2: The Art of Showing Up for and By Women of Color

Moving up in the professional world seems impossible when first starting out, let alone as a woman of color. We are held to higher standards by our colleagues and ourselves, we experience micro/macroaggressions on a daily basis, we struggle to maintain a work-life balance; all things that are common obstacles yet are not openly discussed enough. In navigating these complexities that uniquely affect Black and Brown women we sit with this question of: who can we go to? Within the professional sphere we so easily forget the importance of community building. When our focus is solely set on advancing through the workplace, we neglect our own needs. For those of us in supervisory roles, we can then fall into the trap of reifying these unhealthy ways of being. Within this chapter I will be exploring strategies used as a woman of color supervising other women of color in higher education. As a Brown woman having had some unsavory experiences with past supervisors, there is a great deal that I’ve unpacked, unlearned, and unraveled to ensure that I do not replicate or contribute to a work environment that causes more harm than good. It is our responsibility to leave these spaces better than we found them.