Black and Brown Faces in White Spaces: How to Navigate Corporate America as People of Color
This month’s meeting featured alumni Tanya Baskin, Class of 1991, and Payton Shubrick, class of 2015, to answer questions and discuss their experiences as women of color in Corporate America.
Tell Us About Your Journey.
PS:
At HC, student athlete, student government, actively exploring and unpacking who she wanted to be in the world and what was of interest to her
Junior year at HC, inspired by Soledad O’Brien’s visit to campus and her words, “I want to give a voice to the voiceless.”
After working at Mass Mutual, wanting control over her future, returned to Springfield, started her company 6 Bricks with her parents and sister
Connected this with being able to be a “voice for the voiceless,” which was the many black and brown people she knew who would sell cannabis when it wasn’t legal and were arrested, charged, lives forever altered. She could be that voice for the many issues that were arising in the industry including: because of the barriers for capital, very few POC in the industry. Less than 2% black-owned and operated, less than 1% woman.
TB:
A lot of trial and error in her early career – going out trying to figure out what things excited her, what was she good at, where there was potential to grow, opportunities
Held many leadership positions including youngest person to run New Haven Coliseum, running new stadium for Washington Redskins, serving as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for Special Olympics Inc., where she actualized the corporate marketing strategy for the organization’s global expansion. After Special Olympics, Tanya was selected by Trilogy International Partners, a global telecommunications company, to lead the Voila Foundation as Executive Director and head the organizational global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts. She successfully stream-lined their CSR efforts by integrating emerging mobile technologies into business operations. Tanya also served as President of Pack H20, a social innovation company that partnered with relief agencies and nonprofits to ease the burden of transporting water globally.
Twelve years ago, decided to take a break to rethink what she wanted her next job to look like. People started calling and asking her to help with projects. She said yes to projects and decided to form her own company – The Baskin Group. Liked the rhythm of it, liked being her own, boss, being able to pick and choose the work, be really intentional about the work, the people, the projects. A lot of the work is very purposeful, focused on social impact
In last few years, shifted to build expertise, knowledge base in thinking about how these large organizations, large government agencies communicate and engage with communities of color and marginalized communities and building out that work
What challenges have you faced in corporate America as women of color?
TB:
Tough often being the only woman and person of color in the room
Outside the US, difficulty dealing with cultural norms, patriarchal cultures that were not accepting of a woman as a decision maker
It was often “baptism by fire,” trying to find mentors, times when you felt like you were failing or being painted as “the angry Black woman” because you’re trying to get your point across
Being questioned constantly – Is this your company? Do you have a partner?
Had to learn to persevere, navigate, get better tactics, mature, evolve
PS:
Working as a young black woman in IT, it was challenging to navigate the space in which for many people that she worked with, this was the first time that they had to engage, listen to, or sometimes take directives from a person of color.
Felt that she was not being asked questions, but being questioned regularly. Difficult dynamic led her to want to start her own company
Within Cannabis industry facing challenges due to increasing corporatization of cannabis – changing from a culture of small, independent growers, barriers to entry are high, politically charged environment
Only woman and person of color chosen from a field of 27 applicants to receive a license in Springfield. Wasn’t prepared for the criticism that played out publicly – was she qualified enough, smart enough, doing this of her own volition or being controlled by another corporate entity
Also facing challenges of systemic racism within the industry, including people questioning the idea of a Black family-owned cannabis company
What advice would you give to our student ambassadors to bring back to HC Campus to students of color to consider as they try to enter the corporate market and/or what advice would you give to allies within corporate America?
PS:
“Fear and Faith can’t co-exist.” (borrowed from her mentor, Ron Lawson). The time you spend fearing, creating scenarios for things that haven’t occurred yet, is less time that you are developing the faith in yourself to get it done, to execute, and to believe in yourself.
Acknowledge that “No” is a complete sentence.
TB:
You are enough. Period. You have all the skill sets and everything that you need to make it. Don’t look for outside validation, because you won’t get it. You are more than enough. You are more than qualified. Stay the course.
Have you seen any change or improvement over the years or are things still the same?
TB:
Definitely, more women of color in leadership spaces, in very visible roles.
Still resistance, but there has been a lot of change.
