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Black women are fired for wearing their hair natural, fired when they speak out about workplace discrimination and harassment, and fired when they demand equal pay.
It's rich to see people writing op-eds and letters in national papers about how cancel culture has come for them.
It's rich to see people writing op-eds and letters in national papers about how cancel culture has come for them.
If, due to your privilege, you're use to having your views unchallenged, then dissent probably feels like oppression; disagreement feels like being cancelled. If you're using your national platform to complain about that, you probably haven't been cancelled.
For Black women in workplaces across the country, simply demanding respect and equal treatment is enough to get them fired—a much more real form of "cancelling" than having to read a few critical tweets about your latest NYT column.
For all Black workers, and for Black women in particular, speaking up or refusing to conform to racist and sexist expectations means jeopardizing your job, and likely your livelihood and healthcare as well.
Why should anyone take your complaints about cancel culture and free speech seriously if you don't center those individuals?
If you're concerned about free speech, are you advocating for stronger protections for those who speak out against workplace discrimination & harassment?
If you're concerned about free speech, are you advocating for stronger protections for those who speak out against workplace discrimination & harassment?
Brittany Noble, a news anchor in Jackson was fired after filing complaints about discrimination in the workplace. She had been harassed for wearing her natural hair. As of 2019, it was legal in 48 states to fire someone for wearing natural hair. https://www.ebony.com/culture/black-news-anchor-fired-unprofessional-natural-hair/
In 2017, L'Oreal fired Munroe Bergdorf, their first Black trans model, when she spoke out about systemic racism after the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. Last month, L'Oreal rehired her and gave her a seat on their diversity & inclusion board. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/neepn8/what-i-learned-after-getting-fired-by-loreal-for-speaking-out-against-racism
A 2018 study by the National Women's Law Center found that Black women filed sexual harassment charges at nearly three times the rate of white women. The study also found that more than 1 in 3 women who report sexual harassment experience retaliation. https://nwlc.org/press-releases/black-women-disproportionately-experience-workplace-sexual-harassment-new-nwlc-report-reveals/
Separation agreements and non-disclosure agreements that workers are often forced to sign as a matter of course prevent Black women from discussing the racism and sexist that exists at their workplaces. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/opinion/nda-racism-separation-agreements.html
This thread could go on with examples for forever. The bottom line is this:
If you care about free speech, fight for unions & workers' rights. Support the Black women who risk their jobs and their safety by protesting injustice and demanding better conditions for all of us.
If you care about free speech, fight for unions & workers' rights. Support the Black women who risk their jobs and their safety by protesting injustice and demanding better conditions for all of us.
