The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table

by Minda Harts

From microaggressions to the wage gap, The Memo empowers women of color with actionable advice on challenges and offers a clear path to success.

Most business books provide a one-size-fits-all approach to career advice that overlooks the unique barriers that women of color face. In The Memo , Minda Harts offers a much-needed career guide tailored specifically for women of color.

Drawing on knowledge gained from her past career as a fundraising consultant to top colleges across the country, Harts now brings her powerhouse entrepreneurial experience as CEO of The Memo to the page. With wit and candor, she acknowledges "ugly truths" that keep women of color from having a seat at the table in corporate America. Providing straight talk on how to navigate networking, office politics, and money, while showing how to make real change to the system, The Memo offers support and long-overdue advice on how women of color can succeed in their careers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Leadership, Feminism, Race, Personal Development

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2019

Reviews

[steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a white woman it feels odd for me to admit that I read this book because I think you can tell by the title it is obviously is not geared towards women like me (and rightly so). That said, I am really glad I stumbled across Minda Harts on a podcast in which she talked about her book making me put it on hold at work because it is important for white women like me to know that there is a discrepancy between white women and women of color when it comes to the workplace and that there are different things both parties (but me especially) can do to help narrow that gap.

This book is half a memoir of Harts' experience as a black woman in the workplace and half a instructional manual with tips and well researched talking points on how women of color can advance in the workplace. Obviously I cannot speak for all the chapters because they were not written for me ut there were a few I really enjoyed reading and learning from. I really liked the chapter Invest in Yo' Self with its instructions to write down your career purpose and create a career blueprint so you can make short term decisions based on your long term goals. That was simple but incredibly helpful. I also liked the chapter where Hart listed different women of color that are trailblazers in their various industries because their names are just as important as their white counterparts and more women should know about them (here! here!). And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the chapter specifically written for me No More Passes For My White Readers in which she specifically talks about the need for white women to use their power and influence in the workplace to modify the way boardrooms, leaderships and the wage gap look for women of color. And that being inclusive or being an ally (as the term is so often used) comes down to one simple point - be intentional. Get to know women of color in your office so they can be considered for promotions the same way white women are. It sounds so simple but it's not being done.

I'll be looking up Minda Harts podcast Secure the Seat now, this book was well done so I am certain her podcast will be no exception.

[NV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, you know who truly needs to read this...and not just chapter 8...

I will be referring to this throughout my career. I may toss the rest of my professional development books, except I don’t like the idea of throwing away books. However, unlike other career development books, I can use this one in whole instead of having to carve out bits & pieces and chop up some mosaic of advice that maybe I can apply to how my life actually works.

[Susie Turk · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a woman of color in the software profession, I assumed I'd really like this book; I wanted to love this book. In the beginning of the book, Minda indicates that she wrote this book because books like Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg address white women's experiences, and she seeks to address the experience of women of color. However, that's not what she does. She addresses the experience of Black women. Several times she mentions "Black and brown" women. As an Asian American, even while reading and after having finished the book, I really could not tell if she was including me as a "woman of color." While I'm willing to accept that books like Lean In may not address the intersectionality of a Black woman's experience, I'd be disingenuous if I said this book addressed my experience in any way or even sought to. If the book were more aptly named "The Memo: What Black Women Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table", I could have potentially enjoyed it more - reading it for better understanding of the experiences African American women face, and how I could be more sensitive to it as a fellow woman professional and leader. Rather, I felt excluded and somewhat slighted the entire time. That being said, Minda does offer some professional advice and insight that I think would benefit any professional of any race, gender, or classification:

- Build your squad - folks in and outside the workplace that serve as your network.
- Politics - understand that they exist whether you like it or not. So, be prepared to socialize with your colleagues in a professional manner and get to know them.
- Don't suffer insufferable situations and people - be prepared to let folks know when their comments are unacceptable and be prepared to leave a toxic workplace, manager, team, company culture, etc.
- The glass ceiling - it exists, and there's not just one glass ceiling for women. White women make more than black women. Asian women aren't mentioned in this nor really any area of the book.
- Invest in yourself - get a career coach, identify skills you need to improve on and take the appropriate courses, training, and professional development. Take the proper assessments to help identify areas of strength and weakness.

