The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table

by Minda Harts

I know y’all love a good example, so check this out. I was a guest on a podcast called Trailblazers. This is a favorite podcast for black professionals, hosted by Stephen A. Hart (no relation). I was in episode 60. How did I become a guest on this podcast? A man named Shawn Dove, the CEO of Campaign for Black Male Achievement, introduced me to Stephen. How did I meet Shawn? A man named Allan Ludgate from Deloitte introduced me to Shawn. How did I meet Allan? I approached Allan at a networking event and started to build a relationship with him. Eventually, Allan felt comfortable opening up his network to me (see the way social capital works?). Now here is the kicker. After being a guest on the podcast, I realized that one of my mentors in my head, Miko Branch, cofounder of the natural hair care business Miss Jessie’s, was a guest in a previous episode. Miko is an entrepreneur of color and one I have followed and admired for years. My company was planning our first Women of Resilience Awards to celebrate women of color in business. I asked Stephen if he would introduce me to Miko. Long story short: eventually Stephen made the intro, and we honored Miko at our event.