A massive boost for marginalized groups
As soon as I heard the news, a mix of emotions came flooding in: pride, relief, surprise, excitement and slight worry, that maybe it’s too good to be true. Kamala Harris has become the first woman of color to be nominated for national office by a major political party. I might not be fully in sync with all of her policies, but being one huge step closer to having a woman as the leader of the free world (from multiple marginalized groups) is exciting! And it’s a big deal for underrepresented people all over the globe.
This level of leadership in the United States has only ever been occupied by one archetype - the dominant, white, cis-gendered male. And not only is this reflected in our government, but we see it in our workplaces, in the media and in the systems of power that impact our world. It’s crazy to think about how much skill, knowledge and creativity is being suppressed by only giving full access to just this one group.
How many other women, POC, members of the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities or other religious backgrounds are held back because of how different they are from the gold standard?
What other ways have we been limiting ourselves as a country by not opening up opportunities to perfectly capable people who just don’t fit the mold?
Representation matters. And diversifying our government along with other systems that hold power is not the final answer, but it’s a sign of progress towards creating a more equitable society.
Even after being the class president in high school, I never wanted to get into politics. At no time did the idea ever cross my mind.
Growing up as a daughter of two Filipino immigrants, I had a limited number of career choices that I was exposed to.
I’d seen a lot of people who looked like me working in the hospitals as nurses, in underground garages as valet drivers or at the airport as porters. Never did I see a Filipino politician or leader of any organization.
Which explains my dad’s excitement when he comes home from work one day and tells me about his new boss,“She’s Filipina! She went to Harvard Business School! She’s a VP!” At 12 years old, I didn’t know what all that meant but I could tell that it was a really big deal.
Not long after, I found myself in a big fancy conference room wearing a tweed blazer with big fancy shoulder pads (it was the 90’s!). The seats were seriously leather and engulfed my small adolescent body. For a second I felt like a spaceship commander from Star Wars. But remembering that this was my first business meeting, I snapped out of it and quickly shifted into what I assumed was professional mode. My list of prepared interview questions were safe inside a clear, plastic report cover, secured with a shiny metal tab. I carefully placed it on the over-sized conference room table.
The VP was gracious enough to take time out of her busy, executive schedule to meet with me. Her name was Marissa and she had the most welcoming, warm and cordial energy. I can’t recall what we talked about, but I can share that this was a defining moment in my tech career that wouldn’t yet start for almost a decade.
Witnessing this woman and her leadership broke the mold for what I thought a Filipino female could accomplish in life.
That day in the big fancy conference room, Marissa planted the seeds that would turn into my fruitful professional future.
It wouldn’t be long before I found myself in another room like that. I landed a real grown up job while still in college. I had hoped to find more women like Marissa in executive roles but in the 10 years I worked in tech, I’m sorry to say that I never found anyone who was a leader and looked like me.
I’ll admit, I was super green when I started in my career but I was more than prepared to work hard and earn my stripes. What I wasn't prepared for was the toxic work culture and inequality that seemed to permeate almost many of the environments I ended up in.
Instead of being nurtured and trained to excel (like some of my white, male counterparts were), I experienced workplace bullying:
When the homecoming queen of the office didn’t like the shoes I was wearing, she sent an office-wide email calling out the exact style I had on to publicly shame me instead of offering constructive feedback.
When a (white, male) co-worker needed to take a few days off each month to get his MBA, he was praised and celebrated for furthering his education. When I was still obtaining my college degree and needed to leave at 5pm, I received ice cold stares.
When arriving 5 minutes late to the office alongside another employee, I was unfairly written up for insubordination while he was never called in.
There aren’t a lot of excuses for their hideous behavior, but it’s not all their fault. The systems in place in our government, corporations and in the media heavily influence our perspectives and the way we treat each other.
We’re taught that white cis-gendered men deserve more respect, power, money and leadership positions.
And the further you are away from this standard, especially if you happen to be intersectional, you’re even further down the totem pole and receive less of everything.
So, I don’t fully blame those coworkers and managers for their racist, sexist and other discriminatory behaviors. I’m just truly grateful to see women like Kamala, Marissa and people from other marginalized groups step up, change the game and level the playing field.
These examples of courageous leadership have inspired me to shift my perspective and radically change the course of my own career.
And instead of subjecting myself to the limits of the glass ceiling, I created an entirely new and inclusive space to empower people, especially those who are part of underrepresented groups. When more of us give ourselves permission to express our unique strengths and skills, the world will benefit.
“No matter where you come from, what you look like, how you worship or who you love, there’s a place for you here”
- Barack Obama