Struggling To Be Me

As a black woman in the United States of America with a career in STEM and Ministry, my life began with two strikes from birth. People made choices for and about me based on how they saw me through their presupposition. No matter how much I changed my appearance, worked on my vernacular, educated myself and assimilated into a patriarchal world, it was still a struggle to be seen, heard, respected and trusted. Today, women in leadership like myself continue to experience gender discrimination by men and women, especially as black, brown and indigenous women advance their careers in academia, institutions, politics and corporations. It's the verbal and non-verbal communication that tells women this isn't your place.