I’m a black AD, does anybody have advice on how to deal with a hostile / potentially racist work environment?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at
Highlighted IconHIGHLIGHTED

If you’re lucky enough to be working at an agency with more people of color, try to start a POC support group. We did this at my agency recently and I can not explain the amount of support pouring through this group. If you’re in Chi, we’re planning mixers and interagency support groups that we’d love to have you join!

likehelpfulupliftingsmart

Black CD #2 here. A very “white” working environment is one thing, a hostile & racist one is another. But I know how flippant it is for me to say “just leave.” So while you are looking, networking and making moves — stay low, keep moving and document everything via email. Even verbal conversations...follow up with a recap disguised as due diligence or a thank you. Also, learn from this. Learn how people act, how people move, and remember it—because it won’t be the last but it will get better.

likeuplifting
Recent IconRecent

What is wrong with people. Why do white people think black people should see themselves as invisible. Get a clue.

likesmart

"Hey Chad, have you seen that new movie 'Black Klansman?' Seems like it's something you and the wife would enjoy."

likefunny

Document all events and go to HR immediately.

likesmarthelpful

Yeah @C2 sorry but that does sound stupid. Saying its the black person's first move to combat a racist work environment is pretty tin eared.

Im a guilty-feelin white guy and I wish I had a better answer for you @OP, but I hope you end up liking where you work.

like

Perhaps the best advice to deal with it is not to deal with it all. No racist work environment is acceptable or tolerable. Make note of it. Document and report every incident.

- Black CD

likeupliftinghelpful

Remove yourself from it. Struggle and battles make great movie plots but in real life they bring people down, ruin their careers and undermine their confidence. There’re places that will make you feel appreciated. Get out.

likesmarthelpful

Remember that HR isn't your friend

likehelpful

@C2 I think I understand now--it's not that you dont know what youre talking about because youre not black--its that you dont know what youre talking about because youre not American.

Again, Im white and Ill shut up after this, but I think anybody can tell you that Asian people will have a lot more success in America "seeing themselves" as not-Asian than black people will have with seeing themselves as not-Black.

Once again, I encourage you to close your mouth now and listen. I dont think youre coming across as a guy who has a lot to contribute to the Black Advertising Experience.

like

If shit goes south @OP, we’re hiring an AD.
Lots of white, but none are hostile. 👍

likeupliftinghelpful

CW2 —

I mean this with the most respect. Take the advice of others on this thread and take a posture to sit back and learn.

1.
You said, “How typical” = translation: “Those people”

2.
You said, “to assume that because I’m not black my experience would be different.” = It’s not an assumption. It’s a fact. If you are not Black, you have not experienced the Black experience in this world (in this industry). Turn on the news. You have your own experience and that is valid. I empathize with you as a fellow minority. But it isn’t the same. Trust that. And believe me, you don’t want this experience any more than your own.

3.
You said, “The world doesn’t revolve around your suffering.” = Indeed. In fact, it is the world that creates the suffering. And in fact on that fact, the original post was a young creative asking how to navigate that suffering - how to evolve within it. How to be quiet, or how to politic it or code-switch it to make their peers more comfortable, how to straighten their hair, sharpen their words, how to sell creative ideas some just won’t get, how to politely tell other creatives that headline is slightly offensive... this list is unfortunately endless. And I get the sense you are not open to understand, so I’ll stop here. But as a creative in this world, I hope you heard something.

Wishing you the best. Happy to answer any curiosities.

likehelpful

It sounds stupid but i think you could start by not viewing yourself as a “black” AD and just an AD. How you see yourself does affect how others see you. Baby steps.

funnylikehelpful

Thank you CD 3 & 4 🙏🏾

like

“Chad”
😂

likefunnyuplifting

Copywriter 2, please if you can’t say anything of value and/or if you are pulling from a place of pure ignorance - please say nothing at all. The Black experience in this industry (and in this world) is very different than the Asian experience which is different from the white experience, the female, young, old, queer, individual experience and so on. Let’s not say “I don’t see color” ... because everyone does. And for People of Color ... it is very often (too often) the first thing people see on us. They may not judge us for it. But they do notice it. If not, they’re lying. To say OP is throwing a fit, proves that your voice doesn’t fit in this conversation unless you’re willing to learn and empathize. You have a beautiful privilege in saying “I never thought of myself as an asian creative” ... I envy that. Please know - it is not because we think of ourselves as Black creatives, but because we are made to feel that way. Because there is often only one of us in the room. I hope you never experience it. But would love to educate you more on the feelings of many. Would also love to learn of your experiences and work together to make this industry a safer place to create.

likehelpful

@C2 You probably never thought of yourself as an Asian Creative because you never had to. We (black people) also don’t wake up and say “I’m black” and then go eat a “black” breakfast, ride a “black” train and walk into our agencies and say “well as a black creative, let’s move the meeting.” We wouldn’t even have to IF we did because the world, including the agency world does a pretty good job of reminding us on a DAILY basis. So to imply that the OP is “throwing a fit” because they are asking for advice on how to deal with the stress of a hostile potentially racist working environment shows that a) unless it’s happened to you it isn’t real to you—which is exactly HOW hostile environments thrive and b) you have low reading comprehension—which also makes for shitty creative.

