The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table
by Minda Harts
14 popular highlights from this book
Key Insights & Memorable Quotes
Below are the most popular and impactful highlights and quotes from The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table:
I had to fight systemic racism in a way that was authentic to me
What does this white lady know about struggling at work? She wrote a career book from a place of privilege, and she already had a seat at the table, so leaning in was easier. Her feelings were valid, to be clear, and I don’t want to take that away from her. But while she was pissed about not having a prime parking spot during her pregnancy, black and brown women were dealing with systemic racism that prevents us from using our voice to speak on subject matters like support for working mothers or the wage gap, because we often aren’t yet at “the table.” Imagine me busting down Sergey Brin’s door at Google and demanding new workplace policies. He would probably call security. Who is this crazy black woman leaning in!
I wasn’t sure if I was the one to continue carrying this mantle of those who came before me like Ida B. Wells, Essie Robeson, Addie Hunton, and Maggie Walker.
With everything women of color already deal with at work just to gain a little respect, I can’t help but fear the future of the workforce for women of color. Women of color have been dealing with so much shade that many are leaving the workforce altogether to start their own companies. If women of color leave the workforce before their time, I fear we won’t influence the companies that need us most.
All I could think about was Shirley Chisholm’s quote, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.
My activism was kicked off by Trayvon Martin—his death showed me that there was advocacy inside me waiting to come out.
My career purpose is and when I look back on my career, I hope I can say . The turning point in my career was and I realized that I had the power to re-create my narrative. My values are
We need to be on the front lines of our own issues.
Therapy is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign that you want to live a healthier and happier life.
Shirley Chisholm’s quote, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.
I think we should first address conscious and unconscious bias. I believe these conjoined twins set the stage for how office politics erode the workplace, leaving a lot of talented and tenured people overlooked and undervalued—more than likely people of color.
I had to fight systemic racism in a way that was authentic to me and that would allow me to use my expertise. Mellody Hobson would later use the term “corporate Kaepernick,” and I felt like I was something like a Kaepernick; addressing the inequalities that we often are scared to address. I had no idea what I would do or
Even though I was one of the top performers on his team, me laughing at his jokes seemed to be what impressed him the most. Go figure!
Later, during Jim Crow, many white women made false accusations about people of color, which resulted in lynchings.
