To kick off the 2018 #BlackBlogsMatter Challenge and Black History Month, I’m re-posting Day 1 from the 2017 Challenge. This post serves as a reminder of how much I’ve grown as blogger over the past year and that I must continue to use my voice to speak truth to power. Black Blogs STILL Matter.
I considered starting a blog 5 years ago. I wanted to talk about HR, (more specifically Talent Acquisition and Recruiting) from my, let’s call it, “unique” perspective. I researched what others were doing and the overwhelming majority of Black blogs that I follow(ed) fell into socio-political, lifestyle, or entertainment categories.
So, I pushed pause.
My linesister, Sarah Morgan (@thebuzzonhr) had been blogging for a while on her own site and a multi-contributor site, Performance I Create. As I followed her progression I noticed something that caused me alarm. The HR Blogoshere was lush with information but there seemed to be only 1 or 2 Black HR Bloggers who had amassed popularity and credibility amongst the most widely read, shared, and quoted HR “Experts”.
So again, I pushed pause.
Sarah always encouraged me to start my own blog. She shared her network by allowing me to write a guest post on The Buzz on HR. In 2014 it was her influence and recommendation that led to me joining the Performance I Create Team.
Press fast forward.
I had been doing #RecruiterProblems Memes and writing for PIC 2 for a few years when all manner of crazy escaped from the asylum. I found myself stuck between giving my raw, uncut truth and employer-regulated sugar-coated censorship. Frustration about what’s true to me and what’s comfortable for others pushed me face first into a serious case of writer’s block.
Somewhere between being laid off in July and the election of #45 I stopped walking on eggshells and gave up giving people comfort in their privilege. When Sarah shared her idea to do a #BlackBlogsMatterChallenge for the month of February, I knew it was the perfect time for me to get unstuck, press play, and share my authentic voice.
