How to show solidarity to Black Women in the workplace

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Do you need more support for your inclusive culture to thrive?

Read expert advice from our Inclusion & Diversity Consultant, Ruth-Anne Eghan, on how to show solidarity to Black women in the workplace and take steps to demolish the “Concrete Ceiling”.

“If feminism can understand the patriarchy, it’s important to question why so many feminists struggle to understand whiteness as a political structure in the very same way.” – Reni Eddo-Lodge.

“You don’t have to be the voice for the voiceless, just pass the mic” – Dr Su’ad Abdul Khabeer.

What does it mean to show solidarity?

To show solidarity is to show support. It means to reassure Black women that they are not alone, that there is a shared sense of unity in our treatment and that accountability is taken to improve the workplace experience to a liberating one. As The McGregor-Smith Review of race in the workplace highlights, “if Black talent is fully utilised, the economy could receive a £24 billion boost”.

Supporting your Black female colleagues is the right thing to you – for them and for the long term success of your workplace.

How senior leaders can show solidarity to Black women?

Ensure that you understand the systemic struggles that Black women go through and challenge your stereotypes
Ensure you have an awareness of the systemic structures that exist within your organisation
Take part in anti-racism training to deliver anti-racist allyship. Allocate a budget specifically for this
Be brave enough to question and collect data on how Black individuals experience your leadership
Be more involved in Global Majority Network activity
Know that the presence of EDI does not solve misogynoir. Connect with Black employees on a human level
Collect intersectional data when focusing on the Gender Pay gap – “gender, immigration status, disability, race, sexuality, nationality, and religion”.
Sponsor and mentor Black female initiatives
Ensure reverse mentoring is not something you are just excited to take part in and learn from but is equally beneficial and rewarding for the marginalised individuals
Prioritise representation of woman of Black heritage and diverse leadership within the senior leadership team
Accountability is essential. If feedback has been given, leaders can take responsibility and be transparent in their approach to tackling issues
Arrange training for middle managers to ensure they are providing a person-centred, empathetic and anti-racist management
Do not be afraid to hold other senior leaders to account
Engage Black women in anti-racist work if they want to be, and reward them accordingly
Role model inclusive behaviour and challenge stereotypes such as ‘the angry Black woman’
Provide a stance on anti-racism and live that out daily
Do not leave this work to your HR or EDI team/person, be actively involved
Review your policies and processes – analyse them to review whether they discriminate against Black women. Dress code policies can impact women of colour, for example hairstyles and clothing
Apologise. If you become aware of misogynoir within your organisation and any senior leaders have played a role, take responsibility and build trust.

Questions for Senior Leaders to reflect on:

Why are there not many Black women within our organisation?
Who is depicted as the face of the organisation? How would Black women view our organisation looking outwards and inwards?
Do specific barriers in our organisation prohibit Black women from thriving and developing?

How can HR and EDI teams show solidarity to Black women?

HR & EDI teams play a pivotal role in dismantling systemic structures that impact Black women internally and externally, especially within recruitment and promotion.

Listen to Black women, their viewpoints, concerns, and suggestions
Value the exit interviews with Black women as an opportunity to unlock valuable insights
Pay Black women their worth not based on what their previous salary was
Educate yourselves on allostatic load, subtle acts of exclusion, racism, and misogynoir
Health and wellbeing support should also be tailored to support Black women
Take an intersectional approach to inclusion – do not lump communities together
Ensure that the onboarding process is honest– be genuine, open, and transparent
Update your policies and process that might be discriminatory towards Black women. Take faith and cultural identity into consideration when updating policies such as compassionate leave
Role model inclusive behaviour and challenge stereotypes such as ‘the angry Black woman’
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable – call out misogynoir
Be the change you want to see to impact Black women positively; it is not enough to empathise
Actively work to improve the representation of Black women within HR & EDI
Ensure job adverts are easily accessible to Black communities
Influence change and connect with senior leaders to implement structures to include Black women
Conduct a specific anti-racist intersectional audit and see how your organisation impacts Black women
Include misogynoir & anti-racism with your training plans
Review the appraisal, reward, and bonus systems and analyse the rate at which Black women are recognised
Review the recruitment life cycle and analyse any biases that affect Black women
If you are a member of Inclusive Employers, speak to your account manager to explore this further

“Genuine change comes with absolute commitment and actions.”

