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A blog that looks behind the scenes at how we bring our mission to life, every day

Leslie Anselme ‹ We are EF Blog | Careers

Vice President of the United States of America Kamala Harris’ statements at the 2020 United States vice-presidential debate illuminated the lengths that Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) women must take to be heard in professional spaces. “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking,” is like the lines I have had to utter in my career. “Mr. Manager, I’m speaking.” “Mr. Peer, I just said that.” “Mr. Subordinate, please don’t interrupt me.”
Earlier in my career, however, I did not always feel comfortable reclaiming my microphone. Standing my ground was usually met with negative responses. Some of my favorites include, “Oh, Leslie is feeling particularly sassy today,” and “Wow girl. Why you mad?” I have even had a white man go as far as saying that he felt threatened by my assertions. Those reactions became my kryptonite.
I eventually became so obsessed with not fulfilling the angry/sassy Black woman stereotype in my predominately white workplaces that I lost parts of myself in the process. I stopped speaking up in meetings to avoid those negative perceptions. I sought absolute perfection in the most debilitating manners to ensure that my mistakes were not blamed on my race, my public university education, or anything else that made me feel othered.
Most upsettingly, I allowed people to talk down to me and unnecessarily explain simple concepts because I knew that statements like “I am well aware,” and “I just said that,” would be perceived as me having a poor attitude. If these “mental and emotional gymnastics” routines, as Kerry Washington <a href="https://twitter.com/kerrywashington/status/1314033100347727877" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">identified them</a>, constituted an Olympic sport, I’d be as decorated as Simone Biles.
As I struggled to overcome this burden and regain my Black woman superpowers, I got to a point where I realized that I need to focus on myself, my growth and my well-being more than anything. I am. It’s the mantra I carried with me as I continued to discover myself again. I am smart. I am capable. I am deserving of every opportunity I am given. I am here. I am powerful.
We tend to look for a clear division between our private and our professional lives, but we forget that it is all personal because we’re human. Though I still falter, shrink, and code-switch at times, I strive to bring my full self to work every day. It is far from easy and comes with a fair amount of stress and anxiety, but here are a few things that have helped me to maintain control along the way.
<h3>Find your people</h3>
Every space won’t feel like a safe space. As a Black woman in corporate America, I am often the only Black person on my team or in a meeting. It can feel draining to go all day without interacting with someone who looks like you. At <a href="https://www.ef.com/wwen/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Education First</a>, we have employee resource groups, or EFinity groups, to provide such spaces for similarly identifying groups. I am a founding member of Black @ EF. This group has had a huge impact on my growth within this organization.
I’m not sure how long I would have lasted without this group and its members. We also have Asians @ EF; Latinos @ EF, LGBTQ+ @ EF and Parents @ EF. If that isn’t yet an option at your workplace, make time to check in with friends, family, or community groups for that much-needed balance. Most importantly, if you are in a space where you don’t feel welcomed or accepted, make a plan to change that space rather than change yourself.
<h3>Say it with me, #IamRemarkable</h3>
I became an <a href="https://iamremarkable.withgoogle.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IamRemarkable facilitator</a> in 2019. #IamRemarkable is an initiative to empower members of underrepresented groups to self-promote and advocate for themselves. It’s a session in which I recommend everyone participates at least once. It will change the way you see yourself and the value you add to your team and organization. It has helped me understand the societal norms that sometimes make us feel less worthy of praise or advancement and less deserving of a seat at the table.
<h3>Get moving, but don’t forget to breathe</h3>
Navigating professional spaces and cities (I’m looking at you, Boston) as a Black woman is stressful. If we throw a global pandemic, racial injustice, and an entire shortage of hugs for those of us doing our part to reduce the spread, we are downright exhausted! I have turned to fitness to release some of that tension. I do HIIT classes with a colleague over at Hult International Business School, an associated organization of EF.
In addition to that, yoga has helped me to realize and challenge my strength, both physically and mentally. Lastly, I also meditate and do breathwork with the Foundations app, open to all EF employees. The daily reminders force me to take a few minutes to exhale whatever I don’t want to bring with me through the rest of my workday.
<h3>Flexing the muscle</h3>
For members of underrepresented groups, standing your ground, asserting yourself and pushing forward in your career can be tough. So is doing 10 pushups the first time you exercise in over a year. It’s important to build up those muscles with practice. Practice your salary negotiation skills with your peers or friends before meeting with your manager. Practice using phrases like “I was speaking,” “I just said that,” or “I’m leading this project.”
Similarly, practice removing certain words and disclaimers from your vocabulary in everyday conversations. Starting questions with “Sorry, but,” justifying your questions or beginning factual statements with “I think,” or “I feel” are not the way to go. If you don’t do it with your friends, don’t do it at work.
The first time I had a difficult conversation with my manager, my voice was shaking, and I felt like I wanted to run out of the room and cry. But I got the words out, even if I had to read them word for word from my notebook. And each time after that, my voice grew steadier and stronger. Work that muscle until you can flex it like a boss.
<h3>Find a role model</h3>
Those who know me, know that I stan Shirley Chisholm. The first Black Congresswoman and the first Black woman to run for president of the United States, is also of Caribbean descent like I am, a fellow Brooklyn College alumna and my soror in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Since initially learning about her in college, I spent much of my professional career asking “WWSD.” What would Shirley do? In all her Unbought and Unbossed glory, Shirley wouldn’t let anything stop her, and neither will I.
<h3>I am</h3>
I’m a firm believer in mantras. Imposter syndrome, minority stress and stereotype threats can sometimes chip away at our confidence. Just like Queen mother, Angela Bassett reminded Chadwick Boseman, aka T’Challa, to “show [them] who you are,” while his back was against the wall, mantras are the easiest way for us to remind ourselves!
I have mantras written on post-its around my desk to remember who I am and who I am becoming. Sometimes, all it takes is that glance to the left of my monitor to breathe in that truth. It is easier said than done, but you owe it to your current and future self. Some of my favorites include
I am.
I am remarkable.
I am more than enough.
I am powerful beyond measure.
Your mantra can also be music. Sometimes, I’ll step away from my desk for an uplifting Black Girl Magic solo dance party. Try adding these songs to your fika playlist:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRFS0MYTC1I" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brown Skin Girl by Beyonce</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL-gxfx2QtY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">I Am Light by India Arie</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADGnIi9KrLQ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Go Get It by Mary Mary</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9HIaGcBocc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Do It by Chloe x Halle</a>
<h3>No one is you –– that is your superpower</h3>
We can sometimes fall into the debilitating rut of seeking perfection because we may be the “first” or the “only,” and feel responsible for representing our community. As a Black woman, it doesn’t help that I may also be one of the first Black people that a colleague has interacted with on this level.
It is often clear when this is the case, and it adds some more weight to the chip on my shoulder. While it is important to be aware of this, I am here representing myself. I cannot carry the weight of another’s perceived stereotypes about me or those who look like me. Let them hold onto that on their own and go on about your day.
<h3>Forgive yourself</h3>
The tallest hurdle over which I had to climb was that of forgiveness. I had to forgive myself for shrinking in the past. I had to forgive myself for the self-doubt. I had to forgive myself for letting people speak down to me. I had to forgive myself for unnecessarily backing down to white people and men. The kicker is it may happen again.
While we continue to work on ourselves, we need to understand that this is a process. Again, we are working this muscle so we can flex it like Kamala Harris, like Shirley Chisholm, and like Leslie Anselme in the very near future.

