“I thought you had my back.” That’s what I wanted to say when my so-called ally, who champions diversity in public, sat silent while leadership dismissed me in a meeting. It wasn’t the first time this occurred, and it wouldn’t be the last. The team ignored my strategic insights until a white colleague restated them; suddenly, the insights were “innovative.” I watched as decision-makers made key choices impacting my role without my input. The weight of constantly proving my expertise while navigating corporate politics drained me. The workplace touted inclusivity, yet I had to fight for visibility, recognition, and inclusion.
This is the reality for many high-achieving Black women in corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, and executive roles. We’re constantly striving for success, managing the exhaustion of code-switching, navigating microaggressions, and countering workplace bias. Often, the individuals with the loudest voices who claim to be allies outside of work are the same individuals complicit in perpetuating toxic dynamics in the workplace.
The Mental Health Impact of Workplace Microaggressions
The emotional and psychological toll of inequities in the workplace extends beyond professional frustrations; it seeps into our mental well-being. Constantly being undermined or excluded fosters chronic stress, depression, anxiety, burnout, and multiple mental health symptoms. Black women are often expected to demonstrate resilience at the expense of their mental health, masking exhaustion under the guise of being “strong.”
The weight of these experiences is both frustrating and exhausting, and it can be deeply harmful. Black women in professional spaces constantly navigate biases that undermine their expertise, contributions, and leadership potential. Some of the most common workplace experiences include:
- The “Angry Black Woman” Narrative – When a Black woman confidently expresses her perspective, others perceive her as combative, while they see a non-Black colleague as assertive.
- Leadership Glass Ceiling – Despite exceeding expectations, Black women are overlooked for promotions, watching less-qualified peers ascend the corporate ladder.
- Performative Inclusion – Being invited into leadership conversations for optics but having contributions ignored or dismissed.
- Expertise Erasure – Offering well-researched insights, which are questioned or dismissed and later validated when a white colleague restates the same points.
When “Allies” Contribute to the Problem
True allyship is about taking meaningful action rather than merely appearing supportive. Many who publicly advocate for diversity fail to acknowledge their role in perpetuating workplace inequities. The most common missteps include:
- Silence in Critical Moments – Failing to speak up when witnessing bias, exclusion, or microaggressions.
- Centering Their Own Experience – Using their platform to prioritize their own experiences or contributions to diversity rather than using their platform to highlight and amplify the voices and experiences of Black women.
- Minimizing Workplace Inequities – Questioning whether race is a factor when Black women voice concerns about workplace bias.
How to Be a Real Ally in Professional Spaces
If you are serious about advocating for Black women in leadership and business, take intentional steps:
- Engage in Authentic Conversations – Speak to the Black women with whom you have trusting relationships. Ask about their workplace experiences and listen without defensiveness.
- Acknowledge Workplace Bias – Recognize where structural and interpersonal biases exist within your organization and industry.
- Push for Executive-Level Change – Advocate for equitable hiring, transparent promotion practices, and leadership diversity.
- Leverage Your Influence – If you can access decision-makers, recommend Black women for leadership roles, high-profile projects, and board seats.
- Speak Up in the Moment – When you witness inequity, challenge it in real-time instead of offering private apologies later.
- Trust and Validate Black Women’s Experiences – When Black women share their struggles in the workplace, it’s necessary to listen, believe them, and take action where you can make a difference.
Allyship Requires Action And Advocacy
Being an ally is more than performative social media posts or corporate diversity statements. Black women in executive roles, entrepreneurship, and corporate spaces deserve real advocacy, not symbolic gestures. If you consider yourself an ally, ask yourself: Are you actively using your influence to uplift and support black women in your workplace?
Start by having honest conversations. Speak to the black women friends who don’t work with you. Ask about their professional experiences. Listen, learn, and take action because true allyship is speaking up in boardrooms, strategy meetings, and hiring discussions where it truly counts.
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