Creating Safe Spaces for Professional Black Women to Exhale in 2024
This year for the National Day of Racial Healing, I created a virtual safe space for professional Black women to come together and share about their experiences in the workplace; a space where they could speak freely without fear of being judged or suffering repercussions for being vulnerable. This decision came easily as I witnessed the emotional turmoil many Black women were experiences after the very public humiliation (bullying) of Dr. Claudine Gay - former president of Harvard University, and the suicide of Lincoln University VP of Student Affairs, Dr. Bonnie Bailey, which was wrapped in allegations of workplace bullying. But can you imagine the look on my face when I discovered 270 women from around the world signed up for the hour long seminar!
I knew from my research on vulnerability and work trauma, that Black women in large numbers are struggling both emotionally and physically in the workplace. Many do not feel safe, yet are afraid to leave their jobs because of financial obligations or being ridiculed by family for leaving a ‘good job.’ This was the bases for me creating the workbook, Unbreak My Soul: How Black Women Can Begin To Heal From Workplace Trauma. But as I continued to analyze the data, I soon realized that many of these women needed more than just the workbook; they needed community - a support system filled with likeminded women who understood their pain and would allow them to speak without being fearful of experiencing negative consequences.
One of my goals for 2024 is to create more safe spaces for professional Black women to be open and vulnerable regarding their workplace trauma. Part of my plan includes training facilitators on how to host and manage these spaces. And the reason I phrased the training this way is because once Pandora’s Box is opened, the individual facilitating the group must understand how to help these individuals begin to navigate their emotions, and when to refer them for professional help (these safe spaces will not be a substitution for mental health therapy). I also begin to grow concerned when strangers began to approach me about utilizing my workbook to host healing events. This left me feeling uneasy as how others would interpret my work and the scenarios in which it could possibly be utilized inappropriately and without my permission.
Martin Luther King, Jr once said, “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” If you are interested in learning how to become a certified facilitator to host Unbreak My Soul Trainings and Safe Spaces, click here and watch an information video.
Ready to apply, click here and complete a brief application.
Note, the last day to apply for the April 2024 training in New Orleans, Louisiana is March 1st.