Don’t Quit. There’s a Brighter Day Ahead.
Aleta Boyd is a senior engagement manager at Workday.
When I look at all we have faced as a Black community, from the historical beginnings of chattel slavery and legally counted as three-fifths of a person, to the modern day incidents of police brutality, we as a community continue to be resilient. That has been the constant headline in the Black history: Don’t quit. There’s a brighter day ahead.
This quote from acclaimed poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou describes what resilience means to me, and how overcoming trauma is necessary to healing and feeling empowered: “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”
As an African American woman, I know that despite the weight of generational trauma, I must keep going and keep giving each and every day—not only for myself, but for those coming after me, just as my grandparents and parents did.
My hope for future generations is to never forget the resiliency of our ancestors and use experiences of our past as reasons to achieve a brighter future.
Employee Resource Groups Are Pivotal to Healing
Kelvin Ominiabohs is a senior associate integration consultant at Workday based in our Atlanta office.
Last summer, I witnessed days of racial injustice protests turn violent near my apartment in downtown Atlanta. Seeing up close the injustices happening in my community filled me with frustration, sadness, and fear. But Workmates in the Black @ Workday EBC Atlanta Chapter helped me feel that I wasn’t alone. They were experiencing the same feelings as I was, and they shared great insight into how to gain perspective amid racial strife.
Employee resource groups like Black @ Workday EBC are pivotal to creating an inclusive environment that promotes equitable recruitment, retention, and empowerment, and most of all, serving as a place where employees can bring their whole selves to work. Knowing that I have a place to voice my thoughts and having Workmates who understand the unique issues I am going through really keeps me grounded in connection during times of uncertainty. Programs and events hosted by Black @ Workday EBC, including the DevelUp mentoring program and forums featuring historically black colleges and universities, make me feel empowered and remind me how far we’ve come as a Black community and how far we can go.