Black Women’s Next Breakthrough Starts With One Another
With DEI initiatives under pressure and fewer women pursuing promotions, Deidre Johnson argues that Black women cannot depend on institutions to create opportunity. Instead, she says, experienced leaders must intentionally mentor the next generation, helping them build confidence, navigate bias, and turn possibility into lasting leadership. The post Black Women’s Next Breakthrough Starts With One Another appeared first on Word In Black.
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My father, who was an entrepreneur, taught me confidence, self-efficacy, and determination. He believed that if you wanted something, you had to assert yourself. Ask for the moon, he said, and if the answer was no, work your way down. Never start low and expect to work your way up.
It proved to be good advice.
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Grateful as I am for his wisdom, my career trajectory might have been very different if an experienced colleague had spotted my potential and nurtured it. Having a mentor would have made a meaningful difference. And right now, perhaps more than at any time in recent history, Black women need the steady guidance, insight, and wise counsel a mentor can provide.
Disturbing Trends
Across the country, diversity programs are under attack. Commitment to women’s advancement is declining. Companies are scaling back or eliminating anti-bias training. For the first time in more than a decade, Lean In’s Women in the Workplace 2025 report found that women are significantly less likely than men to want a promotion at work.
The message is clear: We can’t rely on government programs or corporate enlightenment to see us. If women, and Black women in particular, hope to preserve the gains we’ve made, it’s up to us to help one another.
I may never have had a mentor in any official sense. But I’ve benefitted from others’ advice. Like the friend I met regularly for breakfast. Or the leadership coach who recognized that I was always racing to a finish line. That sense of urgency works — sometimes.
But when it comes to personal development, my coach advised that it’s an ongoing journey. If you have a finish-line mindset, you end up underestimating yourself. It took someone from the outside to help me see that.
Mentors can teach us to view our careers from the balcony, where it’s easier to see the patterns that hold us back — and the changes we must make to move forward.
I tell young women they must be open to seeking and receiving guidance. Don’t make it hard for people to help you. Invite honest feedback. Self-confidence is important, but being self-reflective is, too. Figure out who you are when nobody’s looking and focus on what you need to flourish. It can help you identify a mentor who can get you to the next level.
Many of us are capable and brilliant, but it’s easy to be in our own way. Mentors can teach us to view our careers from the balcony, where it’s easier to see the patterns that hold us back — and the changes we must make to move forward.
Helping Other Women Advance
Being a mentor doesn’t take special talent, require a course, or even a massive time commitment. All that’s needed is a desire to be of service.
In our patriarchal society, women don’t have a great track record of helping one another. That is why we must be very deliberate in our efforts to help the advancement of other women.
The best mentors don’t enter a relationship assuming they know anything about the person they’re helping. Instead, they listen. They ask their mentees what they believe are the solution to a problem, then — and only then — offer advice.
It’s also important for mentors to let go of any preconceptions or stereotypes they might carry. For example, some people still tell me that I’m “so articulate,” or “so well spoken..” It’s as insulting now as it was when I was a child. Yet those kind of statements reveal so much more about the speaker than they realize.
Expectations vs. Hope
We all need help to get to where we want to be. Assistance in expanding our vision for what is possible for ourselves, our families and our communities is vital. Some of us are comfortable asking for assistance; others are lucky to have someone spot their potential and offer to help develop it.
We all need to be mentoring when the time and opportunity allow.
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My father said one other thing that has stayed with me: “White children are born with expectations, and Black children are born with hope. I raised you and your sister with expectations.” He added that whatever I do, always work to turn hope into expectation for those you encounter.
I’m committed to helping women grow and prosper as leaders, especially young Black women. It makes a difference.
Deidre Johnson is co-CEO and executive director of the Center for African American Health, a community-based organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of African Americans in Denver.
The post Black Women’s Next Breakthrough Starts With One Another appeared first on Word In Black.
