Black women, work, and COVID-19

Abstract

This chapter is a critical reflection of the lived experiences of three Black women as we navigate our various intersecting identities—student, colleague, wife, mother, activist during the coronavirus pandemic. We explore how the coronavirus pandemic impacted our everyday lives and work. How have we navigated the complexities of the various roles we carry within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic? To address this question, we draw upon recent situational experiences in our workplaces and home as storied textual “snapshots.” We find that as Black professional women, we must pull on our intersecting identities to navigate our changing work environments. We also find that as Black professional women, COVID-19 has not only continued the oppression we face within the workplace and family life but continued excluding our voices and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had negative and emotionally taxing impacts on our everyday lives.