What It Means When You Show Up for Yourself: A ColorComm Conference Retrospective

ColorComm an organization that fosters a community for women of color in all areas of communication marked its 6th annual conference this year in Miami The focus was on professional development advocacy and inclusion and wellness under the theme quotGet Readyquot The event which was nothing short of inspiring brought together more than 500 women of color including a delegation of Publicis Groupe employees amp8212 of which I was one amp8212 led by the global advertising and PR company39s chief diversity officer Sandra SimsWilliamsI attended my first ColorComm Conference as a delegate of Starcom with other representatives from Publicis Groupe while also entering a new chapter in my career this is the chapter where you haven39t ascended to the perpetual quottherequot yet but you39re a little closer than when you startedGetting to quotherequot wasn39t without challenges questions or selfdoubts hello imposter syndrome but it also would not have been possible without the support of my village Almost a decade into my career the only thing I know with absolute certainty is that prioritizing spaces and people that nurture value uplift and advocate for underrepresented identities is critical for any measurable progress in increasing diverse representation in the workplace My time attending ColorComm39s conference reaffirmed that beliefA few years ago Starcom gave me the opportunity to attend Black Enterprise39s Women of Power Summit It39s another dynamic conference to attend if you can amp8212 or can offer to someone else I left feeling reinvigorated and capable I desperately wanted to save the essence of the experience for those times when I forgot to see myself or more so someone else failed to see me as capable Inspired by our conference experience fellow team member Ayanna Telfort and I cofounded VivaWomen of Color Publicis Groupe39s business resource group for employees identifying as women of colorVivaWomen of Color is where I first met Lauren Wesley Wilson founder and CEO of ColorComm At the time she was seeking charter members for the newly launched organization she was building while also having a fulltime career at MSL Publicis Groupe39s public relations and integrated communications network I couldn39t afford the expense of joining ColorComm then Fastforward a few years I now can39t afford not to pay attention to ColorComm and similar organizations amp8212 and neither can youIsolation will significantly stall or even kill careers for women of colorWithout access to mentors sponsors and allies the advancement ceiling for women of color is limited regardless of talent and capability Ascending to a position of leadership requires relationships and support Too often unchecked biases inform hiring decisions promotions and even how resources are allocated to support a charge to the executiveofficer level Conscious iterative effort to challenge existing processes must be made to ensure that candidates have an equitable chance from consideration to elevationThe pipeline isn39t broken the approach is Recruiting and retention are often noted as key problems within the pipeline Instead I would argue that most organizations have a limited cultural fluency to translate and serve the needs of underrepresented talent effectively Inclusion has to be an interwoven and intentional component of your organization39s cultural practices processes and policies The brunt of rebuilding an inclusive organization cannot fall sorely on the excluded It needs to be a joint effort Listening having organizational awareness finding ways to gain a deeper understanding of one another and committing to cultural education are critical Partnering with relevant organizations that specialize in the talent you wish to attract and retain can help build or strengthen inclusive practicesWe are enough more than enough I and many other women of color still face being the quotonly onequot in the room It is a harsh reality The experience of ColorComm was a welcome reminder that I am never alone in this journey and I will always be enough even if there may be times that I39m the only one in the room That said we should probably fix this quotonly onequot issue sooner than later Until then attending ColorComm was a necessary moment to intentionally pause and reflect on how I want to show up for myself for my career and for othersIn case you also needed a reminder you too are enoughPhotos courtesy of ColorCommClick the social buttons to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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What It Means When You Show Up for Yourself: A ColorComm Conference Retrospective

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Britany Elise Rickett

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