“I’m a 50-year-old African American woman working as a divisional safety manager in the timber and wood products industry — an overwhelmingly white, male-dominated space. Since being hired in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve made measurable impacts in improving safety performance. Under my leadership, the company achieved historic lows in incident and severity rates and avoided any workplace-related COVID-19 cases.
Despite these achievements, I began experiencing pushback from a group of white male managers who felt I had “too much control.” One of them told me he’d spoken to someone at my previous job and implied he had information about a past separation agreement involving a non-disclosure. This private matter began circulating among other managers, clearly forming a smear campaign. When I filed a formal complaint with HR, the investigation was superficial, and those involved denied any knowledge — despite one of them previously admitting it to me.
When I filed a formal complaint with HR, the investigation was superficial.
Soon after, a new VP took over as my direct supervisor. From our first meeting, she made it clear I should not contact HR again and that all future concerns would go through her. What followed was a blatant pattern of paper-trailing and mobbing. I was ordered to log my work in unfamiliar formats (which I actually had certification in), sent to redundant training, and given performance reviews that questioned my communication skills — despite successfully completing every single one of my assigned safety goals.
While my quantitative performance exceeded expectations, my qualitative traits — communication, competency, writing style — became the focus of criticism. My writing was labeled “too professional,” and I was even criticized for being late to an optional after-hours dinner. Meanwhile, my white male peers commonly sent error-filled emails and were never held to the same standard.
My white male peers commonly sent error-filled emails and were never held to the same standard.
I also manage a team of safety managers, and during one company summit, two team members drank excessively. One got into a physical altercation, and another behaved disruptively at the next day’s meeting. When I reported this incident, I was told I was being “a distraction to the business.” I was later instructed not to document any concerns via email and instead to only speak verbally with my VP — clearly an attempt to avoid a paper trail.
Despite the professional harassment and retaliation I’m facing, what worries me most is the potential impact on my daughter, a sophomore at an Ivy League university. As a single mother, I carry the full financial responsibility for her education and our future. The stress has caused me to lose hair and start anxiety medication — things I’ve never needed before.
This ongoing psychological violence in the workplace must be addressed. My hope is that sharing my story encourages others to come forward and pushes for legislative change to make this type of abuse unlawful.”