By Frank Velásquez Jr., Storyteller Extraordinaire, Social Justice Warrior and Community Connector

In spite of all of the research and advocacy that has been devoted to DEI, occupational divisions along race lines remain firmly entrenched.

You’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. 

A workshop titled something like, “How to Become an Authentic Leader.” I cringe when I see workshops like this because, frequently, they are facilitated by white folks – albeit well-meaning white folks – who speak from a lens that isn’t representative of the experiences of people of color (PoC) and the tangible differences we face in the workplace.

“How can an ally teach me to be an authentic leader in spaces that were never designed for people who look like me?”

The truth of the matter is that PoC have historically faced barriers to executive leadership opportunities. According to the University of Massachusetts’ Center for Employment Equity, white men are overrepresented in executive jobs in every state in the United States. So, it’s not surprising that PoC experience slower rates of promotion compared to our white peers. Even after over a decade of corporate investment in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), little has actually changed. Executive leadership remains largely white, with only 16% represented by PoC. 

In spite of all of the research and advocacy that has been devoted to DEI, occupational divisions along race lines remain firmly entrenched.

And this is just one of many examples of a space that is deeply rooted in systemic injustices existing because of persistent and inequitable socio-economic conditions which have severely impacted generations of communities of color. When disparities in representation exist, it creates an impassable gap between the people with access to power and resources and those without. 

This is what PoC experience in the workplace. 

We are required to navigate the white-dominant spaces that exist all around us. These spaces, a result of a white-dominant culture, grant advantages to white people in which they can navigate society both by feeling normal and being viewed as normal.

C-suites are white spaces, and executives who identify as white rarely have to think about their racial identity because they live within a culture that has celebrated whiteness above other cultures. As a result of this normalization, PoC, when in white spaces, face stressors that our white peers simply will never encounter; stressors including microaggressions, code-switching, assimilation, heightened visibility and vulnerability, and constant scrutiny.

This brings to mind a workforce panel discussion I attended several years ago.

At the time, I was working in the nonprofit sector and in a CEO role for the first time. The topic was Second Chances – a term referring to the employment of justice-involved individuals and hiring practices that consider them based on their qualifications and potential rather than dismissing them due to their past mistakes or circumstances.

The discussion was going well until one of the panelists – a white cisgender male in his mid to late 30s – began to share his perspective on hiring justice-involved folks. He began making broad negative generalizations about several groups: people of color, millennials, veterans, and people experiencing poverty. At one point, he said that millennials in our community were lazy and unreliable. I heard the dog whistle. He was referring to the young people of color in our community. I was stunned. I looked around the room to see if the other 20 people in the room were feeling as disgusted as I was. Their faces told me they were. 

After quickly analyzing the situation – something we leaders of color do to ensure our safety and whether it’s even worth speaking up – I raised my hand to address his disparaging remarks about millennials’ work ethic. I politely asked him to stop making generalizations about millennials because his personal experiences with them were not based in fact. To give him context, I shared that the 300 students – an average age of 34 years old and primarily students of color – that we worked with were anything but lazy and unreliable.

I mentioned that despite being “low-income” – I know, I know, that is a deficit-framed word, but it was before I knew it was deficit-framed – they were hardworking and resilient! 

He countered, “Being low-income is an excuse.” 

In the context of the panel topic, he did not represent what a second-chance individual is. He was actually just a spoiled son who was fortunate enough to get a “second chance” at his father’s company. But not just any second chance. The second chance to be vice president.

Let that sink in.

An individual who is truly a second-chance individual very likely does not have a wealthy father who is president and CEO of a company that he founded and in a position to give his child a great-paying job.

So, when this white male spewed what he spewed, I needed to make a new decision. Either engage as authentic Frank would with this privileged man which I desperately wanted to, or disengage because I was just entering my second year as the CEO of frankly anywhere. I chose the latter. 

I stood up from my seat and walked out because I didn’t want to say something that would jeopardize my job. In that moment, I strongly felt that I couldn’t be authentic. And it crushes me to this day that I didn’t say more to check his privilege. But I’m not the only person of color to choose a path like this.

We need spaces in which we can gather and be free from the mainstream stereotypes and marginalization that permeate every other societal space we occupy. We need spaces where we can be our authentic selves without white people’s judgment and discomfort. We need a space fully to ourselves to be our full, authentic selves. A space where we can break bread together, heal together, to lead together.

