What Kamala Harris’s public job interview teaches us

Ever since I heard that Kamala Harris would be running for president, the nation’s top political job, I have been bracing myself.

I have been trying to steel my nerves for the onslaught of attacks that come with any political campaign, regardless of party, and especially in our recent history. But what I’ve been feeling goes beyond what one therapist calls “election stress disorder.” It’s the anxiety that also comes with being a woman of color in a country that still hasn’t learned how to support our ambition and embrace our success.

“For women of color, self-doubt and the feeling that we don’t belong in corporate workplaces can be even more pronounced—not because women of color (a broad, imprecise categorization) have an innate deficiency but because the intersection of our race and gender often places us in a precarious position at work,” wrote Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey in the Harvard Business Review in 2021. “Many of us across the world are implicitly, if not explicitly, told we don’t belong in white- and male-dominated workplaces.”

Here is what Harris’s painfully public job interview can teach us about the challenges that many women of color face in the workplace.

Baseless criticism

As the presidential election takes over our society, I am reminded of the baseless insults thrown at the vice president: “She’s unqualified for the job.” “She can’t handle the work.” “She is undeserving.” “Her professional success was the result of handouts.” “She is the ‘DEI candidate.’” Of course, all of these claims are unfounded and, I would argue, biased.

Like many women of color, I have been reminded over the past few weeks of my own experience with having my hard work called into question. The baseless critiques of Harris’s qualifications intensify the little voice on my shoulder telling me to prove why I deserve a seat at the table.

In 2012, I moved to Chicago for a job. Immediately, I didn’t feel very welcomed and worried that I’d have trouble fitting in or building relationships with the team. Within the first week, a colleague asked if I knew the executive director who hired me. The colleague essentially questioned how I could have earned the role without somehow having an “in.”

I had just met the executive director during the interview process; nevertheless, I spent the rest of my time there trying to prove myself and justify my place on the team. Not surprisingly, this took a mental toll. I lost confidence and felt isolated, leading to lower engagement and, ultimately, a short tenure.

By tolerating unjustified questions about Harris’s qualifications—she was a prosecutor, state attorney general, U.S. senator, and vice president—rather than her politics, we send the message that women, and specifically women of color, can only reach the top thanks to favors from others and diversity quotas.

In politics, insults and accusations are part of the game. Harris, like any candidate, knew what she signed up for. Also like any candidate, she is not perfect. What’s different here are the built-in assumptions about women of color. We don’t have the privilege of making it to the top without having to back it up with real experience and hard work. And mistakes along the way are unlikely to be forgotten.

What we can do

As women of color, we need to take care of ourselves in this election. To do this we must find the right balance of staying informed while also allowing ourselves space from harmful points of view that can impact our self-worth. Even when the election is over, those experiences of having our qualifications, perspectives, and ambitions called into question will likely remain.

As I’ve progressed in my career I’ve learned that my opinions and perspectives are valuable—and often unique among my colleagues—and there’s real value in sharing them. As we age, we may gain more respect from colleagues for our competence and agency, but that confidence and capability can also cause us to appear “less warm,” which can be threatening to others and hold consequences. I’ve found the greatest success when I am willing to share my authentic personality and trust my own judgment while embracing humility when there are opportunities to shift perspective or learn.

As we know, the responsibility for making this shift does not rest with marginalized employees alone. “It’s important for institutions to consider how they may have treated people like they aren’t worthy, and how they’ve contributed to this environment where impostor phenomenon is common,” writes Lincoln Hill for the American Psychological Association.

Our colleagues, managers, and leaders must evaluate teams and processes critically to root out inequity and bias. They can acknowledge and celebrate hard work and reflect on whose successes are most likely to receive attention. They can elevate voices that are often ignored or dismissed, ask for input and ideas, and properly attribute and reward contributions. And, they can actively check in on the well-being of their colleagues, especially women of color, as we all navigate our contentious state.

Show the people in your organization—especially women of color—that they are valued. When we feel safe to swing big and shoot for the moon, we deserve the opportunities and the grace to try.