My personal opinion is that Asians are often excluded in conversations about race in the United States unless it happens to be convenient for someone. In this book, it wasn't convenient, and therefore not factored in at all. An Indian American woman leader was briefly mentioned, but not germane to the book in anyway. As someone who felt excluded by other books by other women, I would have expected the author not to turn around and then do it to another group of women. Having said that, I celebrate and congratulate Minda for her success and her mission.

[La'Tonya Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a popular and apparently award-winning episode of Black Mirror where a white woman finds herself trapped in a Star Trek-like situation. The ship is ruled by an exceptionally obnoxious straight white male captain. Long story short, the episode ends with the heroine having overthrown the male lead (and, hence, patriarchy) and ends with her sitting in his chair while the rest of the cast flanks her on all sides. People LOVE this episode, pointing to it as evidence of female empowerment and a mark of How Far Women Have Come.

But I was like, hold up. Wait. The supporting cast that this woman now rules are people of color or gay, including one particular fiesty black woman. Why are we throwing a party for Captain Becky, I wondered? These people were running this ship before she came along, and I am sure they would be fine without her. Are we supposed to cheer just because a woman is sitting in the seat? Why not throw the damn seat off the ship?

So this is a long intro as to why I think The Memo is important. The book's subtitle tells us that Harts will share "what women of color need to know to secure a seat at the table." And indeed that happens. Harts offers concrete tips regarding salary negotiation, for example. She offers specific questions to ask during an interview. Also included are email templates! She could've stopped there and come out #winning.

But what makes The Memo a gift that keeps on giving is the methodical way she identifies white women who are accomplices rather than advocates in the workplace. "White women cannot be trusted to always do the right thing," Harts says plainly and without apology. In fact, one of the chapters is written directly to white readers. I won't get all into it, but it comes down to y'all need to do better.

I haven't read many reviews of this book, but I can only imagine the tears! "Why can't we all get along?" white feminists may cry. Because I can be the captain of my own damn ship.

[Garry Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Punchy, inspiring, necessary, career-playbook, gritty, thought-provoking - these are the types of words that came up for me as I read this awesome book by Minda Harts.

Minda walks the reader, with the key target audience being women of colour, through her own personal journey towards gaining her seat.

Some of the most remarkable and inspiring realisations of her writing and journey for me personally, however, were that Minda is calling out directly the office politics, socialised BS, cliques and fear that permeates every individual, leader, and team, regardless of their background -this truly is a must-read for any and every human.

I say this about a book sometimes because I mean it.

That said, I do not want to take away Minda's necessary 'wake-up' for people that have my skin tone i.e. socially people of colour have more barriers to deal with than white people. It is an uncomfortable truth, but one that we must own and talk about.

To have inclusive, by-partisan, cross-functional/sector discussion groups around Minda's content will not only serve women of colour getting their seat which is her key objective, but it will also serve humanity to help start having the courage and decency to communicate on a human-human level that is so sorely needed.

Great job Minda and thank you for the education.

[Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had read 'Lean In' and so was intrigued by the framing that this was a 'Lean In' except for women of color. I remember reading 'Lean In' and not really understanding a lot of the hype around the book. It seemed like it wasn't saying anything new and was specifically aimed for a particular audience.

Harts takes us through her story and career as a woman of color and what she has dealt with: racism, micro-aggression, white privilege, sexism and misogyny from white women, etc. She also talks about what WOC can do to build themselves, how they can cope, what to do in various situations, etc.