We tend to look for a clear division between our private and our professional lives, but we forget that it is all personal because we’re human.

Standing your ground: 8 tips for women of color in the workplace - We are EF

Standing your ground: 8 tips for women of color in the workplace ‹ We are EF

Standing your ground: 8 tips for women of color in the workplace

Tips for women of color in the workplace

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States every year between September 15th and October 15th. Here at <a href="https://www.ef.com/wwen/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Education First</a>, we celebrate this moment through the entire month of October. This vital month honors the history and vast diversity of the Hispanic and Latinx+ communities. In addition, it’s an opportunity for all of us to acknowledge and celebrate the unique contributions of individuals who identify as Hispanic or Latinx and trace their ancestry back to Spain, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
As a global organization focused on education, we take every moment of celebration as an opportunity to learn, and this is one of those moments. Hispanic refers to people from or descended from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain. Latinx+ refers to people from or descended from Latin American countries, including nations like Brazil and Haiti. This isn’t a perfect categorization, however, as there are Indigenous cultures residing in Spanish-speaking countries who do not identify with those countries culture or language.
Latinx+ @EF, one of EF’s employee-led EFinity groups, invited their colleagues to join them in reflecting on the power of the past and the potential for a greater future centered around our Hispanic Heritage Month theme this year — “Hope and Resilience.” The group held a Critical Conversation (a regular series for staff at EF) on the complexities of the Latinx+ community, its culture, and common misconceptions. Participants discussed the core pillars of the Latinx+ community, family being one of them. This was described as creating a familial environment as often as possible, even in the workplace, by sharing food, traditions, and language.
The participants also shared their personal experiences, such as growing up as immigrants or first-generation Americans, feeling like outsiders in their neighborhoods, seeking out role models and representation, and finding community among their peers and colleagues.
 <img alt="EF Toronto" src="https://a.storyblok.com/f/204637/568x292/78d8af75e2/ef-hispanic-heritage-month-2021.jpg" style="width:500px;height:600px >
<a href="https://hbr.org/2016/10/u-s-latinos-feel-they-cant-be-themselves-at-work" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Research has shown </a>that 76% of Latinx+ people withhold parts of who they are while at work to better fit in, or rather, not to stand out. At EF, we are working to ensure that all of our employees feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work if they choose, and celebrations like Hispanic Heritage Month are helping break down the barriers that may have prevented achieving this in the past.
Celebrations like these are not only enlightening, but also help our staff better understand groups with shared characteristics, affinities, or life experiences within the larger EF community as they communicate with customers, partners, and colleagues from cultures around the world.
“Hope and resilience means so much for the Latinx community,” says Stephanie, <a href="https://www.eftours.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EF Educational Tours</a> Program Manager for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. “It’s not only about recognizing our ancestors and where we come from, pero tambien, how we’re continuing to recognize our culture, using it as a catalyst moving forward in redefining who we are, recreating tradition, holding onto the past, enjoying the present and creating the future juntos.”
Learn a bit of the Spanish that’s used in this article: 
Pero tambien: <a href="https://translate.google.com/?sl=auto&tl=en&text=Pero%20tambien&op=translate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">but, also</a>
Juntos: <a href="https://translate.google.com/?sl=auto&tl=en&text=Juntos&op=translate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">together</a>
Sources:
“U.S. Latinos Feel They Can’t Be Themselves at Work.” Harvard Business Review, 11 Oct. 2016, https://hbr.org/2016/10/u-s-latinos-feel-they-cant-be-themselves-at-work.

