CLOSING THOUGHTS

23

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Closing Thoughts

The 2019 Women of Color in Business: Cross Generational Survey© was concluded before the several devastating developments of 2020: the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent economic downturn as well as the social and racial justice protests that grew out of the police murders of too many Black citizens, among them George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. As a result, the authors went back into the field with a 2020 Women of Color in Business: Cross- Generational Survey©. In what will hopefully be an annual survey, this second survey included questions about the impact of the twin pandemics. The authors also took a deeper dive to understand and measure the impact of “the only,” entrepreneurship among Black women executives, financial literacy, stretch assignments and for the first time, the survey included questions for white male managers. The 2020 Executive Summary will launch in Q2 of 2021, in partnership with The Executive Leadership Council.

FOREWORD EXCERPT

“To truly make progress, African Americans, women and other historically marginalized people must feel that they are part of society. And for that to happen, they must not be just accepted; they must be embraced.” —Kenneth Chenault

(Former CEO of American Express)

PREFACE EXCERPT

As a Black female CEO, I have often been called a “unicorn” in the boardrooms and corporate offices which I frequent. I have always known that Black women are special. I have hired, worked with, and managed them. I have mentored them, convened them,and cheered them on their careers. But I have never heard them referred to as blessings —until now. The moment I realized that a group of unicorns is called a blessing, I thought how perfect and powerful a title it is.” —Debra Lee

(Former Chairman and CEO of BET Television)

Description of the book

In their new book, “A BLESSING: Women of Color Teaming Up to Lead, Empower and Thrive” (Wordeee Publishing; October 15, 2020) Harvard Business School alumnae Bonita C. Stewart and Jacqueline Adams provide a mission-driven, realistic analysis of Black female leadership. With a foreword written by Kenneth Chenault, Chairman and Managing Director of General Catalyst and former Chairman and CEO of American Express, and a Preface by Debra Lee, former Chairman and CEO of Black Entertainment Television, the authors provide tools, data, and inspiration for entrepreneurial and corporate women of color as well as their allies — regardless of their race or gender. Highlighting Stewart and Adams’ work is their original proprietary research, Women of Color in Business: Cross Generational Survey(© ), which examines the views of 4,005 female “desk” or “knowledge workers” across four races (Black, LatinX, Asian and white) and four generations (Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers). Their book is filled with personal anecdotes and reflective experiences based on their respective careers in the technology, brand marketing and national broadcast media industries. The book serves as a framework for women of color to work together, team up and shed the cloak of invisibility and aloneness.

A Blessing Explained

Bonita Stewart was the first African American female vice president at Google. Jacqueline Adams was the first African American female correspondent assigned full time by CBS News to cover the White House.

We both have been “firsts” and “onlys” in our careers and as such, we have been called “unicorns” — rare and valuable beings in our professional settings. Just as a group of birds is called a flock, a gathering of unicorns is called a blessing — and so are we.”

– Bonita Stewart

SOURCES OF INSPIRATION

Lillian Lincoln Lambert

(HBS 1969) First African American woman graduate of Harvard Business School.

Toni Morrison

“I tell my students, ‘When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.’”

Maya Angelou

Life Doesn’t Frighten Me; Still I Rise, “we are the miraculous.”

Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association

and especially the eight alumnae who contributed to “A Blessing.”

WHAT THE MEDIA ARE SAYING

Anyone interested in the role of Black women, and women in general, in business will learn a great deal from this well-argued book.”

— Library Journal

Teaming up.” Is that leaning in for Black women? The book, written by Bonita C. Stewart and Jacqueline Adams, is billed as a “playbook” for successful Black women. It explores the challenges and rewards of professional growth for Black women whose whirlwind lives of family, graduate school, promotions, stagnation, and success seemed familiar . . . .Like “Lean In” before it, the book might spark some new conversations about race and gender equality as the world grapples with the Black Lives Matter and systemic inequities movements. It will be interesting to see where “teaming up” takes those conversations and whether they bring measurable change to long-standing practices and patterns that have stranded talented Black women and deprived companies and the economy of their skills.”

— Karen Toulon

Bloomberg

These two industry trailblazers see that designation [as unicorns] not as a disadvantage, but an opportunity to lead creatively and bring others up with them.”

— Biance Brosh