This blog is part of our celebration of women kicked off by International Women’s Day. Find more inspiring stories here.
Young, Female, and Mixed-Race. Three adjectives that can define someone and make an impact on what someone sees when they hop on a Zoom call for the first time; but these three powerful words are something to be very proud of and these three words have overcome lots of adversity over time and continue to do so.
Any woman who’s early in their career can attest to not being taken seriously from time to time. Luckily, we are in a transitional period where times are changing and gender is becoming fluid just as much as race (about time, but still have a ways to go!). This isn’t to outline what’s wrong with XYZ (we could name millions of things) in today’s society, but rather a sentiment to how we are already overcoming these three defining adjectives, which happen to also define me.
- Young. Yes, we’re everywhere now and dominating the workforce with both innovation and quick adaptability. Some of the youngest and richest entrepreneurs today are under 40 years old, are what we call #selfmade, and did it all on their own. According to Forbes, some of the youngest billionaires have shaped the lives of millennials, like Snap, created by Evan Spiegel, who just turned 30 years old. Unfortunately, there’s only one woman on that list (and she inherited the best burger joint ever, In-N-Out), but still, a woman made the list — that’s a BFD (may have to Google this if you’re a millennial+). Since that list is a bit older, I should mention Whitney Wolfe, who just took Bumble public at age 31 and became the world’s youngest billionaire. We’re shaping the tech world and it’s growing exponentially every day and making sure our voices are heard — I’d even say the older generations are scared of what we can achieve.
- Female. A tale as old as time. Women in the workforce have shaped our way and have made a name for ourselves over the past hundreds of years and yet we still continue to fight for equality. Although, I can start out with mentioning we literally just went from receptionist to Vice President of the United States of America overnight (or technically 50 years, which sounds worse). In 2020, CNN mentioned that women reached a record high of 37 CEOs placed in businesses. That’s amazing! And we continue to break barriers, I mean, come on, how many babies did you see dressed up as Ruth Bader Ginsberg this past halloween?
- Mixed Race. This past year, a light has been shone on racial injustice, which should never stop shining. People of color have been fighting to be heard for centuries. I am mixed race and I have no idea what to fill out when asked my race. So, I don’t necessarily know where I fall, but I do see how race affects women in the workplace. But going back to my last bullet, we just swore in a woman of Asian and African-American descent — a mixed-race woman! Although, I wonder what race she filled out on her application. There IS a place for all races, and mixed races, and she’s currently sitting in the White House.
Those three adjectives may define what people see the first time they meet you, but it does not define the success there is to be made. Like I mentioned already, I’m young, female, and mixed race, and I have so much more to learn in my career. I’ve been in groups that are inclusive to all three things and I’ve been in situations where one of those descriptions made me feel absolutely stupid. But the beauty of being young, female, and mixed race is that you get to break those boundaries and learn how to prove both people and stereotypes wrong. Luckily, the world is evolving one baby step at a time and adjectives are only adjectives and people are seeing beyond that.
So yes, women DO run the world and yes women of color DEFINITELY run the world. We are creating a path no one would have ever seen coming over the past 150 years. Unless you’re Susan B. Anthony. Snaps to women.
Inspired? Read more in our IWD x Cheetah hub.
