What I Learned When I was Invited to a Table that was Made for Women of Culture | The Market Blog

Very often I am the only person of culture in a conversation or a room. Most of my professional career has been the case. Not only am I the only person on culture, but I am also usually the only female of culture if not one of the youngest women in the space too. I never understood what that meant for me until recently.

Well, let me correct that. Yes, I knew what that meant for me. It means that if I wanted my input heard, my impact felt or heck even to be seen I had to be more determined, more perfect, more EVERYTHING than my counterparts. It meant that people loved to see me at "the table," but we’re very unconcerned and unwelcoming of my perspectives. I was there just to show they were adhering to the growing needs for companies to be "inclusive" and show they had diversity.

Five years ago I was the Coordinator of Career Services at a liberal arts college in Mankato, MN. I was trying my hardest to be heard, to make a change, to do my job. When I had first started in this position two years prior my boss said something to me that let me know my fate was sealed. I had done my research and had some questions about the statics I was seeing, how we could tackle a foreseen problem and how my office could assist in it.

"Brittany, you're so far ahead of them. You're running and they are barely at a crawl, and they don't even want to walk."

Her foreshadowing came to be a reality. Two and a half years into working with the organization I was let go. And I can pinpoint several instances for being a young innovative black woman sitting at the tables of white men and women that made me the easy one to let go. Exhausted, I exited stage left focused on building my own business.

But this past winter, after years of flying under the radar  I received an unexpected invitation. I was asked by my friend Ayan Musse to be present at a lunch meeting that was specifically for women of culture working living in the greater Mankato area to meet with Karla Benson Rutten, the Vice President of Community Engagement for Girls Scouts River Valleys. And for the first time in my thirty-two years, I was seated at a table that was meant for me.

And for once I was at ease. We spoke what it was like to live and try to make a living in an area that wants you because you solve their visible "inclusion" problem, but have little voice or pull outside of that.

You see in our medium-sized midwest city, we have a diversity and inclusion problem. A bad one. One that is steeped in Minnesota nice, but cuts like a jagged edge for people of culture who live our communities. What it looks like in reality is an invitation to the table set for a certain number of guests, but once you sit down to eat you're regaled to a child's place. To be seen and not heard. To be the trophy to show all the 'hard' work that the community is doing to battle racism. To acknowledge "you get what you get, and you don't make a fit."

Sitting listening to these other women's stories that mirrored my own in some way, shape or fashion, re-lit my passion for advocacy for the women of culture in my community. How could it not? I was surrounded by some of the best women who despite the odds, still were busy and willing to make a change however big or small. All of us were doing the little bit that we could, but collectively using our network we could and have been doing better.

What I learned was, when women of culture meet up and network with each other, we can do and have done amazing things. We elevate our circumstances more and enrich our communities. We can’t be silenced and we are powerful. Even living in the whitest of spaces we can't forget this. WE are our leaders. We know how to solve the problems our communities are facing. We know we can learn from each other because we have commonalities. And when we aren’t invited to tables we know we should be heard at, WE build our own.

So here's to women of culture celebrating their contributions and excellence to the greater Mankato area.

You inspire me.