Dismantling the Barriers Faced by Black Women in Leadership: It’s on Us.

In the US in 2019, White women held about 32% of all management positions, while Black women held about 4%. Black women often find themselves adversely affected by both sexism and racism. Generally, Black women have less support and fewer opportunities for development and advancement. We often experience exclusion rather than inclusion. History continuously shows that Black women are not only natural leaders, but resilient and resourceful. So it's no surprise that over the past year Black women have been soaring through 'concrete ceilings.' We've seen record numbers of Black women joining corporate boards and moving into senior leadership, however this uptick is reactive and likely short lived. There is so much work needed to dismantle both the barriers of entry and the systemic obstacles that hinder success. We don't have the luxury of waiting around for organizations or people to do the right thing. We must ride this wave and turn these short sighted opportunities into long term wins for US. We aren't leaving our destiny in the hands of others. It's on us and the time is now! Join Thumbtack's Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dionna Smith and PowerToFly's Sienna Brown for this important conversation.