussion with our panelists (LaToya “LJ” Finney, Lauren Legette, and Laury Georges-Lane) and moderator (Darline Goyea). A friendly reminder to please complete this feedback form if you attended our event as we would like to improve for future events this year.
If you weren’t able to join us, don’t fret. We are currently editing the recording and will keep you updated when it’ll be available on our website, Notedd.com. In the meantime, we’ve got a sneak peek of an article from Lauren Legette on the secrets to an amazing mentor. You can also learn more on how to join her new networking for women of color.
Let’s get right to it, particularly in honor of our new series: rooting for every Black woman! Check out what we Notedd for you this week, which includes a list of Black women firsts, the Big News, and our honorable mentions. As always, #staynotedd.
Yesterday, Sonceria “Ann” Berry was officially named Secretary of the Senate, the first Black woman to hold the position.
Meet Tia McWilliams, the first African American woman Sheriff in Taliaferro County, Georgia.
Stacey Abrams and the Black Lives Matter Movement received Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
Javicia Leslie is making history as the first Black woman to play CW’s Batwoman.
Check out Teressa “Tee” Price, a writer with several Medium pubs (Conscious Creatives and #ClubhouseAppRecap) and created a space on the Clubhouse app for Medium writers and editors of color to join together to talk shop, dollars, and editorial sense.
Ulta Beauty announced their new $25 million initiative to double Black-owned brands on store shelves by the end of 2021. They will also invest in media campaigns that feature Black women and expand employee training to fight unconscious bias. Actress and Pattern founder Tracee Ellis Ross will become the company’s diversity and inclusion advisor.
As soon as we closed January’s series on growth, we quickly re-opened to celebrate The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl’s ten-year anniversary. Because when you think about the radiance of growth and evolution with a mix of creating her seat at the table, that is Issa Rae baybee. Who can’t forget the infamous liner: “I’m awkward and Black.”
The first episode of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl debuted on YouTube in February 2011. Created by and starring Issa Rase, the web series followed J, a Black woman who finds herself in embarrassingly awkward positions when it came to love, work, and life.
It’s interesting to think that the project initially started after Rae was tired of waiting for a green light from an industry that was more interested in the reality tv show representation of Black women. The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl became the foundation of Insecure, set to end its final season this year.
As she reflected on her journey, it reminded us that we don’t often give ourselves the grace and gratitude of the accomplishments we’ve made so far and many that we are aspiring to do. In the article, Rae shared that she had to stop herself and realize she had accomplished a lot of what she wanted to do as a part of her journey with Awkward Black Girl and Insecure. We may have fallen off of our personal development plans or haven’t been sticking to our New Year’s resolution, but there’s always room to pick up a new hobby or where you left off on an old project.
Read more of Issa’s reflection on The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl and how songwriter/producer Pharrell got involved with the project.
Have you ever felt like you weren’t “social enough” for your team or had to over-perform/overcompensate for your colleagues to feel comfortable?
Writer Brianna Holt recounts her experience, along with other Black women, in the article: “What They Mean When They Say You’re ‘Not Social Enough’ at work.” Along with Holt, two other Black women shared similar experiences on the inability to move up the corporate ladder within their companies or how they received negative feedback on their reviews. All of which had no reflection on their work, but simply because they weren’t “social enough” or that “their personalities were an issue.”
“White people get to be anything that they want to be. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you don’t have to work as hard to be appealing to others. But Black people have to live between certain margins and can’t overstep certain lines.”
Initially, it was disheartening to read the stories and see the exchanges, particularly with these women and their White colleagues. However, this article gave us a sigh of relief. We were so glad that Zora published and featured this story to encourage the dialogue needed and to share these perspectives that many of us have experienced. This type of behavior must stop. To read the full article on Zora, check it out here.
Leave us a comment and let us know if you think this would be a good discussion topic for another event.
This week, we kicked off our project: honoring and celebrating Black women who are killing the game every day — exactly the way that they are. We’re looking for the hidden figures within our communities who are creating seats at the table, breaking barriers, and defying odds. Let us share your story!
Using the link below, nominate yourself or a family member, friend, colleague, manager, a mentor from afar, or the boss Black woman you idol.
Once selected, we will feature you on our blog and share your story via our social media channels!
I mean if we can’t watch more TV in COVID days, then what the hell can we do? Our TV time has increased significantly during the COVID times, how about yours? One of the shows on our list is Netflix’s ‘History of Swear Words.’ It’s a six-episode docuseries centered around the history behind some of the most popular four and five-letter words. Writer Kisha Forde shared in a recent Essence article on two episodes highlighting Black women’s impact on Black culture, reclaiming these words, and using them to our advantage. We’re tuning in this weekend, but share your thoughts on what you think of these episodes.
The United States has never been “one nation under God” but several nations gazing up at him, dissimilar faces huddled beneath a single flag. In white America, the ’20s may have roared, but in my Black world—in what has been called the Other America—the decade also moaned. The fact that the Great Depression was given a name just meant that enough whites were now suffering alongside us to warrant an official title.
We lost one of the greats last week, the legend Ms. Cicely Tyson. As we await to receive her memoir (which we purchased from this Black-owned bookstore), we enjoyed reading this excerpt where Ms. Tyson reflects and shares HERstory growing up in the 1920s and 1930s.
Secrets to Securing An Amazing Mentor
Lauren Legette was one of our amazing panelists during last weekend’s panel discussion. In addition to sharing her perspective on mentorship, sponsorship, and coaching in the workplace, Lauren listed best practices or secrets to securing an amazing mentor on our blog. Check out a sneak peek of the article below and read the full article by clicking the below link!
The lifeline of my professional growth has centered around having incredible people in my life who can offer wise counsel on personal and professional obstacles. And as I grow in my professional journey, I've learned that not many people understand the value of mentors, the critical role they can play in your life, and the work you have to put in to make it a fruitful relationship.
For individuals like me, who sit at the intersection of being black and being a woman, mentorship has been the very foundation to navigating professional hurdles like unconscious bias and “the glass ceiling.” It can help you outsmart the competition or avoid common mistakes that others have learned from.
Let's start by defining what a mentor really is:
men·tor
/ˈmenˌtôr,ˈmenˌtər/
(noun)
an experienced and trusted adviser
You seek their guidance or advice on personal and professional circumstances. While a coach offers domain expertise on specific situations or circumstances, mentors offer limitless advice to help you achieve your goals. I like to think of mentors as role models.
In addition to being a superstar at Facebook, Lauren is also a Founding Member of LEVEL: A multiracial professional women's network taking real action for racial equity. If you are ready to take real action for racial equity and join a bold and growing network, we welcome you to fill out an interest form today (https://lnkd.in/dNU_ZdG)! And if you are a Black woman entrepreneur looking for funding, we invite you to request an application for an upcoming pitch session (http://bit.ly/3jaaOK8).
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