Latinx+ @EF, one of EF's employee-led EFinity groups, reflected on this year's Hispanic Heritage Month theme — “Hope and Resilience.”

EF Hispanic Heritage Month 2021: A reflection on hope and resilience - We are EF

EF Hispanic Heritage Month 2021: A reflection on hope and resilience ‹ We are EF

EF Hispanic Heritage Month 2021: A reflection on hope and resilience

Ef hispanic heritage month 2021

A common phrase in the English language is ‘You don’t know what you don’t know.’ The real question is, are we listening to the people who do know?
It is easy to accept information as fact, especially from trusted sources, but it is important to remain reflective of the stories being told and repeated. This is at the heart of what ethical storytelling is. It is the practice of actively honoring others when sharing narratives. It is responsible communication without exploitation. It is a mindful approach to storytelling that avoids the trap of a single story. Most importantly, it is telling stories the way the subjects of the stories want their story to be told.
Without meaning to do so, our learned colloquialisms could be perpetuating racial stereotypes and historical inaccuracies. So how can we listen, learn, and take action to practice ethical storytelling?

Here are a few examples of phrases with challenging histories and ethical alternatives:

<h3>Spirit animal</h3>
Spirit Animal is a term pop culture has put on mugs and shirts, online quizzes, and memes. It has also been used in interviews and icebreakers to get to know someone.
Alternative: Think about what you are trying to say — there are many ways to convey your feelings toward coffee (coffee makes me happy) or learn more about a candidate you’re interviewing (tell me what you value).
Why: The term Spirit Animal is a form of cultural appropriation and not very historically accurate. Many Indigenous Nations don’t use this term but rather have a general connection to animals, the earth, and other spiritual practices within their cultures. It’s vital that we respect the traditions of a specific group of people rather than appropriating and popularizing a term that is not part of our identity.

<h3>Tribe</h3>
Tribe is often used to describe like-minded friend groups or teams of colleagues with a shared goal.
Alternative: We work on teams and socialize in groups of friends, colleagues, pals, acquaintances, neighbors, or family.
Why: The term tribe has negative connotations related to primitive history and can be seen as the antithesis to civilization. Many Indigenous people refer to their many cultures as Nations or People.

<h3>Powwow</h3>
Powwow is sometimes used in office settings to describe quick or impromptu team meetings or brainstorming sessions.
Alternative: Gather your team for a quick meeting or a virtual chat.
Why: This usage is disrespectful to the ceremonial and celebratory gatherings of Indigenous people from whom the term comes. Sometimes these gatherings are open to the public. If you live near an Indigenous community that holds pow wows, go check it out and learn more.

These are just a few examples of how we can all use critical thinking and inclusive lenses to ensure that Indigenous colleagues own their own identities in the workspace. We can also apply these same ethical practices as we travel, shop for goods, and participate in community events.
Whenever we have the chance to interact with different people and hear their stories, we have an opportunity to learn something new. So the challenge for all of us is to start by listening.

Staff-led programming aimed to encourage critical thinking about the various stories and narratives we may encounter regarding Indigenous Peoples globally.

Celebrating EF Indigenous Peoples Month: The importance of ethical storytelling - We are EF

Celebrating EF Indigenous Peoples Month: The importance of ethical storytelling ‹ We are EF

Celebrating EF Indigenous Peoples Month: The importance of ethical storytelling

Celebrating ef indigenous peoples month

Leslie Anselme

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