Thank you for sharing your personal experience with Prove It Again bias that is pervasive in work cultures & academia. It can be hard to know what to say in the moment—it literally takes practice—and leaving a note or having a conversation with the person later is a good option. I used to evaluate Speaking Up workshops that trained folks how to interrupt bias (implicit or not) & Prove It Again was the most common manifestation.
Appreciate this comment, Dr. Feltault! The fact that Prove It Again bias consistently appeared as the most common manifestation in those workshops highlights how deeply rooted it is across various sectors.
Wow, what a way to kick off Black History Month. I want to thank you for your service for volunteering all the hours you did .I’m so sorry that you went through this at such a young age, but this just proves that ignorance has no age. That woman was well above your age and yet she was still Ignorant in her word.
Thank you Vince, and it's all good! I'm sure she learned a valuable lesson that day to not question our commitment, especially from a then fourteen-year-old.
I admire your resolve to continue working in the nonprofit and philanthropic space, despite its challenges with racism and equity. I left and can't look back. The microaggressions and overt racism I -- and too many of my Black and brown colleagues -- experienced were unlike anything I'd seen before I began working in that space at age 42. It was far worse than anything I'd experienced in corporate spaces.
Thank you for your admiration and your insight! Nonprofit and philanthropic spaces can be more harmful than corporate environments, and more people are slowly starting to admit that. Experiencing racism within organizations that are supposedly built on justice and equity is especially painful because the gaslighting that comes with it is on another level. I'm glad you protected yourself by leaving. I'm still figuring out what my own relationship to this space looks like long-term.
Thank you for an inspiring article Tirrea. It made me both furious for your 14 yo self and glad you pursued your passion despite that experience. Sadly but unsurprisingly those prejudices and behaviours are mirrored in the non-profit world here in the UK. After 30 years in the sector I can see growing awareness (including my own) and some more open conversations, but it’s slow and sometimes feels performative in response to a shifting funding landscape. Traditional funders’ recent focus on racial justice - in both their funding strategies and expectations of grantee charities - has yet to be tested by time, but at least it has pushed systemic racism and inequalities firmly into the conversation. Hopefully the combination of top down pressures and bottom up work will begin to influence the whole. ❤️
Thank you for sharing this and for incorporating the UK perspective in the discussion! It's a good reminder that these patterns are not unique to America but are ingrained in how the nonprofit sector is globally. Your point about performative responses to changing funding environments captures the ongoing tension I often mention. When racial justice is seen as a funding trend rather than a true value, it's hard to distinguish genuine efforts until the landscape shifts again, revealing who remains committed. Having thirty years of experience in this field is monumental! I appreciate how you acknowledge both frustration and hope. I still try to remain hopeful above all else.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience with Prove It Again bias that is pervasive in work cultures & academia. It can be hard to know what to say in the moment—it literally takes practice—and leaving a note or having a conversation with the person later is a good option. I used to evaluate Speaking Up workshops that trained folks how to interrupt bias (implicit or not) & Prove It Again was the most common manifestation.
Appreciate this comment, Dr. Feltault! The fact that Prove It Again bias consistently appeared as the most common manifestation in those workshops highlights how deeply rooted it is across various sectors.
Wow, what a way to kick off Black History Month. I want to thank you for your service for volunteering all the hours you did .I’m so sorry that you went through this at such a young age, but this just proves that ignorance has no age. That woman was well above your age and yet she was still Ignorant in her word.
Thank you Vince, and it's all good! I'm sure she learned a valuable lesson that day to not question our commitment, especially from a then fourteen-year-old.
I admire your resolve to continue working in the nonprofit and philanthropic space, despite its challenges with racism and equity. I left and can't look back. The microaggressions and overt racism I -- and too many of my Black and brown colleagues -- experienced were unlike anything I'd seen before I began working in that space at age 42. It was far worse than anything I'd experienced in corporate spaces.
Thank you for your admiration and your insight! Nonprofit and philanthropic spaces can be more harmful than corporate environments, and more people are slowly starting to admit that. Experiencing racism within organizations that are supposedly built on justice and equity is especially painful because the gaslighting that comes with it is on another level. I'm glad you protected yourself by leaving. I'm still figuring out what my own relationship to this space looks like long-term.
Thank you for an inspiring article Tirrea. It made me both furious for your 14 yo self and glad you pursued your passion despite that experience. Sadly but unsurprisingly those prejudices and behaviours are mirrored in the non-profit world here in the UK. After 30 years in the sector I can see growing awareness (including my own) and some more open conversations, but it’s slow and sometimes feels performative in response to a shifting funding landscape. Traditional funders’ recent focus on racial justice - in both their funding strategies and expectations of grantee charities - has yet to be tested by time, but at least it has pushed systemic racism and inequalities firmly into the conversation. Hopefully the combination of top down pressures and bottom up work will begin to influence the whole. ❤️
Thank you for sharing this and for incorporating the UK perspective in the discussion! It's a good reminder that these patterns are not unique to America but are ingrained in how the nonprofit sector is globally. Your point about performative responses to changing funding environments captures the ongoing tension I often mention. When racial justice is seen as a funding trend rather than a true value, it's hard to distinguish genuine efforts until the landscape shifts again, revealing who remains committed. Having thirty years of experience in this field is monumental! I appreciate how you acknowledge both frustration and hope. I still try to remain hopeful above all else.