Stop talking. Listen to what people are saying, learn something and simply do better.

likehelpful

APD1 how can a girl holla? Been needing this kind of group

like

Ad1: we’re getting a lot of this setup still. Our group is probably a month old 😂😂 and I’ve just brought up the idea of mixers. So I should have more info for you soon!!

like

It’s an opinion so feel free to disagree of course but I’m an asian creative and although not the same. I’ve never thought of myself as an “asian” creative. Nowhere does that imply being invisible. If I need to wear a badge for the colour of my skin to be visible then I think we have some issues with perspective. I don’t look at the people i work with as that “white” cd or that “black” ad. Also, it’s not ideal to act first but realistically speaking, you can’t control the opinion of others but what you can control is your own. If you want to throw a fit and think it’s unfair to make the first move then live with the fact that you probably are going to be disappointed with people for a very long time. Your life and career won’t wait around for people to give a shit. Unfair and unpleasant but it’s true.

likesmart

Related Posts

Does anyone have recommendations for a small punching bag i can set up next to my work desk so I can put the picture of my co-worker's face and beat the s**t out of it?

likefunny

Moved to industry and noticed my boss has been dumping all of their work, meetings on me and blocking calendar for personal time. How do you manage this? I have been overwhelmed since I joined past 2 months. They are nice and supportive it’s just that the minute I complete one task they start pushing more and more to me with no breather in between. Some items that they owned before I joined are also something I have to ramp up on.

like

That feeling when a partner lectures you for not reading things... when halfway through the lecture it turns out you emailed him about the thing you “didn’t read” and he didn’t read your email

likefunny

My colleagues are bullying me for being gay. I thought that was against the law. Should I talk to a lawyer?

like

Coming off of a really toxic year long project in the middle of a pandemic and my mind is frazzled! My question is that I am leaving and I want to ask my next employer to delay my start date until mid July. How can I go about this without pissing them off? I need to reset so that I can shake this off and bring my best self to work

like

Any thoughts on how do we deal with an incompetent boss who you dont look up to and have no trust that you would ever get credit for the work you would do for him/her? Given that changing the boss is not an option.

like

Im a 6th year associate working for a company that I plan to stay at long term. Currently working under a G.C. that does not analyze anything from a legal perspective, occupies herself with mostly admin/operational issues, and doesnt give any direction on how she wants things “handled.” Just looking for any suggestions from people who have successfully dealt with this before.

like

I got a crush on a coworker. How can I shut it down? 🙃

Be Honest! Have you ever assigned “personal” tasks to your assistant? Even though, you know that it’s absolutely not their job…

like

Questions for my fellow EAs out there:
1. How many of you travel for your job? If so, are there stipulations?
2. My team is having an 2-day offsite meeting in another city and many folks outside of our team are all traveling in for it. Some are only attending for an hour. My exec told me yesterday I couldn’t attend (after weeks of asking him), citing that we couldn’t have excessive hours of OT (maybe 4 hrs). I do not feel valued as a team member.
Should I bring it up or let it go?

like

I didn’t think I would ever say this, but I don’t think I’m getting enough work...

I think my manager is having some trouble delegating work, as I often ask for action items in which they often respond “no”, but I will see them working on a deliverable. For context I’m the only resource below my M, yet I feel under utilized and my M is constantly working late. Should I raise the concern to my SM if I’m worried that my M may be a bottleneck?

likefunny

I hate working on commission. I am a naturally shy person and approaching guests in our store is intimidating enough, it's even worse when some of my more socially savvy coworkers notice me trying to strike up a conversation with someone and they come in and literally steal my client from me.

like

Hello. What's is type of shoes do you wear to work
Flats, heels or sneakers?

like

How do I pursue a crush at work without being unprofessional?

We’ve spent time with each other at trainings. I’ve Skyped her a few times for work reasons, but that’s been it. I don’t go to the office

like

Do partners in other small firms often communicate through a paralegal & task the associate with signing a motion/stipulation to modify allocation of parental responsibilities? My boss is out and the paralegal asked if he talked to me about signing a stop that he promised the client he would file today. For context, this is a client from before I started, I know nothing about the case, and I only interacted with the client in one call because the paralegal was out. Partner did all the substance

like

Have you been fired before even starting your new job?

