here we go.

my truth as a Black woman in the @globalnews newsroom.

a thread.

Before I name names, there’s something I want everyone to take away from this: speak up when you know a BIPOC employee is being mistreated, because if you don’t you’re just as problematic as the person(s) doing the harm. (This also includes when we’re not in the room.)

I’ve interviewed experts in the past who have all said not speaking up or validating a BIPOC’s experience can negatively impact their mental health.

I know this firsthand as a Black woman in the Global News newsroom.

I went from being super friendly and cherry to quiet and introverted, even hard. To this day I question every move I make and every word I say.

Up until now, I kept thinking *I* was doing something wrong, that’s why I was being mistreated.

But the truth is/was that white people were using their white privilege to silence me. It got so bad that I had to take a 2-month short term leave from Global News a few years back. I thought when I returned things would be different. Yet, here we are:

1. Kevin Buffitt: You have yelled at me, told me you don’t care about my feelings, brushed me off and belittled me, sometimes in front of other people.

I remember when I *finally* had the courage to speak to you about the microaggressions I was receiving by co-workers and...

... yourself, you told me you didn’t know what I was talking about. You brushed my concerns aside.

Instead of trying to fix the problem, you told me I seemed unhappy and hinted that I should quit. You told me I should consider if Global was where I wanted to be...

...because you want people who want to be there.

I love my job and what I get to do. It’s the racism, discrimination and microaggressions that I shouldn’t have to deal with.

You have gaslit me, made me feel undeserving of my current position when I first got it and more.

And the fact that you are now trying to tell me you value me as an employee is laughable. I’m not trying to be petty or rude, I just know a performance when I see one.

2. Elton Hobson: You used the n-word around me. You did not react or apologize when it originally happened.

In fact, I waited several days for you to approach me and you didn’t. So I approached you and spoke to you about it (I was very upset and I think I even yelled at you. I’ll admit it.)

You apologized and said we could go to HR, but I knew in my heart of hearts...

...somehow I would be to blame. And plus, everyone knows how close you are with Kevin.

3. Grant McDonald: You do not understand how to tell racialized stories. You’re supposed to be in charge of which pitches get approved and you’re supposed to help with crafting scripts.

However, your lack of knowledge w/ BIPOC stories is troubling + concerning to myself and others. I consistently have to ask other employees from different departments for assistance or advice because I just don’t have it in me to go back and forth with you.

For crying out loud, the other week you tried to pull me, a Black employee, off a BLM story so a non-Black employee could do her video instead.

As well, myself and another colleague have pitched BIPOC story after BIPOC story and saw them overlooked/not approved, but it’s ok...

...for employees to do stories about meditation and feature their husbands in it. Ok.

4. Emanuela Campanella: You have tried to make me feel less than when it comes to our work, spoken down to me, been passive aggressive, tried to *actually* get me in...

...real-life trouble for not engaging in convos such as “how was your weekend?”

You even once pointed out that everyone asked you about your wedding and that I did not.

The fact that I’ve had actual convos with you and Kevin about this sort of stuff is still shocking to me.

Imagine me, a Black woman, complaining about something like that to any manager. I’d be laughed out of the building.

Emanuela, you were also another reason I took a 2-month break from Global and then you had the nerve to Facebook me to check-in.

Just like how you’ve tried to Slack me recently to tell me you’re *just* starting to learn about anti-racism (say Black girl. It’s not that hard.)

On top of that, you don’t understand that I have to go into work, work twice as hard as you...

...deal with your microaggressions, and still have to be extra cautious about YOUR feelings so we don’t have another meeting about goodness knows what.

I even remember asking you once to point out a time I have ever ignored you or was rude etc. when it was work related.

You could not think of a single time.

So you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t want to have small non-work related convos with you.

There’s another person I want to call out, but out of respect for another Black employee I’ll let them tell that story when they are ready.

Listen, I am thankful for the small wins, like #LivingInColour and another current project I’m working on. But that won’t stop me from speaking the truth.

I’ve been told that Global wants to do the right thing and that they value me and other BIPOC employees...

...so I don’t know how much clearer I have to be.

I’ve emailed my experiences in detail to DiversiPro and I will also be speaking with HR (again) on Monday.

@CorusPR

That’s it.