Archives for January 2021

For many BIPOC code-switching is second nature to us. We are so accustomed to doing it, we sometimes don’t even recognize when we make “the switch”.  Our lessons in code-switching begin early in childhood—from choosing to use our native languages or ethnic vernacular at home vs. formal English at school to getting the “talk” from parents as teens to handle (and survive) encounters with law enforcement.  In essence, we become cultural chameleons subtly shifting our body movements, our language, and our very nature in order to avert any potential threats to ourselves which will allow us the ability to move through monolithic spaces to just LIVE our daily lives; and from a professional standpoint advance in our careers. 

While the term code-switching was coined in the early 1950’s by sociolinguist Einar Haugento to describe alternating between languages and mixing dialects, it has more recently been also been used to define the actions of marginalized people of color when they linguistically, behaviorally and/or culturally express themselves differently to navigate mainstream intercultural spaces.  Often times code-switching is performed when BIPOC find themselves the only person of color in the room and utilized to signal that they too belong, have credibility to be in the space and essentially, to make others in the room feel more comfortable with their presence. We avoid being seen as too loud, too angry, too Black, Brown, Asian, etc., or basically too anything that would be deemed “inappropriate” or not the norm for certain monocultural environments. 

In professional spaces, code-switching is often considered a necessary tool in order to navigate predominately white spaces to achieve career success and build professional relationships with peers and senior leadership.  During an interview with James Lipton on Inside the Actor’s Studio, comedian Dave Chappell remarked: “Every black American is bilingual. We speak street vernacular and we speak job interview. There’s a certain way I gotta speak to have access…”  While code-switching can be strategically beneficial, it is important to note that it can also be extremely exhausting.  The nuanced dance of trying to navigate predominately white spaces—which either are not inclusive or painfully try to be—places BIPOC in a constant state of hypervigilance. This requires an unquantifiable amount of performative energy on the part of BIPOC. 

In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B DuBois discusses the duality of Black identity which essentially embodies the very essence of code switching: 

It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness, an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.

He also acknowledges that maintaining a dual identity is a struggle and that, those who code-switch are in a constant state of working to keeping themselves together to deal with the stress and ramifications which code-switching brings about, whether consciously or unconsciously.  

Research has shown that individuals who code-switch can find that they experience any of the following as a result (McCluney et al. 2019): 

1. Being accused of “acting white” or “selling out” from other in-group members when they try to downplay being part of a racial group. 
2. Find that they are actually underperforming  and feeling demoralized from efforts to avoid being stereotyped in the workplace. This experience is known as Stereotype Threat. 
3. Feeling burnt out and not being true to oneself from constantly trying to find commonality with co-workers. 

If codeswitching is both strategically beneficial and can be harmful what does this ultimately mean for those of us who do it?  First, we need to recognize that we are doing it and know that it is a strategy and tool for survival.
Code-switching also doesn’t necessarily mean that we are being inauthentic when it is by its nature authentically part of our experience.  However, once we are cognizant of what we are doing we can make informed and intentional decisions about when to code-switch and also recognize when it no longer feels like it is working to our benefit on a professional or psychological level.  We can then ask ourselves what do we need to do to have or create a healthier and more beneficial environment for ourselves and what will it take to achieve it?  

In any situation where were are dealing with structural inequities, we have the choice and power to choose how we want to engage and navigate that landscape. Code-switching is a means by which we can operate to survive—as we have been for centuries, but we also must remember to be vigilant and remain aware of the potential cost to ourselves when we do it. 

Racial trauma or race based traumatic stress (RBTS) is the result of experiencing or witnessing racial stressors including racism, discrimination and violence against Black, Indigenous and People of color (BIPOC); creating an environment where BIPOC feel unsafe and venerable in their community from simply existing in their own skin. 

Racial trauma can be experienced by an individual from direct and indirect experience (verbal/physical attacks, media accounts of racism, police brutality, silence/erasure, etc.) or from experiencing it on a systemic level (wage gaps, predatory lending, housing discrimination, voter suppression, etc.).   

Racial trauma is also unique in that it can occur intergenerationally. Maryam Jernigan-Noesi, a psychologist who studied at Boston College’s Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture says of integrational racial trauma: “…it’s not just me and my lifetime and what I’ve experienced— it’s the stories you heard from family members, it’s witnessing that of colleagues or peers, and now with social media and online mechanisms of folks sharing videos, it’s also witnessing things that you may not experience directly.” Living in a time where we have devices that can provide entertainment and keep us informed can also unwittingly also provide exposure to stressors and triggers for racial trauma. Children of parents who have been exposed to racial trauma can become more sensitive to it; even if a child may not have had direct exposure to racial trauma, the child may have increased sensitivity to stories of discrimination, witnessing racial trauma and systematic oppression (DeAngelis 2019).

Marginalized individuals and communities are so often used to dealing with and surviving, living with racism and systemic oppression and white supremacy, that we often fail to know that the stressors we are feeling and experiencing have actual mental and physical health related consequences. It is also not uncommon for BIPOC to deny, minimize or downplay experiencing racial trauma. However, the “stuff we deal with” (microaggressions, voter suppression, segregation, slurs, physical/verbal attacks, police brutality, pay inequity, racial gaslighting, etc.) has a name and we can take actionable steps to deal with addressing it. 

