BIPOC Alumni Career Conversation Series (BACCS): The Emotional Tax on BIPOC Professionals

Faculty, staff, and students at the Weitzman School of Design have been increasingly focused on the impact of race and systemic racism on the design community, and the need to increase BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color: Latinx, Pan-Asian, and Pacific Islander) representation in the design professions.

As part of our efforts to achieve greater diversity and meaningfully contribute to the professions, the Offices of Professional Development & Leadership and Alumni Relations have sponsored a BIPOC Alumni Career Conversation Series (BACCS). This series provides a safe forum for incoming and returning students to network with BIPOC alumni, ask career questions, and learn from the experience of others. We especially encourage our new Weitzman students to join these discussions! While these conversations are designed for supporting BIPOC students, the discussions are open to all Weitzman students.

Our next virtual discussion in this series, “The Emotional Tax on BIPOC Professionals” is 6pm EST, Thursday, August 25, 2022. We invite you to join us for this informal discussion. The Emotional Tax is defined as ‘the heightened experience of being treated differently from peers due to race/ethnicity or gender, triggering adverse effects on health and feelings of isolation and making it difficult to thrive at work or school.’ Based on the number of attendees, we may use small Zoom breakout room discussions. We hope you will consider participating when we ask folks to share experiences and challenges. How should a firm or organization provide an inclusive environment? What helps ease the burden of the Emotional Tax? We will ask for alumni and student volunteers to facilitate a small discussion group. Please register using the link above by Tuesday, August 23, 2022. We will send a Zoom link closer to the day of the event.

Background information and research: (1)A recent report by Future Forum found the desire for hybrid or fully remote work is highest among under-represented people of color. Working full-time in a communal office can often place “unspoken pressure” and distress on BIPOC employees including dealing with toxic microaggressions, code-switching, and hypervisibility. (2) Understanding the emotional tax on Black professionals in the workplace, Bloomberg, Diversity and Inclusion.

If you require any accessibility accommodation, such as live captioning, audio description, or a sign language interpreter, please email news@design.upenn.edu to let us know what you need. Please note, we require at least 48 hours’ notice. If you register within 48 hours of this event, we won’t be able to secure the appropriate accommodations.