Breaking the Glass Ceiling
There has been so many that have come before us. So many have gotten to a certain level and stopped.
This year feels different more than before for many reasons. It's only 18 days into the month but it feels
like its been years.
Today marks Martin Luther King Jr, birthday and we are also two days away from our inauguration of
President Elect Joe Biden and the first Black Female Vice President. Vice President Kamala Harris who
broke through the glass ceiling .
Let me explain why it is so monumental to me. As a African American female with an advanced degree I
have worked in corporate america for many years. I have networked, mentored and gone for many
senior level management positions. I had sat in management meetings where later debriefed on my facial
expressions, suggested an idea that was overlooked for someone else to paraphrase what I said and it is
credited to the other employee. I have been told I challenged others, that I should keep a note book to
write out my grocery list and to not make eye contact. It is a fact in the United States that women
salaries are never equal to her white male counterpart. Black women make .76 cents compared to the one
dollar a while male is paid. I was overlooked for promotions for years at a company and I was watching
my male counter parts who had the job with only a high school diploma advancing. I have been in many
managerial training programs for fortune 500 companies the training materials are the same for all but
there is a difference in the opportunities given.
So there are some that advance and we all cheer in the background for their accomplishment because
they represent us all. Those who are still working daily, some who are in entry level positions,
middle management and those in the senior level positions sitting at the board room table since
there has been a call for a more diverse and inclusion environment . We know that there is information
not shared with all of us. We know that when we are assertive, confident, and not accepting mistreatment
we are labeled the Angry Black Woman stereotype. When all we are doing is trying to break the
glass ceiling that is keeping us down.
I am thinking of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm who was ahead of her time. The first African
American female who ran for the President of United States position in 1972. An intelligent educator
who was elected into congress in 1968. The same year that the Civil Right Movement ended. The
United States at the time wasn't ready for a black person and surely not a black female to run the nation.
That there were other women who tried to run for the presidency over the years and for whatever reason
they never were elected to become president . The ceiling couldn't be broken at that time but we didn't
give up.
So fast forward to the United States that is currently divided , there are many who have so much
anger and hate for reasons that remind me a time I don't want to go back to. We have seen companies v
oting more women into CEO positions, Chairman of the Executive Boards, you have women still fighting
to be listened to. We are in the day and age of social media where everything is recorded and uploaded to
see the injustice is still happening. With everything happening there was no way that all the people
couldn't see it. We had allies coming to the forefront and we had women across the United States working
together to push one forward to make a change. You have Stacy Abrams, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi,
and Dr. Jill Biden in place.
So on January 20, 2021 when Vice President Kamala Harris the second in command is sworn in there
will be women across the United States cheering from afar. Upon the shoulders many have climbed to
get a education, a fair chance, and an opportunity to sit at the table. There are many women who were
discouraged, harassed and gave up watching to know that there is still a chance. There will be many older
black and brown women who had limited opportunities, who were told that you have to take care of your
family and not work. You will have the ancestors who worked the fields, who came up in the Jim Crow
era, and marched in protests for one day to dream about this.
When we talk about the glass ceiling after January 20, 2021 we will say the day that the glass ceiling was
broken for all !
Blessings,
Patricia A. Saunders
Author, Poet, Blogger
https://www.patriciaAsaunders.com
Award winning author, poet, speaker Patricia A. Saunders was born and raised in Connecticut before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area nearly 28 years ago. She received her Master’s in Management from the University of Phoenix in 2011. After the passing of her mother who had Alzheimer’s, Patricia decided if she inherited the disease she wanted her words to be her legacy and that all the words that she kept to herself were to be released.
Her work has been featured on a Coast to Coast Book Tour at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Toronto Word On The Street, Sacramento Black Book Fair, Tucson Book Festival, Miami International Festival of Books and AARP Life@50+ Spring Convention. Recently she was chosen among 100 authors from around the United States to participate in the Author’s Pavilion at the 2018 Congressional Black Caucus Convention in Washington, DC.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Chisholm
https://www.payscale.com/compensation-today/2020/08/black-women-equal-pay-2020
https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement
Comments
Post a Comment