PERSPECTIVE
Remembering you aren’t alone is the revelation. We are part of the largest and oldest network, as a woman of color in STEM.
A KUFI, A KIMONO AND A COFFEE:
A LIBERATED BROWN GIRL IN STEM BY EBONY KENNEY
W
ith the pandemic brought a myriad of abrupt shifts in societal function. Suddenly an entire family, working and learning remotely, needed to contend with each other's roles on the front lines as they were reduced to being excusable “background noise.” We all heard the audible battle between spouses vying for sound real estate. And workplace dynamics shifted where the discussion of fears and feelings were normalized, to some of our male counterpart’s chagrin. We became intimately familiar with each other's resting faces as Zoom Fatigue dawned. The well-labeled side effect of the daily “performances,” after hours of being on camera with coworkers, was just another in a long list of new conditions. Introverts were gently nudged out of their comfort zone, while extroverts made up reasons to meet, and the overworked resented them both for it. The result, we had little choice but to increase our trust in a time where there was much to suspect. It’s ironic that the trust it takes to be oneself in front of coworkers, people we see everyday, seems to top our stressor list. Yet, somehow in that era of no makeup, dressed from the waist up, “one second while I get my coffee cup,” and “meet my pup,” an equalized and diverse workforce organically emerged. 68 ONYX MAGAZINE
Most of us enjoyed being freed from the corporate structure we’d been indoctrinated into. For us, this shift brought transparency and the rules of the old ways dissolved. Today, if I feel like disruption, I wear a kufi, and a kimono while I sip my coffee on a Zoom call. But, I can remember just a few years back the tech field being abuzz with the idea of disruption. This disruption should be an idea so simple that it would change an industry by its very presence. Somehow though, post pandemic, post quarantining, post remote work, post Trump, post Black Lives Matter — or in the time of it — the idea of awaiting disruption seems slightly ridiculous. For example, we feel almost desensitized to the mass shootings, which averaged 650 per year for 2020-22 compared to a then record of 417 in 2019, according to a report from CNN. It begs the question, are we bored with disruption, like the second day of a toddlers new toy? Meanwhile, the biggest disruption, so to speak, is that of the growing demand for justice that we all seem ready to approach and work on. Old regimes of systemic racism are being called out and forced to either reorganize underground or reconcile with their past. Some might correctly assess that depending on the economic position of the accused, an emotional bail-out is
available. However, nationwide and global alignment of efforts continue to prove there’s a benefit to finding bias, identifying marginalization and calling out oppression. That such efforts make lived experiences real, for better or for worse. Just now, are organizations focusing on representation with a rise of women of color (WOC) in corporate environments, and even more so in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).* In 2018, women made up 28% of STEM workers, with WOC only making up 5%. Today, we make up 33% of the STEM workforce. With new graduates flooding the field, intent on being the change they wish to see in the world, they are met with those who have established roots in spaces that previously had no representation. In many ways, as a WOC, just being in those rooms, at that time, and maybe still today, was a disruption. Now, it might be more common to have an African American product owner or engineer, Indian developer, Hispanic scrum master or Asian behavioral scientist. No doubt, she would be a peerless brave individual who is or has found her authentic, or at least acceptable, voice amidst a sea of codeswitch techniques she’d perfected over the years. If your presence alone wasn’t a disruption, showing up as your hair coiffed, bold, brightly colored, East-
ern-inspired self, speaking in your own rhythm and cadence, loudly should do it. And unwilling anymore to adopt insecure based speech patterns, “does that make sense,” embrace stereotypes of the angry Black woman, and stand with the crowd that is willing to ignore your differences, ignore you, you emerge “self-accepted” and therefore demanding to be recognized. Some WOC’s approach has been to find a comfy, hiding spot away from the spotlight, others have grown into themselves, toward the sun finding community. Potentially more common in STEM spaces, WOC also balance warming to other communities. Working from home freed many from lunch table topics they find it a stretch to even relate to. It also meant missing some conversations about strategy, that you might not otherwise be privy to. And as a layer cake, there is the dynamic among brethren where there are unspoken adoptions or rejection, labels as ally or opponent placing you on a tightrope. It might surprise some entering the space to know promotions, advancement and introductions aren’t compulsory. So, navigating all of this is, well, part of it. Recognizing allies when you’re in spaces of low representation is key. And those allies might or might not look like you. This is knowledge we all swallow as the era of favors-owed leaves a
bad taste on the tongue. Allyship isn’t necessarily corruption. A coordinated approach means we don't have to discover them independently, we can utilize an existing network to learn from others stories. How can you prepare for what you don’t know is coming? In STEM there is often an unexpected call for creativity and inquisitiveness, traits many of us were discouraged from displaying, that would prove to be essential. They become our currency and equity in various dynamics. This equity highlights shared strength rather than shared need — which for some, appears to be a new concept. We demonstrate those innate abilities in product creation, and team dynamic as well as for strategy, and more, to figure out how to send the elevator down to those just starting. And for entry-level WOC in STEM, that creativity and knowledge of what’s possible can help those whose shoulders upon which we stand develop exit strategies, lateral moves or new founder journeys. Remembering you aren’t alone is the revelation. We are part of the largest and oldest network, as a woman of color in STEM. Sure, formally studying the subjects and coming away with particular documentation to acknowledge our institutional affiliation may be new, but the thinking that it takes to innovate,
create, build, and explore, is built in and hard wired. We’ve never had to think about it, and that will never change. As potential employees, we have a unique opportunity to celebrate institutions who are forthright about historical acts of oppression or indifference, or punish them, by simply accepting the other job offer, or not. We should take that choice and wield it as the power it is, building, with every decision we make the world we want to live in. How can we push gently at institutions nudging toward social justice, despite the foundations having mixed origins, evolving this society without fully dismantling it? Then standing upright having pulled as much as possible up by our proverbial bootstraps, we seek to find what’s the proper balance between self-empowerment, an essential connection to community, and what we might receive as reconciliation. Only in that light can we successfully navigate the shifting landscape of a going flat corporate vision, bond with our “sistern” and relax into the STEM space enjoying a guilt free view of the bay, wearing a kufi and a kimono, drinking a cup of coffee. Ebony is a studied writer, trained graphic designer and professional Market and User Experience Researcher. She enjoys exploring the scientific method as it occurs in everyday life.
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