Samantha

I was 24 and so eager to impress, especially since I had the privilege of working at a prominent company in downtown Toronto. I had my usual weekly 1 on 1 with my supervisor at the time and he brought up the topic of appearance, insinuating that we (he is a fellow POC) had to make sure we always looked perfect. I knew what he meant. It meant that I shouldn’t have my natural hair out unless it’d been straightened/permed or else I’d look “too black”. This conversation reminded me that others looked down on us since we were black and would use any chance they could get to bring us down, even at this supposedly well regarded workplace. It was a sad conversation to have, especially since I’m certain it was a conversation he’d had with himself on a regular basis and he was telling me this as a way of helping me out. It ended up affecting me a lot, to the point where I almost always had a weave during my time there. Fast forward nearly 6 years later and I’ve happily alternated between my natural kinky afro or long braids without any issues. I can finally and happily say that I work at a company that always encourages me to be myself. And I can guarantee you that when I am a people manager, I will never EVER encourage someone to be never be themselves.