Tackling Challenges
Black women in leadership roles face a variety of challenges, an experience the panelists could speak to in starting their own ventures and leading teams in the corporate sector. Gorrell and Barksdale cited lack of representation as a top hurdle.
“It’s tough to navigate spaces where there aren’t other people who look like you,” Gorrell said.
Barksdale added that without role models who share your background, it’s harder to find sponsors who understand your perspective. She’s found it helpful to build internal resilience and to assemble her own personal “board of directors,” who can offer emotional and strategic support throughout your career.
“Find people who can go into rooms you’re not in and pound the table and say, ‘Jasmine deserves this promotion,’” she said. “A board of directors can be extremely helpful because then you have people that you know are on your side.”
Shells cited capital as a primary challenge facing Black founders, adding that when she and her cofounder raised their initial round of funding in 2018, only 34 Black women had ever raised more than $1 million.
“I look at this as a systemic issue, because venture capitalists are mostly white men,” she said. “I’ve thought about how I, as a Black woman, can make sure other Black women get funding. It’s about sharing resources, opportunities, and knowledge.”