Jeronica Mensah and Tanisha Hill: Women of Color in the Workplace

The Women of Color Conference: 40 Years of Advancing of Women Leaders/A Celebration of Women of Color at Kean University

February marks the beginning of Black History Month, so I sat down with Jeronica Mensah and Tanisha Hill (who was recovering from bronchitis and was kind enough to speak with me anyway!) to discuss the ACENet Women of Color Conference they attended in October and their big takeaways. Both women hope that this conversation will resonate with and empower the members of the Women’s Professional Network to confront uncomfortable situations and expand their perspectives.

What was the event like?

Jeronica: It was an all-day event with three separate workshops. There was a main speaker, in which everyone attended this session together and then we broke off into two separate subsections. The main speaker’s presentation was titled Sisterhood and Coalition Building: Working Between and Beyond the Color and Gender Lines, which was given by Dr. Janice Johnson Dias. The other two workshops covered microaggressions and ways to accelerate career advancement.

Were there any workshops in particular that you found to be particularly valuable?

Jeronica: I found a lot of it valuable but the first session had the most impact for me, where she (Dr. Johnson Dias) spoke about sisterhood and the value of working together and supporting one another in the workplace. I found this discussion very empowering. It’s always nice to come together with like-minded women and individuals in the industry you work in and see how other people are doing things and just listen to the differences and similarities in our experiences. It truly felt great to be in such a positive and uplifting environment.

What were some of your big takeaways?

Jeronica: Well, we had a lot of really engaging conversation. She [Dr. Johnson Dias] would pose certain questions to get you thinking and assessing how you do things. One of the things that she talked about was being fearless in your pursuit of your career advancement - or whatever goals you have set for yourself. Sometimes as women, we may be in a similar role as a man - but the man is perceived as an effective leader who gets stuff done, and has positive skills attributed to his leadership. However, on the flip-side, you’ll have a woman doing the same exact thing, and she may receive the negative connotations, such as “she’s too aggressive” or “she comes off angry”...so it was really nice to hear how to navigate through those perceptions and to come out on top of it instead of allowing it to make you shrink; but instead be fearless and confident in your pursuit.

Another thing that she touched on that really struck a chord with me, personally, was when she posed a question about women of color and why we feel there’s a competition in certain positions. Sometimes the narrative is that “there only can be one that wins”; “only one of us can be the spokesperson”. So it was really nice to hear her saying “No, that’s actually the absolute wrong way to win. You win by supporting one another; you win through sisterhood; you win by empowering one another”. It should be your goal as you grow and progress in life to reach back and bring somebody else up with you - not to hold everything to yourself. The fact of the matter is, if there’s a position for you, it’s going to be for you. You don’t have to worry about “oh, I can’t share because this person might come and take it from me”. Trust yourself and trust other women; trust that we can build together, come together, and grow together - because that’s what empowers us, not “every woman or person for themselves”.

Tanisha: The workshop that I liked the most was “Microaggressions and How to Overcome Them” presented by Dr. LaShauna M. Dean. Dr. Dean spoke about the importance of identifying microaggressions immediately. This was something that I’ve always done, so I found the workshop to be reassuring and refreshing. It has been my experience that when you identify the microagression, you find that in most cases there is no malicious intent there; and it actually provides a time for open dialogue. For example, there have been of a number of times when people have asked out of pure curiosity to feel my hair. I do not feel bad for saying "no" - and after attending this conference, I now know that my saying "no" is the correct response since I’m uncomfortable with random people touching my hair. My decision to say "no" also opens the floor for me and the other individual to have a healthy discussion as to why this type of question can make someone feel uncomfortable.

Jeronica: Yea, it’s not okay to think “well, I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, so I’ll just let you make me feel uncomfortable instead”.

Tanisha: Exactly. Dr. Dean spoke about how healthy confrontation can help change things in the future for both parties.

Jeronica: It allows for a teaching moment, both for the person that it’s happening to and for the person who’s the “offender”. It allows you to practice saying “no", and creates an opportunity to explain why certain behavior(s) is/are not okay. By ignoring it, you become a part of the problem and you’re not working towards any resolution. Of course, you should always use your discretion.

Tanisha: Right, and that’s what she talked about - the ways you can confront people...because there’s definitely a right way and a wrong way. You don’t want to further feed into any stereotype they might have; you want to explain to them why you feel uncomfortable. Sometimes the person may need time to go and process your response, and that’s fine.

Jeronica: What I thought was really interesting was how she broke microaggressions into three types, because I always thought of it as one entity but I learned there’s microassault, microinsult, and microinvalidation. Also, there were certain things that I didn’t even realize would be considered a microaggression that actually were. It’s also important to point out that just because you are a woman of color, doesn’t mean that you can’t be guilty of microaggressions. It was definitely a learning process for everyone that was in the room.

There were scenarios we discussed that were eye-opening for some of the women in the room - like if you enter an elevator where a man is present and you clutch your purse or start to feel uneasy; or if a man of color is walking on the same side of the street as you and you cross to the other side - that is considered a microaggression because you’re projecting your perceptions and your stereotypes onto this person, even if they haven’t done anything to you.

Tanisha: I realize now that I am more mindful of these situations and how I react.

Jeronica: Right, you’re more self-aware. I try to make it an everyday practice to self-check and be more careful and strategic with what I say because you never know who might take offense. I try to see things from others’ perspectives and respect and be receptive to others views and opinions.

Tanisha: I think that’s the major point, here: how addressing these microaggressions helps us to have a better perspective and appreciate other people’s values and backgrounds.

Jeronica: I think events like this really help to reignite that fire...because sometimes, we do get complacent. It was important for me, as it helped me to regain focus on my goals and gave me the motivation to also put action behind those set goals . If you want to grow and reach higher levels in life, you can’t always do things in the “safety-zone”; sometimes you have to be uncomfortable to find those areas, in which growth is needed; as those moments help to prepare you for elevation. Overall, it was a great event and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to attend. I loved the fact that, it wasn’t just for women of color; there were women of all races; one of the speakers was a man, so it wasn’t just women either.

Tanisha: And because there was such a diverse group, we were able to have such open discussions and learn from each other because everyone brings something different to the table.

Jeronica: What I appreciated about that, as well, is that it forced you to network. The questions that were being asked created valuable moments and opportunities for you to converse with people outside of your institution and gain new perspectives and ideas.

So now, shifting gears, what are your thoughts on having a female president coming to TESU?

Jeronica: I think that we’re definitely headed in the right direction, especially considering the climate in our country right now. It’s promoting a very positive image and continued growth and change at the university. It makes a statement about who we are and what we represent by having someone of her caliber in such a high position.

Tanisha: I would like to echo what Jeronica just said. I think it’s very empowering! There are women all across the country taking on roles that were once only obtainable by men. I’m very excited, and I’m looking forward to working under the leadership of Dr. Hancock.

Jeronica is the Graduation Auditor at the Registrar’s Office and has been working at TESU for nine years. Tanisha is the Academic Evaluator at the Registrar’s Office and has been working at TESU for eleven years. They can be reached at jmensah@tesu.edu and thill@tesu.edu, respectively.

To learn more about the 2017 ACENet Women of Color Conference, visit: http://njacenet.org/events/2017-women-color-conference/

To learn more about ACENet events, visit: http://njacenet.org/

To learn more about microaggressions and how to handle them, visit: https://world-trust.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/7-Racial-Microagressions-in-Everyday-Life.pdf