#BlackWomenAtWork has started trending on twitter after White House spokesman Sean Spicer chastised White House correspondent April Ryan, and Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly made separate comments about congresswoman Maxine Waters’ appearance.
The hashtag has revealed shocking revelations about what black women suffer every day in terms of sexism and racism in their workplace just for doing their job. Trump’s under-fire Press Secretary Spicer was widely criticized, both on social media and in official press channels, after appearing to scold Ryan for her line of questioning and mannerisms.
Whilst O’Reilly faced a backlash after likening Waters’ hair to a James Brown wig, after the former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus urged people to stand up to Donald Trump. Activist Brittany Packnett tweeted: “This happens to black women everyday at work. Share your Maxine and April moments, so people don’t think this is rare. Use #BlackWomenAtWork.”
Although O’Reilly has since apologised for his comments and Spicer shrugged off his exchange with Ryan as “spirited”, diversity in the workplace is still an issue that some industries struggle with. Silicon Valley, home of many pioneering tech firms, is one sector that has come under fire. Uber and Apple are amongst the companies considered to have senior and executive staff makeups that are not representative of society’s diverse racial, sexual, ethnic and religious makeup.
Please follow this link to HR Grapevine’s article on this trending Hashtag, complete with the shocking tweets mentioned here: https://www.hrgrapevine.com/content/article/news-2017-03-30-blackwomenatwork-highlights-everyday-racism-in-the-workplace
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