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014: 5 Books by Black Authors I couldn't put down
41 Plays10 months ago
In this episode I am sharing 5 books that I have absolutely loved reading from 5 amazing authors! I have always been on the go, however knowing to slow down is really important. Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey was a book I really enjoyed especially at a pivotal time when I was seeking REST and unsubscribing from hustle culture. Similar to this is the Afrominimalist. While I dont provide a full synopsis, you'll get enough to want to add them on your shopping cart. Diversify your library with these amazing books!
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Transcript
Introduction to Book List on Equity and Leadership
00:00:00
Speaker
this book list is not just for Black professionals to read, but I believe that, again, if you wanted, you know, equities about leadership and leadership is about equity. And so as you seek to better understand the teams that you're leading or the teams that you should be building, I think this also becomes part of your learning journey, shifting between business, so like coaching one-on-one, and then advancing my own career while balancing like family and my family as like as a wife and as a mother of three.
00:00:29
Speaker
And just getting to that point, the pre-burnout, like I was literally at pre-burnout. And so this book was very grounding for me in terms of just reminding me that hustle culture can be very toxic. And this idea that you always have to be on, always have to be grinding and pushing was what I thought I felt I needed to do. And again, for us as Black women, Black professionals, we're always
00:00:56
Speaker
We were cultured by this adage that you have to work twice as hard to have half of what your counterparts have. And it can be really, really toxic. Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Korea Slint Talks Podcast.
Brenda Dogbay's Podcast on Black-Canadian Leadership and Literature
00:01:12
Speaker
My name is Brenda Dogbay, and in this podcast I center
00:01:15
Speaker
Black-Canadian voices and the African diaspora mainly around leadership but of course anybody and everybody is welcome to listen and follow through on the journey. So today I wanted to share with you five books by Black authors that I have read this past year slash I'm currently reading that for me have been quite significant and just really life-changing.
00:01:41
Speaker
I won't do the books justice. I'm not going to give you the full synopsis on the books, but I hope that this is going to help you expand your library as both professionally and personally. And so the first book I'm reading is this one right here, which is Rest is Resistance.
00:02:02
Speaker
a manifesto by Tricia Hersey, and she is the founder of the Knapp Ministry. And this book, for me as a Black woman, as a Black professional, as a Black leader, is like required reading. Basically, the premise of the book is that you need to rest. We have to be mindful of not just doing the go-go-go, the capitalism, and this idea that we have to always be productive.
00:02:31
Speaker
and it came to me at a crossroad when I was really shifting between business or like coaching one-on-one and then advancing my own career while balancing like family and my family as like as a wife and as a mother of three and just getting to that point the pre-burnout like I was literally at pre-burnout
00:02:51
Speaker
And so this book was very grounding for me in terms of just reminding me that hustle culture can be very toxic. And this idea that you always have to be on, you always have to be grinding and pushing was what I thought I felt I needed to do. And again, for us as black women, black professionals, we're always, we were cultured by this adage that you have to work twice as hard to have half of what your counterparts have.
00:03:20
Speaker
And and it can be really, really toxic. And if I can even dig a little bit deeper right now, I mean, in the past year, we've seen black women in leadership struggle and be eaten up and in some cases lose their lives, give their lives up.
00:03:39
Speaker
because of grind culture, toxic culture.
The Importance of Rest and Addressing Toxic Work Environments
00:03:43
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And so, you know, from Dr. Condine Gay, who's the former president of Harvard University, to Dr. Candia Bailey, Bonnie, who died by suicide following bullying and just a toxic work environment in the year before that. There are two other university professors who also collapsed at the job. And so,
00:04:08
Speaker
For me as a busybody, as a workaholic, as a overachiever, like I call myself that, this book was really a reminder that sometimes it is actually not just optional for you to take things slow, but that rest is resistance.
00:04:26
Speaker
And for a Black woman who's always been taught, you've got to always be doing something. It was really a transformational book. So I encourage you to check it out, Resistant is Resistant, a manifesto. They have an Instagram page and it's all movement. The second book that I'm going to share is a little bit of a contrast to the first. And so this is Unapologetically Ambitious by Aselia Shamboh.
00:04:51
Speaker
And I read this book probably around a year ago. What it says is, take risks, break barriers, and create success in your own terms. And I really like the idea behind being unapologetic about being ambitious. A lot of the time women were told, you're not supposed to be ambitious, you're not supposed to be bossy, you're not supposed to go and get. And there's a part of me that absolutely actually loves that and loves
00:05:15
Speaker
to build and grow but there's a part of me that really loves being driven and what I like about this book was that you have the right to do that and I like the permission to do that if you like I also love that truly talked about seeking mentors and sponsors and having people who can speak on your behalf
00:05:35
Speaker
and not being shy about stating what you want when it comes to your career goals. And so I enjoyed this book. I read this book before the rest is resistance, but I think it really spoke to a part of me that does enjoy that push and I really appreciated it for that.
Ambition and Success for Women with Mentorship
00:05:54
Speaker
The next book I'm going to share is Afro Minimalist's Guide to Living with Less by Christine Platt.
