When we say, "Let's Shake the Table", chances are high that one of two things is happening.
1. You don't know what that means.
OR
2. You think of this iconic moment from a reality television show.
Let's shed some light on what we actually mean by that (and why that moment, funny as it is, doesn't align with our values).
Black women in the communication field bring a unique perspective: grit and resilience from generations of adversity + exclusion. We leverage that experience in communications strategy. Because of our experience, we think deeply about who gets to tell stories, who is consuming these stories, what channels stories should be told on, etc. It's a valuable POV, but surprisingly, we see very little of it in advertising, marketing and journalism.
Corporate America has always had tables where decisions get made. The table can be a boardroom, a department, a company or an entire industry. Having a seat at these tables is usually invite-only. Why? Well, we can look at similarity bias, nepotism, racism, white privilege, etc... the list goes on. These all lead up to the same issue.
Black women are missing from communication tables all over the world
(and for us, that hits home right here in Charlotte).
Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, access and justice are certainly more than just buzzwords - but you wouldn't know it from the implementation of these programs. C-suite and executive level Black women should be treated as leaders, decision-makers and builders, but that's not happening. Talented, incredible Black women are being handed vanity titles all in the name of a seat at the table; but then they're understaffed, under-resourced, over-utilized, gaslit and ... it's exhausting.
This is why a seat at the table can no longer be enough. Let's Shake the Table, Inc. is empowering Black women to come to the table ready to shake it with enhanced knowledge, more perspective and stronger relationships. In other words, what's different about how we're shaking the table compared to that GIF shown above?
We're doing it hand-in-hand with each other, our allies and our champions. We're all shaking the table together.
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