It's time for the b a q a a the v a q a, which say the big a q a man day the b a q a with tipp and a the b a qa all right, so we have a special listener on today. Her name is Anna, and we didn't get any questions beforehand, right right man.
No, we don't know what she's gonna askol that she has fabulous curls and it's really nice, like our curls are papping, so keeping que Anna. No, I'm just joking.
And I want to come on and give us like a mini introduction of yourself and then you can go ahead and ask you a question.
Thank you.
So, yes, my name is Anna, a longtime super Over listener. I want to say thirty percent whole okay, yeah, so you know almost there.
Uh.
And the more I read your book, the more mad I get on my parents, like yeah, you can teach me this, okay, that's okay. We don't just appear, you know, and mindy, I am all over. I was I wasn't your oh my goshiating okay class and I'm sorry negotiating masterclass. Awesome. Yes, yes, it got me past the panic of thinking about maybe possibly negotiating.
So I'm almost there. Almost.
I am a new grad nurse. I well, yes, no grad. I've been a nurse for about a year, and so that my question is career oriented and you how to ask it's I. I love my job, super duper absolutely love it. I I feel like it's something that I probably did in my past life with how fulfailed. I feel but a little disappointed in it. I just keep looking around and I don't see the melanin anyway. I saw the met London in school, and now that I'm in it and the positions that I'm in, it's just
just been a little a little bit heartbreaking. I'm lying, it's a lot, which is what what the question that I sent over was about, which I'm hoping you guys can provide some insight because you, I know, you were a rad school teacher and then working in tech. I feel like you guys might be able to relate. It's like the higher you go, the less of us you see, and it's just it gets kind of lonely, and I
don't know if it ever happened to you guys. You kind of get cold, switching gets kind of tiring, and then you get burned out at the end of the day, and you're.
Like, it shouldn't take so much.
So I'm kind of having a hard time starting these conversations. It's kind of hard to say, like, hey, where's the melanin?
Like where so that this is your question, ana, because we haven't heard it beforehand. This is like a little surprise for us.
Oh yeah, that is my yes, you know it's I tend to just ask what I'm thinking, but you know that when you're in corporate or when you're in a more professional setting, you have to soften your speech. So I am having a hard time trying to figure out how to navigate those conversations because I really do want to just go in and say, like where are the
black nurses? Like why are we not hiring? There's black excellence and black women are insanely amazing, And you know, I always use dNaM like the example, like when a little black girl comes in, I want her to see herself in the people that are giving her care.
I had a home birth last year. My midwife was black.
That was very important to me, and I didn't know everything I was lacking until I had care from a provider that looked like me, so now that is very close to me.
It's very every.
Day that I go in, I feel like, where are my peers?
And don't get me wrong, I work somewhere with some amazing, out of this world people that I you know, every single day that I get to work, I'm inspired by other people that I work with, and it's great. But I also feel like we're doing our community so disservice because they don't match the people.
That we wanted to ask you, do you feel like the community that you serve is it more diverse than the staff at this hospital? That is concerning you would want the staff to reflect the community in some way. I'm shocked when my my husband's dad was in the hospital and they live. Where do you live, by the way, I don't.
Think we have Illinois nearby Chicago?
Okay, yeah, I was shocked when Enrique's dad went to the hospital and no one spoke Spanish, and I was like, you're in the freaking bronx. I didn't understand, like the doctor, sorry, a couple of nurses, but the doctor who like he was having you. I don't want to put business out there, but it was a serious situation. The doctor didn't speak Spanish and it's so much pressure on anyway, I'm just like, what the so I I'm not entire really surprised, And my first thought is, in that case, I think it's
going to be important for you. And you're early in your career too, You're gonna have to vote with your feet a little bit in the sense that choose to work places where hopefully you have the choice, you have those options where you can find a place that does have diversity and make that one of the first questions you ask when you interview and take a tour and look around and see if it reflects the kind of
environment where you want to work. That will solve like down the line, but right now, I understand it's uncomfortable. At the same time, I would say, if it's really bothering you, I would bring it up and maybe you can find a way to do that that feels safe to you, whether it's going to Do you have a in a hospital. Do you have like an HR business partner or someone dedicated to the nursing staff or a union.
Yes, and we have huddles, you know where we meet with our directors and you know, the staff leadership is very present it's just I don't know if it has happened to you ladies. When you bring some thing up to a demographic that's outside of yours immediately, even though you're not saying directly like hey, you are keeping black women.
Out of the workspace.
Immediately, people just feel they need to defend themselves kind of like they're like, hey, no, but not me. And I I'm having a hard time passing that wall, you know, like.
You've tried and they've kind of shut you down and been defensive, you.
Know, without saying yes you could, you know.
It's like I understand it's uncomfortable, But I've asked, like, are our recruiters like we are they trained to be cognizant of what is the resume test?
Are they? You know? Like are we name checking people?
Like are we not calling staff, you know, applicants because the name sounds too difficult to pronounce, or you know, things that we know happen and keep us out of, you know, spaces where we deserve to be.
But it's seems to it was draining. It was it was a draining experience.
