At the end of last year I was introduced to a card
game titled, Black Card Revoked. I
learned of this game at a Christmas party I attended and it was fun, and very
interesting. Black Card Revoked is a
trivia-like card game consisting of questions celebrating black culture in the
most exciting, hilarious, and engaging ways. When I played and it was time to
split up for teams, I endured a little teasing from some of my other fellow
African-Americans in the room for not being woke or black enough, but rather
too bougie (a popular
African-American colloquialism for being stuck up or extra fancy) to keep up. There
were plenty of laughs and the game actually taught me some things I didn’t
know, too. For the record, I’m very much woke and to this day and for life, my
black card will forever remain intact. Anyways, the game is super dope and a
lot of fun. What kind of games do you play at gatherings?
As you embark on your career, I want you to know some things and stay woke about what you’ll be up against. Please understand that no matter what, you have value, and you matter. Always remember that. As progressive as this world and different workplaces may seem, every workplace has a culture. You’ll be in different places where a lot of people who don’t look like you will be in the room. But know that you belong in those rooms too. Spend some time observing and studying those spaces and learn as much as you can. There will be people you work with who will make presumptions about your competence, education, and ability to fulfill your job duties. There will be more who will think less of you because of the color of your skin and try to disqualify you the moment you make an error, mistake, or ask questions about things you may not understand. This will all feel uncomfortable and you may get insecure, feel like you’re all by yourself, and think you don’t belong there, but ride it out...