Recognizing the symptoms

The connections to racial discrimination, unfair treatment, injustice and microaggressions to health disparities in BIPC communities is well documented. Therefore, it is important to understand the impact to your overall wellbeing.
And, while a formal diagnosis of RBTS requires an assessment by a qualified mental health professional knowledgeable of racial trauma and RBTS; someone who has experienced racism can do a self-check to see if they are experiencing symptoms of racial trauma from the following list: 

• Physical pain and cardiovascular issues
• Sleep issues including nightmares, night terrors and insomnia
• Over or under consumption of food
• Increased anxiety or depression 
• Increased sensitivity and/or the need for hypervigilance 
• Feeling of anger and/or rage 
• Flashbacks, distress, or distraction 
• Feelings of guilt, shame or helplessness
• Avoidance
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 

Coping with racial trauma 

While we cannot completely eliminate exposure to racism and systemic oppression, we can learn to utilize self-care and coping mechanisms to help support us:

• Recognize when you are not able to perform optimally because of the symptoms listed above and rest if you are able. 
• Connect with friends or family who are able to engage in racially conscious conversations and are willing to help you process your thoughts and emotions. 
• Practice self-care by engaging in activities that you enjoy and make you happy.
• Engage in prayer, mindfulness, spiritual practices that give you peace and joy. 
• Implement lifestyle changes, such as beginning exercise routines and meditation.
• Make a list of situations, people or places that trigger your symptoms of trauma; make a similar list of ways to cope for each of these triggers.
• Roleplay  with trusted people in your network on how to respond to negative racial encounters/microaggressions. 
• Engage in activism against racial injustice. 
• Limit exposure to media to avoid images of racial abuse. 
• Find a qualified mental health professional knowledgeable of racial trauma and has experience working with BIPOC communities to help process experiences and identify healthy coping tools. 

‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’ [asked Alice.]

‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the [Chesire] Cat.

‘I don’t much care where—’ said Alice.

‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat.

‘—so long as I get somewhere,’ Alice added as an explanation.

‘Oh, you’re sure to do that,’ said the Cat, ‘if you only walk long enough.’

Does this discussion sound like a recent or past performance appraisal discussion or one with your manager related to a promotion or career advancement; where it sounds like you’re literally and figuratively going in circles.  And in frustration, you just want to go somewhere, anywhere; as long as you’re not in the same place where you have been.

The quote, “If you don’t know where you‘re going, any road will take you there“ is essentially a paraphrase of this exchange between Alice and the Cheshire Cat in Chapter 6 of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
When we don’t have a personal vision for ourselves of where we want to be in our life and career; a similar scenario may be playing out. 

What is a vision? 

“Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.” – Oprah Winfrey

A personal vision or vision statement is a brief summary of your ultimate career goal and key attributes.
In a few sentences you should outline what it is you would like to do; this doesn’t mean you have to be specific about the exact role you want. Rather, your vision statement should answer the question where do you see yourself and why you want to get there? 

Why is it important to have a vision?

“A clear vision, backed by definite plans, gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal power.”

– Brian Tracy

Clarity – So many of us want to make a change, shift or move for a variety of reasons, but without a specific sense of direction we can wind up making moves that don’t necessarily serve our best interest. We can end up jumping out of the proverbial pot into the fire by landing in a situation similar to the one we just left or in another wrong position. This can be costly, both from a career advancement and personal motivational perspective.

Empowerment – Having a clear vision puts us in control of managing our career to go after what we want.
The mistake many of us tend to make is looking to others to tell us what to do next. Sometimes this is appropriate, as many times there are others around us who can see things we can’t. So, collaborating with trusted thought-partners is a good practice. But when we abdicate this responsibility to others, it can mean placing our destiny in the hands of someone else. Like, many of us who believe if we do a great job in the organization that it will automatically be recognized and rewarded by management. However, research reflects this is often not the case⎯particularly for professionals of color. So ultimately, we can’t afford to give our power to others when it comes to our careers. Because in most cases, no one will advocate for you, better than you. When it comes to realizing the vision we have for our self, partnering with our manager and others who can support us in achieving our goals and taking the actionable steps needed to go after what we want; empowers us to fulfill our vision and beyond.

Action Plan – When we have the clarity we need and feel empowered to act, we’re then able to formulate an action plan that will help us get there.  Your vision statement will help provide the focus needed in creating an action plan that determines your next steps and goals.  And depending on your vision, your action plan may include a few or a multitude of steps; either way, you won’t have a clear path to take till you have flushed out what your vision is (and isn’t).

Creating a vision will not be a one and done exercise.  As you progress through your career and life, you will find that you may need to reassess and refine your vision.  It’s a muscle you will want to utilize and develop to ensure you are staying true to who you are and what you want. Your personal vision will allow you to be the captain of your ship—so take the helm.