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Jacquie Abram

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://youtu.be/DjFmUuIFV_w?si=05V_M8W3OcjJ3Z9h

Genre

Nonfiction, Self Help, Suspense

Member Since

December 2020

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I never knew the cost of being Black in corporate America. The price I would pay with my dignity and fundamental rights as a human being just to have a job that wasn't in a low-income sector. A job that had a satisfying career path and gave me and my family a chance to live the American Dream.

But if I knew then what I know now, maybe I would've done things differently before taking the job that traumatized and nearly destroyed me.

Maybe I would've bleached my dark skin to make it lighter or removed my long, Dookie braids to straighten my hair. Maybe I would've bought blue contacts to hide my brown eyes and got a nose job with a butt reduction, too—you know, do all the things I should’ve, would’ve, could’ve done to look less like me and mor I never knew the cost of being Black in corporate America. The price I would pay with my dignity and fundamental rights as a human being just to have a job that wasn't in a low-income sector. A job that had a satisfying career path and gave me and my family a chance to live the American Dream.

But if I knew then what I know now, maybe I would've done things differently before taking the job that traumatized and nearly destroyed me.

Maybe I would've bleached my dark skin to make it lighter or removed my long, Dookie braids to straighten my hair. Maybe I would've bought blue contacts to hide my brown eyes and got a nose job with a butt reduction, too—you know, do all the things I should’ve, would’ve, could’ve done to look less like me and more like them just to fit into a mold I had no part in creating.

No, I know me. And even if I could go back in time to that fateful day that changed my life in the worst way, I wouldn't change a thing 'cause I'm the strong, beautiful, Black woman God created me to be—dark skin, Dookie braids, big butt, and all.

I'm Jacquie Abram, the international best-selling and award-winning author of Hush Money. Like you, I began my career in higher education filled with ambition, hope, and determination, believing that my skills and abilities would guarantee my success. I was a pillar of confidence—a six-foot-tall Janet Jackson lookalike with a smile that could sink a thousand battleships and a walk that could literally stop traffic. I was an Amazon, my own wonder woman, with legs for miles & a warrior spirit burning deep inside me. It was that fire, that passion, that drive, that fueled my rise up the ladder of success.

And rise, I did. I earned promotion after promotion, my work ethic and performance speaking louder than any words ever could. And I climbed the ladder of success, not because of favoritism or privilege, but because of the exceptional way I performed my job.
However, as I continued to reach new heights in my career based on my skills and abilities, a change in leadership caused someone in the organization who wasn’t there when I was hired to notice me. Someone who was not only in a higher position than mine but who was also a
toxic leader—a racist— who didn’t believe I deserved the position that I held because I was a Black woman.
When this leader began targeting me, she used the power, influence, and authority of her position to inspire others in the organization to conspire against me. Before long, I wasn’t dealing with one leader targeting me anymore, I was now dealing with people—a whole lot of people—who were all working together to pull the rug from under me causing me and that ladder of success I was climbing up on to come crashing down. Sadly, this was just the beginning.
In the years that followed, I ran from one company to the next trying to find a place where I could not only survive working while Black but also thrive. But here’s the problem: I ran from the first company because I was Black and when I ran to the next company, guess what? I was still Black! And although the companies were different, the playbook the toxic leaders in each company used to repeatedly derail my career was the same. Their coordinated efforts were devastatingly effective and repeatedly left me jobless, homeless, and struggling as a single mother to provide for my two daughters. As I’m sure you can imagine, they also left me completely broken and traumatized to such a degree that I may never fully recover.

Many Black women speak about the psychological trauma caused by toxic workplaces and I’m no exception because the trauma is real. But for me, specifically, the physical trauma—hair loss and 100 pounds of weight gain—was even more devastating and took a toll on me that went beyond anything I imagined I could possibly endure.

At six feet tall, I never blended in anywhere—I always stood out. But standing out as a six-foot-tall Janet Jackson lookalike was a lot different th ...more

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Average rating: 4.44 · 296 ratings · 112 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	HUSH MONEY: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in her Workplace and Kept her Job by Deborah Harris, Jacquie Abram (Goodreads Author), Delilah Harris 4.46 avg rating — 262 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	5/14: The Day the Devil Came to Buffalo by Mark Talley, Jacquie Abram (Goodreads Author) (Foreword) 4.29 avg rating — 31 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Surviving in a Toxic Workplace: Strategies to Help You Protect Your Career by Jacquie Abram (Goodreads Author), Delilah Harris 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hush Money The Cost of Being Black in Corporate America 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hush Money: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in Her Workplace and Kept Her Job by Deborah Harris, Jacquie Abram (Goodreads Author), Peg Barcelo (Narrator) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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45 posts
Jacquie Abram's Blog

Signs Your Employment is about to be Terminated

In a toxic workplace, your manager will 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 you to destroy your reputation, confidence, & career. Am I right?