Ruth-Anne Eghan

Read our Anti-Racism Toolkit to commit to action

Black Woman holding a microphone as they smile and deliver a speech

Advice for managers on how to show solidarity to Black women

Managers are crucial to showing solidarity to Black women and supporting their development within the organisation. They are the first point of call to highlight, celebrate, and recognise the Black women they manage.

Manage with allyship. Allyship means that you stand against misogynoir and use your position to speak out against it. You acknowledge the struggle; therefore, you provide development opportunities
Manage with trust – build trust and provide a psychologically safe space for Black women to share and highlight any concerns without the fear of it being used against them and affecting their career
Ensure that the rest of your team is aware of your stance against anti-racism, misogynoir and organisational stances where applicable
Do not follow the rules for Black employees and not for others
Show solidarity to your Black female staff by recognising and highlighting any ideas and connections made through them; reward them accordingly
If there are multiple Black people/women on your team, make a conscious effort to get to know them individually for their intersectional unique experiences and that each of them feels valued and respected for who they are without any form of comparison or confusion
If they are the only Black person on your team, connect with and support them intentionally
Ask for any tools you need organisationally and individually to manage inclusion towards Black people
Educate yourselves on allostatic load, subtle acts of exclusion, racism, and misogynoir
Genuinely listen to Black women
Protect Black women from overworking and being underpaid.

Questions for managers to show solidarity to Black women:

What can I do to support your development?
What tools do you need to thrive in this organisation?
How are you taking care of yourself at work? Is there anything I can do to ensure you can do this?
Are there any areas you know that exclude you that I need to raise organisationally?
Where would you like to see yourself within the next year in this organisation?

How marketing teams and can show solidarity to Black women

In society, social media teams/external comms/marketing hold a critical position in the type of online presence they create. It is the ‘feel’ people will have the organisation externally.

Do not be tokenistic in your approach. Be mindful of the image you present. Having diverse representation in your external comms does not make your organisation committed to anti-racism or inclusion
Be mindful of getting the true image of inclusion in your organisation
It is commendable to want to change the presence of your organisation to a more inclusive one. Despite that, do not portray yourselves as committed if you do not want to be held accountable internally and externally
Engage Black women and other marginalised groups because your organisation genuinely commits to hearing, respecting, and seeing these individuals
Have intersectionality in mind to cater to different groups of people within the same community.

How fellow colleagues can show solidarity to Black women

Fellow colleagues may see daily individual and group interactions rooted in misogynoir. They must highlight, raise and call out where applicable.

Speak up for any inequalities you notice or become aware of
Hold managers and other members of staff accountable
Support and encourage Black employees
Do not compare Black employees; share your power and privilege with all of them accordingly
Make an effort to build relationships and get to know the Black women in your organisation
Have an awareness of subtle acts of exclusion, allostatic load, and racism.

Performative tokenism vs. genuine change

It is not enough to just recognise Black awareness dates. Showing solidarity to Black women in your organisations means treating them with respect, honouring them and recognising their hard work. There is no point highlighting senior leaders, celebrities, and inspirational Black people when you do not acknowledge the Black people within your organisation that you work with daily.

Similarly, with strategies, Black initiatives, and staff networks, there is no point in having elaborate inclusion plans and anti-racist stances when you do not support Black people and their development internally.

Demonstrate showing solidarity to Black women with absolute commitment and actions

Genuine change comes with absolute commitment and actions. This is not an easy journey however, if you are committed to anti-racism and gender equality in your organisation then there is a call to look at Black women specifically: ensure Black women are celebrated, provided with career progression opportunities and are safe within your organisation.

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

— Desmond Tutu

More resources about how to show solidarity to Black women

How Inclusive Employers can support you to show solidarity to Black women

If you want to build on the advice highlighted in this blog, we would love to support you to do this. If you are a member of Inclusive Employers please talk to your account manager about this work.

If you’re not a member, it’s still easy to talk to us. Start the conversation by filling in the form below, we look forward to talking to you.

Grow your team

When you become an Inclusive Employers’ Member you grow your I&D team.

Your account manager works with you to understand your goals, your challenges and achievable next steps.

Do you need more support for your inclusive culture to thrive?

Learn about membership today

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