10-23-2022 W2W - Flipbook - Page 46
By Micha Green
Women in charge are paving
the way for the next generation
W
ith my best friend riding shotgun and my two dogs in the back
seat of my Buick Encore, I made the road trip from D.C. to
Chicago last month for the ordination and consecration of
Paula E. Clark, the first female bishop, and first Black bishop,
of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. She’s also my mom.
I’m incredibly proud of her, but sometimes it amazes me we’re still celebrating women’s firsts.
History has proven that diversity, equity and inclusion are necessary for businesses, organizations and
systems to advance and thrive. Studies have shown
that, among other benefits, having more women in the
workplace improves employee retention and engagement, expands perspectives and enhances collaboration. Having women in leadership roles specifically
also has been shown to increase profitability.
And yet, women are frequently missing from the
top spots, or are just now arriving.. In just the past few
weeks, all of these entities named their first female
CEOs: Outward Bound, Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Massachusetts, the Central West Virginia Regional
Airport Authority, HistoryMiami Museum and many
others.
FREEPIK
A 2021 Women in the Workplace study by McKinsey
& Co. in partnership with LeanIn.org, found women
make up a smaller percentage than men in the American workforce overall. And women of color fall behind everyone — white men,
white women and men of color — on almost every step of the organizational
food chain, from entry level on up. But the differences were the most stark in
the leadership positions. Women make up about a quarter of the highest ranking executives, and of that figure, just 4% are women of color.
As a Black woman serving as Under Armour’s chief people and culture officer, Tchernavia Rocker said institutions that exclude women from the helm are
missing out on a special and powerful perspective.
“I believe that we’re endowed with certain capabilities, instincts and emotions
that equip us for doing the hardest work when the work can’t be explained the
way of numbers, when the work can’t be explained with the level of concreteness, but the ability to sit in the abstract,” Rocker said when interviewed as one
of The Sun’s 2022 Women to Watch.
Before becoming the first Black, Southeast Asian and female vice president
of the United States, Kamala Harris got to know a thing or two about “firsts.”
She became San Francisco’s first Black district attorney and California’s first
female attorney general. (And, as my sister in Greekdom, she’s part of the “first
and finest” sorority of Alpha Kappa Alpha.)
“My mother would look at me, and she’d say, ‘Kamala, you may be the first
to do many things, but make sure you are not the last,’” Harris said during a
speech at Spelman College in 2018.
In November 2020, after votes were tallied and she and Joe Biden claimed
victory in the presidential election, Harris vowed she
would not be the last woman to hold the office of vice
president, “because every little girl watching tonight
sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
My mother’s election in December 2020 was
also historic. And as I spent the weekend in Chicago
proudly and tearfully supporting her, many people
remarked on the important perspectives she brings
to her new role.
My mother suffered a brain injury in April 2021,
right before her consecration was initially scheduled. In her recovery, she had to learn to walk and talk
again. As a well-educated, highly experienced Black
woman she was already offering a valuable perspective. Now she’s serving as bishop as someone who is
navigating life differently abled — another important
worldview that will enhance her leadership.
Bishop Clark was consecrated Sept. 17, while wearing sparkling, red Nike Air Jordans, a celebratory choice in place of heels, as she
is still working on her equilibrium.
At the end of the service I saw three Black girls taking pictures in spots where
my mom stood during the service, rocking “church clothes” with their Nikes —
one girl even had on red Jordans.
I now realize how fortunate those girls are to have a role model like my
mother. They had a church leader who had braids and brown skin, and who
wore sneakers like them.
In order to foster the next generation of female bishops or business executives or vice presidents of the United States, young girls and women must see
themselves more widely represented in positions of power.
As Vice President Harris’ mother reminded her, we must look beyond firsts,
to create opportunities for seconds, thirds, fourths and more, so that by the
time those girls are my mother’s age, having women in charge, especially Black
women, is no longer historic.
Micha Green is The Sun’s feature content editor. Her email is migreen@baltsun.com
46 | 2022 | WOMEN TO WATCH