As Kyle continued screaming at me, I was trembling and beside myself with worry because he said I could lose my job. And I was so confused. Dr. Romano copied Kyle on the email she sent instructing me to fix everything before the auditors arrived. If he knew I was Read more of this blog post »

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Published on February 04, 2025 10:56 • Tags: toxic-workplace

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Jacquie Abram is now friends with Ro
Jan 05, 2026 08:10AM · like
Jacquie Abram made a comment on Covert Racism—Unconscious or Unconscionable? " Hi Natasha, It's great to hear from you. I made that post 2 years ago and have since written a powerful book that explains the various types of covert ...more "
Feb 04, 2025 10:24AM · see blog post
Jacquie Abram rated a book it was amazing Will by Will Smith	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 18, 2025 10:05PM · 13 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Will by Will Smith. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Will by Will Smith <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jacquie Abram rated a book it was amazing Finding Me by Viola Davis	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 18, 2025 10:04PM · 21 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Finding Me by Viola Davis. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Finding Me by Viola Davis <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jacquie Abram rated a book it was amazing Michelle Obama: In Her Own Words by Michelle Obama (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 18, 2025 10:04PM · 7 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Michelle Obama by Michelle Obama. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Michelle Obama by Michelle Obama <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jacquie Abram rated a book it was amazing Michelle Obama: A Life by Peter Slevin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 18, 2025 10:04PM · 5 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Michelle Obama by Peter Slevin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Michelle Obama by Peter Slevin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jacquie Abram has read Michelle Obama: In Her Own Words by Michelle Obama (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 18, 2025 10:03PM · 4 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Michelle Obama by Michelle Obama. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Michelle Obama by Michelle Obama <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jacquie Abram has read Michelle Obama: A Life by Peter Slevin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 18, 2025 10:03PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Michelle Obama by Peter Slevin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Michelle Obama by Peter Slevin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jacquie Abram rated a book it was amazing The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 18, 2025 10:03PM · 7 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jacquie Abram rated a book it was amazing Becoming by Michelle Obama (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 18, 2025 10:02PM · 11 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Becoming by Michelle Obama. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Becoming by Michelle Obama <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Jacquie Abram (?)

“I'm fighting racism one book at a time to open minds and change hearts.”
― Jacquie Abram, HUSH MONEY: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in her Workplace and Kept her Job

10 likes

“When you were on vacation, Ebony, she brought a box of king size chocolate bars to the campus management meeting, and told everyone to help themselves. So, everyone did. But when I opened the wrapper, and put the chocolate in my mouth, before I bit it, she started snickering and said, 'I knew you'd like having a big, chocolate bar in your mouth,' and I knew exactly what she meant, and so did everyone else by the look on their faces.”
― Jacquie Abram, HUSH MONEY: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in her Workplace and Kept her Job

tags: racism, social-justice, workplace-trauma

1 likes

“Before she was your momma, girl, she was my wife and I told her I didn't want your Blackity Black *ss! Nobody wants ya. I don't want ya! Your real momma didn't want ya! And from what I hear, ya husband don't want ya either!”
― Jacquie Abram, Hush Money: The Cost of Being Black In Corporate America

tags: colorism, racism, sexism

0 likes

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Jacquie’s Quotes

“I'm fighting racism one book at a time to open minds and change hearts.”
― Jacquie Abram, HUSH MONEY: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in her Workplace and Kept her Job

10 likes

“On my canvas of life, you bring colors of love and joy,
Just like in winters,
The setting sun brings beams of red and purple to the sky.”
― Hareem Ch, Muse Buzz

tags: humble, life-quotations, living-in-the-present-moment, love-quotes-and-sayings, mine, nature, setting-sun, today-is-a-great-new-beginning, winter-quotes, your-destiny

37 likes

tags: colorism, racism, sexism

0 likes

tags: racism, social-justice, workplace-trauma

1 likes

“The experience of slavery is the bedrock on which Caribbean society has been founded.”
― Sharon Hurley Hall, Exploring Shadeism

tags: colorism, colourism, diversity, enslavement, ethnic-studies, ethnicity, shadeism, slavery

4 likes

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Jacquie’s Friend Comments

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message 1: by Richard

Apr 25, 2022 05:25AM

thank you for the friend

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