by Jim Toes

Today, we honor and remember Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. An activist who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and best known for using nonviolent civil disobedience as the means to achieving a benevolent goal. His iconic speech, “I Have A Dream” given at the young age of 34, speaks to freedom, justice, and equality for all. Five years after giving this most memorable and inspirational speech, which included,

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

The experiences that black women face in the workplace are often markedly different and surmounting the challenges unique to them brings a different skill set and insight that when recognized by superiors and colleagues is admirable and beneficial to those around them.

Reverend King was taken from us and while his message continues to be relevant today, it falls upon to us to carry it forward and into the workplace.

The experiences that black women face in the workplace are often markedly different and surmounting the challenges unique to them brings a different skill set and insight that when recognized by superiors and colleagues is admirable and beneficial to those around them. Businesses are stronger when they add diversity, but there needs to be a recognition that not all diversity is the same.

STA’s Women in Finance initiative seeks to deepen this discourse and includes a defining principle that recognizes the unique challenges of traditionally marginalized people. Dialogue regarding women in the workplace continues to evolve and become more refined. And, including the discussion on the impact of race in the office is imperative because we are much stronger when we are diverse.

We look forward to a future where everyone will recognize the benefits of adding diversity to their workplace ideology. For when this happens, the additional (and unnecessary) challenges women of all races face will cease to exist.

“The time is always right to do what is right.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.