RECORDING: Real American: A Conversation on Growing Up Black and Biracial in White Spaces

RECORDED IN 2020: We sit down with New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims, winner of the 2018 PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award, to discuss her memoir "Real American" - the story of Julie’s journey from self-loathing to self-love as a Black and biracial woman living in predominantly white spaces. In sharing her path to self-acceptance, Julie also expresses the healing power of community in overcoming the hurtful isolation of being incessantly considered "the other."

You find out your white colleague is making more money than you, even though you've been working there longer and do the exact same job. Or maybe you hear your boss commit yet another microaggression. Whatever the catalyst, you finally decide enough is enough and talk to someone about your experiences... only to be told it's all in your head. What do you do? How do you respond when your lived experiences of race and racism in the workplace are denied or ignored? Join us as Noelle Johnson provides space to acknowledge the harm of these experiences, and shares tools and tips for preserving your mental health and well-being while getting your desired outcome.

Noelle Johnson

Bridget Finkeldey

Noelle Johnson is a Global DEI Strategist and Trainer with over a decade of experience working in operations across industries and has been recognized for her expertise on mentorship and sponsorship. Noelle has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, NPR, and more.

Maryella Marie

Sanmaya Mohanty

Maryella Marie [she/her] is a renaissance womxn and social impact multimedia producer who has spent a decade working with diverse technologists, independent artists, and divergent innovators across the globe to deepen their audiences’ emotional intelligence.

You can find her at The Positive Force Team curating and facilitating masterclasses and workshops centered around emotional intelligence, equity, and creative leadership; producing mindful collaborations between artists and organizations in the Americas to build bridges and inspire positive social impact, and creative directing the “Brainwashing” radio series featuring counter-culture conversations, storytelling, ASMR, and independent music from heart-full thought-leaders, visionaries, and independent artists around the world.

Go to ThePositiveForceTeam.org to get their newsletter and learn how to participate.

Join us as we celebrate the voices and achievements of Black Professionals in business and we share how we are holding each other, our work and our organizations accountable to pledges for creating inclusive workplaces.

Make sure to drop in to hear from leading companies and learn what you’ll need to do to get your foot in the door.

Representatives from participating companies will talk about their hiring processes, who they’re looking for, and company culture.

RECORDED IN FEBRUARY 2021: Join Valerie Jarrett, former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama and current President of the Obama Foundation, to discuss how to transform the challenges of the past few years into a brighter future. Valerie will be joined in conversation by Avra Siegel, Director of Head of US Policy Programs at Facebook and a former Obama White House official.

Start Day 3 off right! Our third day of PowerToFly's Amplifying Black Excellence summit will kick off with a virtual networking hour where we pair you with another attendee using the latest “Gatheround” technologies. If you're shy, we understand. That’s why we're doing the work to make the intro happen, and we'll help the conversation flow with questions too. This is a great way to prepare for tomorrow's career fair too!