I signed for a new job two months ago and will start next month (3 mo notice period in Europe). They were very keen on getting me on-board ASAP before signing but since I signed the contract it has been silent from the new employee. I've emailed them with questions as I'll be re-locating to NL and it takes them 1-2 weeks to reply. Given all that's going on in the world, I'm worried they might fire me before I even start.

like

Burberry large society tote as work bag??

like
like

“She (an account person) does not have bandwidth, we can’t finish your work today. So, too bad.” - said no one ever.

like

I just left a very toxic work place.
The crazy thing is they were just named the best local municipality to work for. It's upsetting. They advertise a "culture" but don'tapply it. It felt like a used car sales pitch, I was sold a dream but given junk. I am constantly replaying moments. I have read so many books and everything leads to they were the problem. How do I recover from this?

likehelpful

More Posts

Anyone with Guidewire experience, want a referral for EY, DM me. 👍🏻

Can someone please let me know work life balance at grant thorton. Is it better or same like big 4

like

Hi Fishes,
I'm currently working for a fintech firm as SQL Developer which has got me into a toxic working culture(zero support from colleges) with no learnings so far.

Although, I'm from a Commerce domain..I wanted to move into Data Analytics so I learned SQL and Tableau on my own to get myself better Data Analytic job opportunities to build my career in.

However, without any live projects and hands on experience on the tool, I could only learn a few things about these two mentioned tools. So

I am a 6 YOE Java developer. I want to enhance my skillset to increase my CTC. Should I start learning Devops or UI ? What should be the most appropriate choice?

like

Decided to take a trip last minute, and try to use points(via chase/southwest) for the hotel. I apparently can only use them a week in advance, is there a way around this?

like

It's March, and I have done a lot of seminars in Jan and Feb. I've gotten a few clients but would like to increase AUM drastically! Any books, sites or advice on what I can do for marketing?

like

Off topic : I have got a Scooty from my uncle which is registered under his name from Mumbai to Pune and there was no money transaction involved . I will be using this vehicle for my commutes , is there anything I need to do like transfer of ownership etc . Number is MH 02 (Mumbai Western) registered . Also , it’s applicable to all Maharashtra right ?

like
like
like

8 YOE in Ariba and sap mm. What’s the average pay for scon in ariba team at pwc.

like

How many years of agency experience do you think prepare you well to go in-house? I’m at 5 years exp and starting to think that’s my next move within a year, but wondering if it’s too soon.

likehelpful

Is there a point in reaching out to HR if I am being mentally tortured in the project. My project manager has cancelled my leaves which I planned 2 months in advance and approved for the person who is very close to him (Chaatu). Will the HR help me here or start giving me gyaan about company policies.

KGS, Consulting

like

Gem, amazing hiring, seek out- which are your must have technical recruiting tools?

likehelpful

Heyy people,

Couldn't attend this interview at PwC due to last minute technical difficulties. I requested HR to reschedule it. She said it's not possible this week and she'll try her best for the next week. I am really tensed, I don't want to throw away this opportunity. I was really looking forward for the interview. Would they really reschedule my interview?

Are you guys have come to pune or still working from home town?

Hi got offer from Virtusa onsite for Emirates NBD, recently joined ibm gbs. Which one to choose

like

Has anyone here not pursued an extension because client isn’t listening to advice, whitewashes statuses, purposefully misreports (read: lies) despite what data clearly shows, misses deadlines and then just rebaselines dates, etc. because of concern they will fail and try to blame consultants (so reputational risk) and for other reasons (e.g., no value in time billed, other work could be pursued, mental health, etc)?

like

Best chronometer around $1000. Looking for something sporty, not for everyday work. I like Swiss, but open to other brands.

Additional Posts in Advertising

Hey Fishbowl Fam: What is one thing you're grateful for today?

like

For the first time in 2 years I’m feeling hopeful again. Dare I say happy. I was laid off, big agency network, with a truck load of international awards, over 40, interviewed non stop, got ghosted ...

likeuplifting

WTF Glossier? You rip off Supreme who is ripping off Barbara Krueger.

like

Droga5 actual job description: 1) Ability to work for long stretches of time. 2) Ability to work more than 40 hours a week. Ouch.

likefunny

Need help y'all! I have an interview soon for a Sr. Creative Strategist role @ Vox Media on their agency side. What kinds of questions are hiring managers asking these days? What curveballs should I be prepped for?

A little anxious because I haven't worked a senior-level position but I am still fully qualified for this role as I've been copywriting for 5+ years and this job calls for copy experience more than precise creative strat experience. Any advice would be appreciated :) Thank you!


like

Amazon Prime: DRIB
Please enlighten me.

like

What is the correct salary for an associate director of Integrated Content/Experiential in a medium sized agency? $75k? $85k? $95k? Over 100k?

like