Black Anti-Fatigue Groups
Black Fatigue is real. It's a condition that affects African Americans in the workplace. Black Fatigue comes from the pain and anguish of living with racism every single day of your life and the toll that it takes on your mind, body and spirit.
To assist African American leaders and managers, Second Wind offers topical Anti-Black Fatigue Affinity Groups - a safe place for you to discuss your feelings and strategize on how to continue doing the important work that you are doing without compromising your racial identify, your faith or your power.
My Story
I have experienced varying levels of racism my entire life, and certainly during my professional career. Some overt and some covert examples come to mind. I remember once my white male boss at the time. told me, as I was about 8 months pregnant "Just have that baby and get back to work. You know your ancestors used to have their babies in the cotton field and keep pickin' cotton the same day. You can do the same thing!" and he laughed. To him, it was a joke, but I was furious, offended and hurt. What nerve, what gall, what audacity! Those words would not have come out of his mouth had I been white. And the only reason they came out of his mouth was because I was black. This is the kind of micro-aggressions that black people deal with every day, it's exhausting, and it takes a toll.
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Now, with the mass shooting in Buffalo, NY, where black people were specifically targeted, we find ourselves not feeling safe in our own country.
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After the murder of George Floyd, I facilitated several listening sessions with the staff from school of Arts & Sciences at Harvard University. Those sessions was powerful, and I could tell that the need for a safe place to vent about the effects of racism personally and collectively was absolutely essential for black people. Not gripe sessions. but listening sessions with like minded people.
That's where the idea of creating Black Affinity Groups was developed. These groups are facilitated by me, are topical, and are once a month for 6 months. They are a safe place to express your frustration, concerns and challenges of working in a difficult system while maintaining your integrity.
Each monthly group, with 5-7 participants, will have a topic. You will have an opportunity to share with likeminded individuals in a safe space, and then develop solutions and strategies that will help you move forward.
This group is for African American leaders, and will come from a Christain framework. It is a safe space to discuss issues of race and the systemic racism that are often present in corporate America. Often times it is difficult to reconcile our faith with the racism, micro aggressions and unfair treatment that we face - but it is possible.
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If you want to hold on to your faith, but feel discouraged, marginalized, and discounted at work this group may be helpful to you. It is not covered by insurance and participants are carefully vetted for confidentiality and appropriateness of shared goals. If this sounds like something you would like to learn more about, go to the CONTACT PAGE and put BLACK FATIGUE in the subject line. I will reach out to you individually for a discovery phone call.
God has a plan for you, in spite of the difficulty you are going through right now.
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