22 | WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE: THE UNEVEN PLAYING FIELD IN THEIR OWN WORDS On the “Only” experience I feel like I have to represent the entire race. I need to come across as more than proficient, more than “ competent, more than capable. I have to be ‘on’ all the time. Because in the back of someone’s mind, they could be judging the entire race based on me. And I don’t want anybody else’s opportunity to be ruined because I messed it up. I know that seems really heavy, but that is often how I feel. I am pretty sure that when most white people make a mistake, they don’t feel like they’re representing all Italians or all Irish. But a lot of Black Americans do feel like that . . . When you’re the only one, you look around and you realize, ‘Oh, I’m different.’ It is hurtful that despite the civil rights movement, I’m still the only Black person in the room. I think often about Martin Luther King Jr. and the history of Black Americans. People died so that I could go to school and have an education. People literally lost their lives so that I could work where I’m working. And I will not let their deaths be in vain. That’s really, really important to me.” —Mid-level administrator, 4 years at company, Black woman I feel excluded. I feel that I feel the weight of having When you’re the only one, there’s a bit of a boy’s club. to decide whether to come you often feel like you have “ “ “ I don’t even know if people out or not. Do I participate in to prove yourself.” realize it. It can be as simple the conversation about the —Senior manager, 1 year at company, as men going for coffee and weekend or not? And that Black woman not realizing that the only is exhausting.” people they ask happen to be men.” —SVP, 10 years at company, white lesbian woman —Associate, 2 years at company, Middle Eastern woman This report contains stock photographs for illustrative purposes only. Images do not reflect the identities of the women quoted. Within the quotes, some identifying details may have been altered and/or withheld to protect the speaker’s anonymity.