Racism, sexism, exclusionism, and performative activism in tech: Exploring the narratives of Black women professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of this qualitative investigation is to examine the race-gendered workplace experiences of Black women in the tech sector as they dealt with both the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing racial and social injustices that have occurred throughout society. Utilizing Intersectionality Theory to position this study, semi-structured interviews are collected with five Black women currently working in tech positions. The findings indicate that Black women in tech were asked to help write diversity press releases with their fellow Black colleagues in response to George Floyd’s and Breonna Taylor’s recent killings. This adversely impacts their psychological health and well-being as they engage in emotional labor and process the trauma of their experiences. Additionally, Black women are overloaded by the fact that their employers engage in performative activism and do not keep to their promises of hiring more Black candidates or attempting to fix issues of racism and sexism in the workplace. Moreover, some Black women believe that working remotely from home is psychologically safer because they no longer experience certain forms of discrimination as they did when they worked in person. Given these unique stressors in the workplace, Black women in tech experience declining psychological health and well-being. Overall, this study concludes with best practices (e.g., organizational care) for retaining Black women at the intersection of their gender and race within tech careers.