This week the nation has been awakened by many shocking race moments, from the McKinney, Texas, Â officer’s use of excessive force on black teenagers while on the job, to the many principals and teachers fired for their racial social media posts. However, what currently has the county intrigued is the story of the white woman from the state of Washington, Rachel Dolezal, who has lived her life and come to work for years representing herself as a woman of black racial identity.
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As people gather around the water cooler this week, they are asking many questions about how Dolezal has chosen to enact a black identity: “What is wrong with her?†“Why is she perpetrating a fraud?†While it is easy to psychoanalyze this woman and her choices from a distance, it is very important for us to realize that she has chosen to represent herself in this manner, the same way many of us choose to represent a certain ‘self’ at work. While the assessment of Dolezal’s situation is interesting, the larger opportunity for the black professional community is to use it as a moment to better understand how our own identities are at play in our personal and professional lives. Identities are very complex, multidimensional, self-defined, and fluid.
The identities that we utilize in our lives are based on the experiences, values, and beliefs that we hold to be true. However, these identities come in many flavors, and can often conflict with each other. For example, if a black employee at a corporation chooses not to wear an afro to their conservative corporate space, they are ‘choosing’ to present a beauty identity that is not aligned with their true preferences, but is most strategic for navigating that particular environment. Or, the professional black employee that listens to the newest ratchet rap mix-tape on the way to work, but puts on smooth jazz as they pull into the parking lot with the hopes of avoiding judgment. And let us not forget the awkward moments of black employees choosing not to eat watermelon or fried chicken at the company picnic, due to the fear of confirming a stereotype. Lastly, let us consider the many moments black employee’s silence their voice in a meeting in an attempt to present a more non-confrontational and non-combative self.
While we may look at the case of Rachel Dolezal as confusing or odd, we have to be clear that everyday we wake up to go to work, we are making clear choices as well. What would happen if the identity management techniques of black talent became uncovered? Â Â Would people think that we were crazy and fraudulent? Would they fully understand the motives behind the choice to self-preserve in certain work environments?
There are many reasons for why black professionals choose to conform or assimilate at work, such as politics, social pressure, limited resources, and non-inclusive environments. Â In the case of Rachel Dolezal, while it is counter to the traditional rhetoric, was the mask of ‘blackness’ one that allowed her to more easily navigate her personal and professional environments?
Paul Laurence Dunbar, in his poem We Wear the Mask, discusses the idea of wearing a mask to conceal, hide, or protect parts of ourselves from being seen. There are multiple explanations for why “we wear the mask.” Do you wear the mask to prevent others from thinking negatively about you? Do you wear the mask to keep up a certain set of impressions? Do you wear the mask to communicate to the world that you have it all together? Or do you wear the mask to hide the fear and self-doubt that can sometimes get the best of you? These are the questions that we must begin to ask ourselves in order to maximize our personal and professional success.
We tend to forget to ask ourselves an important set of questions at the end of the day: Who am I? What masks am I wearing? What toll are all of these masks taking on me psychologically, emotionally, and physically? How are these masks impacting my personal and professional life?
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The reality is that shifting between all of these masks is tiring, confusing, and burdensome. However, because of our strength, need to achieve, and high expectations of self, we suppress the heavy weight and ignore the effects of this load that we carry. Â The reality is that the process of tapping into different identities, presenting different selves, and wearing multiple masks at work is mentally taxing, and creates a set of emotions that can lead to anxiety, stress, overload, and burnout.
The question that I charge you with asking yourself on a continual basis is: How do I begin to think about the masks and identities that I wear in a way that allows me to authentically and effectively navigate my personal and professional life?
Here are five things to remember as you begin the journey of unmasking and understanding your many identities:
1. Identity management is a human experience that everyone lives. You are not the only person experiencing this. Don’t beat yourself up about the frustrations or uncertainties about your journey.
2. It is up to us to determine whether we will be passive or active in the management of our many identities. The success of your journey is directly connected to how you actively and consciously engage in consistent and frequent self-reflection.
3. We must understand that we are not alone in this journey. Aside from coming from a legacy of people that have walked this journey and persevered, you have a community of people, here in the present, that are here to support you. As humans, we are social beings, and must embrace the idea that we weren’t made to walk this journey alone.
4. We must realize that there are tools to make the journey smoother. The amazing thing about the way we were designed is that we have the ability to change and adapt. To believe this, is to also embrace the idea that there are strategies that assist us in transforming our thought processes, emotional profiles, and behaviors.
5. The most important part of the journey is the process. This process of self-discovery and identity exploration is very revealing and transformative. We should not simply focus on the destination.
For more information about identity management and the process of unmasking, visit here.
Do you have more questions about how to navigate the masks you wear at work? Share your comments and tweet me your perspectives at @DrAtiraCharles.