With the racism we’ve had to endure for generations combined with the daily toll of navigating white spaces, how successful will we actually be in building our authenticity in those spaces? And how will a workshop on authentic leadership facilitated by a white ally address these stressors that uniquely impact us?

What PoC need are our own spaces.

We need spaces in which we can gather and be free from the mainstream stereotypes and marginalization that permeate every other societal space we occupy. We need spaces where we can be our authentic selves without white people’s judgment and discomfort. We need a space fully to ourselves to be our full, authentic selves. A space where we can break bread together, heal together, to lead together.

In May of 2023, I created such a space for leaders of color – Ascending Leaders in Color (ALC). 

In this space, I facilitate and foster a space for peeps of color to be authentically real, reconnect with one another, and reclaim every part of who they are. When they are in this space, with only each other, it is an opportunity for them to simply be. Unfiltered. Unapologetic. And fully authentic.

In this space, they can collectively breathe, giving themselves an opening to heal. And being together gives them space to build their resilience together so that they can begin to bring their fuller selves into integrated spaces where it will inevitably be challenged.

Now, if you didn’t pick up the keyword in that last sentence, here it is again: FULLER.

Which brings me back to my thoughts on “authentic leadership” for People of Color.

In the space I’ve created, there is no promise that by the end of the program, they will be fully authentic in every space they occupy. That would be a lie. However, my goal is that, by being in space with other leaders of color, they become more authentic, more empowered, and more fully themselves. And, by design, when they complete the program, they will be connected to other ALC alums to create a vast network of interconnected leaders of color who have the shared experience of having gone through Ascending Leaders in Color.

Something remarkable occurred along the way. Something that has personally impacted me.

Even in my mostly successful attempts at remaining an objective-guided facilitator, I cannot help but have learned from the five cohorts that have gone through or are continuing to go through Ascending Leaders in Color. The truth is that I navigate a lot of white spaces, both as an employee of an organization that employs a small team and as the founder and solopreneur of 4 Da Hood. 

I’ve noticed that I am showing up more authentically in the white spaces I occupy. I’m unquestionably further ahead with my own business because, well, it’s my own business, and I’m the boss. In that area, I still intersect with many white folks. Fortunately, I’ve cultivated a reputation as a racial and gender equity subject matter expert, which strengthens my credibility and has boosted my confidence, for sure.

As an employee, though, I find it much more difficult to navigate. There aren’t many leaders of color where I work. In fact, I’m the only person of color with a Director title or above. Moreover, the circles I primarily navigate are also largely white. In this space, I’m expected to dress a certain way, talk a certain way, and act a certain way. Yet…

I am beginning to dress in a way that feels “professional” to me, and over time, the CEO has (mostly) let me be me. I have also encouraged my direct supervisor, who is a millennial, to redefine “professional dress” for his generation in the office. Additionally, I am beginning to write my emails more in my style: with a little more of my personal slang and emojis. This is who I am and this is how I express myself. And it doesn’t hurt anyone.

As my confidence builds in this space, I am feeling more of my authentic self. As a result, I feel I’m a better colleague because I get to be me… mostly.

Perhaps most importantly though, I am starting to advocate for myself in ways I haven’t before.

I’ve asked for compensation from organizations that typically don’t compensate. I’ve called out an organization for publicly erasing my contributions to their event. And as an employee, I’ve had courageous conversations with leadership who ended up appreciating my perspective as a person of color. I’ve been able to do these things because I am sitting in spaces with PoC who have experienced the things I’ve experienced because they’ve experienced these things themselves.

That’s why being an authentic leader is more than just speaking up and knowing yourself. For a person of color, we gotta consider much more! We gotta consider whether or not what we say is gonna get us fired. (Yup, that’s happened to me). We gotta consider if what we say is gonna get us blackballed. (Yup, that’s happened to me too). And if we’re solopreneurs, we gotta consider if what we say is gonna make someone in “power” uncomfortable to the point that they go out of their way to disparage my name. (Sadly, this has happened as well).

For the peeps of color reading this, I encourage you to find a space like the spaces I’ve created. The 40+ folks who have experienced the space called Ascending Leaders in Color have been empowered to lead with more authenticity, courage, and joy! And they have empowered me in the process!

I see it. They see it. You see it.