Books On How To Be An Ally & Advance Equity
May 27, 2022
“We need to expand our impressions about what a leader is supposed to look like to allow for more types of leadership to be valued and promoted.”
—Deepa Purushothaman, author of The First, The Few, The Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America
The gist:
This “short list of new books focused on gender equality and building equity for women of color,” was recommended reading for the long weekend. But you can also read them, and ponder how long it has taken (and will take) to close gender + representation gap—without the assistance of all stakeholders + allies.
Here’s how to learn about, understand and implement allyship at home, at work + in the world.
Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (And Why It’s Different Than You Think)
By Reshma Saujani
Today, there are nearly two million fewer women in the workforce than there were at the beginning of the pandemic, with mothers and particularly mothers of color leaving at higher rates. This book lays out an action plan for how we can turn a crisis into an opportunity to fix the broken systems that never worked for women—and keep women in the workforce. It covers the history behind how women’s role in the workforce took shape through the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, as well as four forces of change with action steps to help advance gender equality at work today.
The First, the Few, the Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America
By Deepa Purushothaman
“One in five Americans is a woman of color, and women of color will be the majority of all women in America by 2060, according to Catalyst. These changing demographics alone won’t automatically alter the representation of leadership, where currently only 4% of C-suite leaders are women of color. This book explores topics such as the excess work women of color take on for companies in the name of culture building, confronting microaggressions and outdated norms, and the new rules of power that will help build more inclusive workplaces.”
Find Your Unicorn Space: Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World
By Eve Rodsky
Time bias may be a big factor for women being pushed out of the workforce during the pandemic due to increased caregiving responsibilities. Rodsky is on a mission to help women reclaim permission to be unavailable from their roles as partner, parent or professional and take uninterrupted time for creative pursuits. She has dubbed this as “unicorn space,” and says it’s not optional, but critical for mental health, happiness and even longevity. Other research has found that creative pursuits can combat burnout and make you better in business.
In these pages you will find how to rethink success and redefine what really matters to you, concrete strategies for giving yourself permission to be unavailable and ask for the creative time you require, and how to enlist your partner for support.
Inclusion Revolution: The Essential Guide to Dismantling Racial Inequity in the Workplace
By Daisy Auger-Dominguez
“Human capital executive, workplace culture strategist, and Chief People Officer at VICE Media Group…spreads the message in her new book that an inclusion revolution is about fixing one part of a broken system at a time to create real change. She writes, “Inequity in the workplace is a problem you can solve. I want you to be that leader who shines a light on others, not the one who dims it.” She gives us a roadmap to do just that…the book provides concrete tools managers can put into action to address issues of race, power and exclusion.”
Build The Damn Thing: How To Start A Successful Business If You’re Not A Rich White Guy
By Kathryn Finney
“Only 2% of VC funding goes to women-led companies. Entrepreneur, investor and CEO of Genius Guild…has released a guide for women and people of color to jump-start their business and find the right investors.
The reviews are by Holly Corbett fo Forbes. See it here.