Noted the generational changes that have occurred, that her daughter’s viewpoint of the corporate world was such a different take than she had at the same age
Appreciative that this younger generation now has language for things, e.g. microaggressions, gaslighting, allowing them to name and call out behaviors and say I’m not participating in that
Excited by the evolution – younger generation recognizing their value and being empowered to walk away sooner from situations in which they are tolerated vs. celebrated
PS:
Things getting worse in the cannabis space. MA is the first state to legalize adult use cannabis and see numbers decline in both groups of race and gender.
Nationally, that 2% is decreasing as larger groups drop partners – starting to see a focus on corporate entities that are operating in multiple states, as opposed to small independent players
Changes to the taxation law is furthering the dynamic in which it is making it harder for smaller players to exist.
How have you maintained your longevity moving independently, especially through challenge such as COVID?
TB:
Relationships have been a saving grace – built a reputation in this space and relationships are strong
When deciding to pivot or facing challenges like Covid – able to call share idea, brainstorm, ask questions, go back to old partners – re-present with new skills, new expertise.
Important to know what the endgame is.
Covid allowed for reflection on experience and challenges and reaffirmed that after 12 years working for herself, she never wants to go back to spaces where she has to deal with being second guessed, overwork just to be acknowledged as successful, deal with micro and macroaggressions, etc.
Do you have recommendations to CHARA that we might try to institute to hit change at any levels at HC?
TB:
If you are intentional about change and it is the way the college/institution wants to move, then it can be done.
A lot of education, training, hard conversations, have to be intentional and the will to want to change has to be there. There will need to be shift in the way that people see things and the way that people engage. Change is hard.
PS:
Allyship: what does that look like and what is your action saying about how you are willing to treat that person when they are not in the room.
Looking back at relationships at HC, did an individual have an openness and willingness to learn after I identified their ignorance?
Shared experience of running for co-president of SGA with her white, male running mate. Campaign posters were defaced. Highlighted the difference between the person who would take a picture of defaced poster and send it to her, as opposed to the person who took down the poster and asked if she had another one they could put up to replace the defaced one.
Were you being intentional as you engaged me as a friend and how you were thoughtful about my feelings in that process? Were you taking a stance or were you just reporting back? Reporting back felt like death by a thousand cuts because it let me know you would tell me before you would do something to defend me. Helped to frame the way she has formed the business relationships that she has kept close.
How do you learn to know your worth and ask for it?
TB:
Took a long time. Trial and error.
Wait your turn, work twice as hard, until you say this is not worth it.
Took a long time to understand that you may be in some spaces that will never let you have your role and that’s when you have to go into spaces where you are celebrated, not tolerated. Takes a while to understand the difference.
PS:
Certain that she wanted to work for herself, had to understand her skills and talents in terms of what she could bring to building the business
Throughout the process of building her business, there were many people telling her it was going to get harder, maybe she should sell her license and be a general manager, etc.
These challenges fueled her over time helped build her worth because she could sense that they were afraid of what would happen if she could open doors. The attention she was getting and the fact that people were offering her money for her business made it evident that she was building something of value.
She had family support in the business
A lot to figure out in a short amount of time helped accelerate her confidence/sense of worth
Ways that Tanya and Payton are working to share their expertise and experiences:
TB:
Very intentional about working with small, minority owned businesses in helping them be strategic with how they grow their brands and businesses
Frequently sits on panels, does webinars, makes herself available for one-on-one sessions
Loves working with young people of color – sees so much talent and so many great ideas
PS:
As part of a Black family-owned business in the community she is from, committed to hiring from within the community and professionalizing the roles to help them get the support they need
One of few dispensaries with a mission statement and values that align with it, employees have to be accountable relative to trainings on a monthly basis, giving them the verbiage related to diversity, equity and inclusion, bimonthly town halls – bring in groups that help with financial literacy, community colleges that help in terms of work force development to keep them employed,
6 Bricks brings in interns from local community colleges
Exploring ways in which Cannabis companies can donate to non-profits and hopefully starting up first Cannabis scholarship fund within Western MA
Meeting with young people in community to discover need and destigmatize cannabis as a method to get more people involved
Not just about being able to supply jobs, but actually helping people to progress in a meaningful way in terms of understanding the core tenets of being a professional and being able to climb
