Friday, December 2, 2016

Young, Black and Corporate: The Sell Out Myth

Working in Corporate America does not make you a "Sell Out"....You have to earn that title.

Corporate culture has been shaped and modified over hundreds of years into the form it takes today. Very few people of any race or gender can participate in corporate culture without having to adopt some of the customs, language and dress. The notion of the Black, "sell out" assimilationist makes no sense. Everyone who wants to participate in corporate culture "assimilates" in the true definition of the word (not the loaded, judgmental definition). Trading your jeans and T-shirt for a suit and tie is no different than a doctor wearing a white coat or a firefighter wearing a uniform. It doesn't mean you've sold yourself because you prefer jeans, but that you realize the suit is more appropriate for the work.