I felt defeated afterwards, and it's it's just sad to see like I have the luxury. I'm Latina, and I have the luxury I like to pass when I in times when I not necessarily like I felt like I needed to.
But I have the luxury of being like a chameleon. You know.
I've been part of certain conversations where I'm not by the people that are there. You know, I'm not seeing as a black or as Afro Latina. So the kind of little nuances that I pick up on make it clear that, you know, if they don't know, and it doesn't seem like they're receptive to knowing either.
We deserve a little breaking break. All right, let's take a break.
Even though you might not win the battle, you could certainly start the revolution by the questions that you're asking, you know. So, I mean sometimes I think we feel like we have to do the whole war. Like I had a conversation today with a woman who was just like, there's so much to be done, and we got to do this, we got to do that. And I'm like, I don't know if I have to do all that because it's been doing, you know, but these are fifteen
years helped a lot of black women. It might be time to pass the baton, like, I don't have to see it through all the way to the end that you know that. I think we're all tasked to just do what we're here to do. And you know it's not likely to your point, you're going to win the whole war. But the fact you're even bringing it up
is a good start. But the question about refilling your cup, you know, there are there Black Nurses Associations or Latina Nurses Association that you can join because that's always a really great place where you could feel seen and heard, and they're probably going to offer like my mom.
Was a nurse for I don't even know thirty forty years.
You know, they can offer resources, and they could also offer suggestions, you know, or just even power and might behind like oh girl, girl, you know, thanks lend us. So we're going to roll up and say something, you know, And so it's not for you to fight alone by yourself. I'm really proud of you for having the initial conversation,
but get your backup. You know that you're not in this by yourself because there are a lot of black and brown nurses and at the end of the day, you know, nurses are all it have been and still are in super high demand and so you know, you know, your voice is not as your voice is stronger than maybe even realize.
I'm so glad you said that because I can feel the weight on you, like you really feel like, I mean, there's this huge it is a it's systemic, and it's so much bigger than you are. But are those those organizations like do you do you feel like you have a community? Do you are you able to lean on other black and brown nurses, like find your tribe?
I'm starting to.
I'm reaching outside of you know, the immediate community that I have, and I you know, I found some and you know, we have had those conversations, you know, like we come in and we see staff in dis apartment and this apartment they're black, and then it's less and less.
As you get higher.
So it was nice to hear that I'm not by myself. But yeah, you know it's no let's roll up like that's like you said, I'll do some more outreach. And because I get like, you're right, they.
Are out here.
I graduated with them, I was inspired by them.
And now where'd they go? I want to know, I'd be like where y'all at? And is it good over there? Because we talk. Yes, they'll let you know where the good good is. They'll be like, yeah, come over here. Girls lit like they love us here like.
For fine organists.
Because my mother was part of a black nurse's organization in New Jersey. That's why I shared that, you know, And so.
I was part of a National Association of Black journalists for the first ten years of my career.
Yeah, there are organizations specifically for that. So you know, she didn't have to go it alone because it wasn't easy for her either. She's also part of I think a Nigerian nurses association.
Girl. They got association for everything, you know.
I'm sure they got for Latino one exactly.
I need to work with a group that nows is.
Yeah, you got to watch and go. It's day one. Don't touch it, you know. So you know, hopefully i'll get there. But and then you know, once I do get there, I'll make it a point to pull everyone else with because as much as I would love to be in a room where those decisions are made, I'm not made for politics.
I don't have it in me.
I just now A lot of women tell me that you never know because you asked, what do you do to heal yourself and refaill your cup? And one of the best things for me was working to get into a leadership role so I could hire more of us. And it didn't take you know, sometimes it doesn't take as much work and as many politics. If you find the right company or the right fit, you can do it. But like even if you can get closer to that decision making table just so that you can be at it,
like you can have impact fright where you are. And like Tiffany was saying, hey, did I change the fact that there's you know, very few people of color at the top in fintech? No, but I sure did hire you know, over a dozen bipop staff while I was there to make sure they got great raises and I was able to care and put you know, fix wage gaps and things like that. And I feel really proud
of that. And I think that if we, just, like Tiffany said, focus on what you can do and what power you have, take some of the weight off of the world and just remind yourself you're doing the best you can. You're only one person.
Yeah, And I'm just rid of you, Anna, And we love having our listeners on.
I love getting to ask follow up questions. I'm always dying too.
Yes now and if you want to be in a hot seat like Anna you already know well hopefully you know hit us up on ig We want you to leave us a recording of your question. We can have you in virtual studio and you can ask your career, your business, your personal finance, just your growth questions overall and manager and I will do our best to pour
into you. So hopefully, Anna, you know you've taken away a little glimmer of hope and that your homework is to do your googles and find you a nurses association, a club, a something you know related to your to your field that cater specifically to who you are, you know and how you want to show up and then lean in there.
Okay, y, thanks for coming on and I'm such a pleasure to meet you. Yes, hey, ba fam, we could not do this show without your support or the support of our team behind the scenes. The Brown Emission podcast is produced by Cumulus Podcast Network. It's edited by the wonderful Emani Crosby and produced by Tanya Bustos. Dennis Stimplinsky is our in house tech guru and I am Bandy Woodrid Santos your co host, and I will see y'all next week.