00:06:01
Speaker
And I absolutely, I'm reading this book right now, so I'm not done. And I've been on this minimalism journey and here I'm going to pause and say like to my husband's true minimalist, I'm a maximalist if you want to call it, quasi hoarder. And I think part of that comes from again, when you grow up with lack or with limited resources, there's this idea that when you finally start to earn your living,
00:06:27
Speaker
that you need to amass things. You have to get, get, get. And I think for me, this journey has been really about pausing and being intentional, you know, kind of get out of that survivor grind, hustle state of mind into this more kind of relaxed, zen, peaceful state of mind. And a lot of that comes with minimalism. And to be quite honest, this book has just been really transformative for me. I was initially looking at minimalism.
00:06:57
Speaker
And I just found that everything was so beige and not really culturally referenced, culturally appropriate for me. You see a lot of white just in terms of the minimal physical spaces. It's not just about the white spaces. I think it's about finding that a reference point for me as a black woman, as a black person, as an African woman.
00:07:19
Speaker
in terms of working through minimalism, the thought process, the reasoning behind it, and then culling. And so this book by Christine Platt has just been, you know, I'm reading it, I'm not done, and I've been taking the principles in. She's also going to be doing a book tour next year. So, I mean, this year or next year, so I'm super excited about her book tour and just hearing more about the book.
Minimalism and Racism from a Black Perspective
00:07:44
Speaker
So the fourth book that I'm reading is probably one of the you know that you always read a book that really influences you and that you're just like this was a life-changing book. I would say that's what this book has been so it's called The Conversation by Robert Livingston and it's called How Seeking and Speaking the Truth about Racism Can Radically Transform Individuals and Organizations
00:08:09
Speaker
This book is so well written. It's such an easy read. And Robert really just starts the book really incrementally. And so it doesn't start off as heavy, uses a lot of storytelling. But once you get into the middle of the book, you're like, oh my gosh, he's really getting into the thick of things. I would say any leader should read this book.
00:08:32
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regardless of your cultural, racial background. I would say anybody who wants to understand more about racism because he really gets at the heart of equity and our willingness to understand it. Does everybody have the same understanding of the problem? And 99% of the time, the answer is no. How to bring everybody along in your organization
00:08:56
Speaker
to the conversation around anti-racism and equity and then what it takes so the sacrifice that is required in order to see that change and I'm so excited because I'm going to be doing training by him and so I'd be happy to share on the podcast how that training went
00:09:17
Speaker
But this book, like the conversation, I think it should be required reading for any leader who is responsible for people management and who works with or ought to work with racially diverse groups or build racially diverse groups and drive equity.
Strategies for Black Women in the Workplace
00:09:37
Speaker
Final book, I have not actually read this book yet. It is called I'm Not Yelling by Elizabeth Laba. The subtitle is A Black Woman's Guide to Navigating the Workplace. I follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn and when the book was available I said I had to get it. I think I've delayed reading it because I'm just not ready.
00:09:58
Speaker
as a Black woman, as a leader, I usually count how long it takes in every role that I take to be called an angry Black woman. And it's something that happens commonly more than just happening. I think we don't even have to do anything to be perceived as angry. It's a stereotype that is really hard for us to get away from. And at the same point, you know, coming back to Robert Livingston's book, The Conversation,
00:10:23
Speaker
It is actually weaponized. So it's not just an innocent perception of black women, but there is a weaponizing of our identity of ourselves as angry. And so what I like about this is that it is the perfect guide for working women is what she says at the back.
00:10:41
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and it says part strategy guide part empowerment vessel for savvy black women and it teaches us to find our voices in predominantly white corporate America and in our case in corporate Canada very very much relevant and I'm just going to read a little snippet from the back it says
00:10:58
Speaker
And inside I'm not yelling, you will find strategies and recommendations to give Black women a framework for emotional support, business success and healing from racial trauma, solutions to many instances of racial inequity and discrimination at work for Black women, and actionable steps for positive pitfalls such as microaggressions, lack of mentoring, and pay inequity.
Building Equitable Leadership and Teams
00:11:22
Speaker
And so this needs to be, you know, if you're a Black professional, if you're a Black woman, and if you're leading teams. This book list is not just for Black professionals to read, but I believe that, again, if you wanted, you know, equity is about leadership and leadership is about equity. And so
00:11:38
Speaker
as you seek to better understand the teams that you're leading or the teams that you should be building, I think this also becomes part of your learning journey, going beyond putting the burden on the Black employees on your team to really educate you. And so this, I can't wait to read this book. I'm getting past the conversation. And once I'm done with that, this is going to be my
Engagement and Connection with the Podcast
00:11:59
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next read.
00:11:59
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I hope you enjoyed this list and if you did, feel free to send me an email careerslaytalks at gmail.com or connect with me on Instagram at careerslaytalks. If you enjoyed this episode, please like it, please rate it and also put your notifications on so you never miss an episode and let's continue to slay together.