Dr. Nadine Johnson spent the last 20 years working in a White, male-dominated culture. During this time she obtained four degrees but, as an African American woman continued to face the challenge of limited visibility. She feels that this lack of visibility resulted in her being perceived as someone willing to stay in her comfort zone when, in reality, the exposure opportunity was limited.
This was so important to her that she made it the subject of her doctoral thesis which resulted in her book An Examination of the Concrete Ceiling… Perspectives of 10 African American Women Managers and Leaders in Corporate America and Non-Profit Organizations.
The 10 women chosen to take part in her research were also working within White, male-dominated cultures. They represented different industries and were recruited through a process called snowballing… where contacts referred contacts until she had the participants she needed.
She found that the greatest obstacle facing African American women in the corporate workplace is that corporate America is still dominated by White males and, although there are many women leaders, there still needs to be improvement in the areas of mentoring, inclusion and accountability.
She believes that African American women are sometimes stereotyped as defensive, angry, aggressive and very direct and this can work against them in that environment. I find this interesting as being aggressive and direct are often considered positive traits for men.
Nadine is passionate about the focus of her research and has great respect for the African American women who have advocated for both women and African Americans. These include Maria Stewart, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ida B. Wells, Zora Neal Hurston, Barbara Smith, Bell Hooks, and Angela Davis. She will continue to help pave the pathways for all current and future generations of African American women and her hope is that all ceilings will be penetrated one day and ladders of opportunity extended to all.
