Melinda Marshall and Tai Wingfield's Ambition in Black and White

Melinda Marshall and Tai Wingfield’s Ambition in Black and White, is a book that captures the reality of being a woman, and a person of color, trying to excel in America — a country that caters to wealthy white men.

Here in America, society defines people by their ethnicity and gender. For women seeking financial success, there is this constant need to prove themselves to the males around them. Meanwhile, people of color are forced to confront various forms of racial discrimination; whether it be verbal, physical or being denied opportunities that come more easily to white people.

Though the book sets out to address the problems dealt by women, it tackles issues of race when recognizing the hardships of black women. In fact, the primary issue this book tackles is how being a woman of color is perhaps the most difficult thing to deal with in America.

When you think about it, it’s a double-edged sword really. While a black man may be looked down upon for being black, he still has the advantage of being male. And while a white woman is looked down upon for being female, at least her skin color is admirable in America. Black women have both, their gender and race working against them.

This is not to say that the struggles faced by men of color or white women are not real. They are very real. It just so happens that women of color face more obstacles.

While there has been an increase in women holding some of the top positions in various career fields, very few of those women are black, and this is perhaps one of the most crucial issues discussed in the book.

Bias plays a major part in the lack of black women with top paying careers. As the book states, “While multinationals proclaim and enforce rigorous anti-discrimination policies, bias persists at all levels, because rarely is it ever overt enough to be deemed outright discrimination.” (pgs. 23-4)

The bias of an employer is one of the major conflicts both, white women and black women, have to put up with, especially since most employers are white men. Oftentimes women, black women in particular, feel as if they are not receiving the credit they deserve. In a survey conducted by Marshall and Wingfield, more black women felt as if they were stalled in their careers than white women (44 percent vs. 30 percent).

By addressing these issues, this book calls on all women to recognize how they are at a disadvantage. Although things have gotten better for women, better isn’t good enough.

We need to educate ourselves on the various ways bias continues to persist in society. It is not until after you have educated yourself on these issues that you will be able to join the fight for equality. Reading Ambition in Black and White is a great first step toward joining the battle, since it explores the issues of today.

To read Ambition in Black and White you can purchase a copy from the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Ambition-Black-White-Narrative-Innovation/dp/1942600798