Overall? This was disappointing. Based on the cover/marketing it seemed like this was a book that was more about a "how to" book or guide. Instead, this is really Harts's story. That's definitely important, but her story is hers and not everyone is going to identify with that. Not everything she does will applicable. I guess in this case this was very much a 'Lean In' for WOC but since it's been awhile since I've read that book I had forgotten.

It was a pity because her introduction was interesting and I had higher hopes but I wasn't really compelled by the book or her story.

But a lot of people do and I'd say this is a more important read than 'Lean In'. Or at least, read both so you can compare/contrast the experiences.

Library borrow for me.

[Holly B · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was short, but not as informative as I thought. In 89 pages, I got maybe 5 tips. The rest of it was her story and her experience with on the job racism.

[Ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

IQ "I didn't have to stay and be the strong black woman and hope for the best. Let my pride get in the way because I left my former employer for a pasture I thought was greener. I felt I had to make this work. This was mistake number two: you don't have to make everything work. You can leave if you are being mistreated because it doesn't get any better." (77)

The most glaring error in this book is that it attributes the FAMOUS Madeline Albright quote "there is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women"to MARGARET THATCHER. This is such an egregious error that I was seeing red for the rest of the book. Clearly there was no fact checker employed but that is so easy to Google?? Add to that the soon-to-be dated pop culture references that come off as forced, a weird refusal to write out four letter (swear) words and overall lack of clarity on how to navigate the workplace at every level. The advice is general and vague, short on specifics. It might be helpful for entering the workplace and negotiation tactics but there's not much on how to achieve mid level career success or reach the C suite. What saved my rating is reading other reviews where this book genuinely seemed to help/move some younger readers. So for that reason I won't completely write it off but it's not for me. Come for the discussion of microaggresions and implicit bias, stay for the anecdotes about Minda's workplace life but don't expect this to be a how-to business development guide. LEAN IN isn't intersectional but is well written and honestly more helpful. I would recommend reading both.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE MEMO is Minda Harts' response to women's empowerment/career development marketed towards women that fail to address the specific challenges of women of color at work. Most mainstream women's empowerment is overwhelmingly white - Lean In, Levo League, etc - and doesn't address the added challenges WOC face, as well as the ways white women can engage in oppressive behaviors.

I've long been into career development books/articles/advice but it something that's taken a backseat recently. I loved getting back into reading the genre with THE MEMO. This book is not about restructuring workplaces to be more inclusive, like I initially thought; rather it's how women of color can build themselves up for success within white dominant corporate environments. When I think of DEI, I think of undoing white dominant culture - this isn't that book. That said, I'm not the primary audience of the book, yet I still found her tips & tricks helpful. It was especially refreshing to read a book that speaks so directly to the mostly unspoken issues between WOC & white women at the workplace.

Years ago, I had a black female friend tell me she trusted white men at work more than white women. My first thought - "that's sexist!" - completely denied her valid lived experience. The insidious ways white women get away w treating WOC like shit at work are not talked about, ignored, or met w defensiveness. I can't purport to care about breaking the glass ceiling if I'm not doing my best to ensure myself & my fellow white women aren't engaged in passive aggressive & toxic workplace behaviors. This book addresses that directly & has a specific chapter for white readers looking to support women of color at work.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

mixed feelings/disappointed... you could argue that this book is the POC alternative to sheryl sandberg's "lean in," but the author seems to only consider "black and brown" women as POC. harts barely addresses asian women (only mentions them twice, as a statistic or add-on from what i remember), so i feel slighted that she doesn't consider my ethnicity as part of POC. this book should be renamed "what *black/brown women* need to know..." however, she does offer very practical advice for any woman seeking to build a high-powered career and remain relevant in a world that continues to undermine and undervalue women, especially those of color. you are your own best advocate.

[Magda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted more from this book. I do feel like I got something from the read, but I expected this book to do more than constantly remind the readers that women of color's approach to professional spaces are different than white women's approach. I anticipated more direction, and steps to take. There were a few quotables.

[Lacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this 5 stars because this was a book that really needed to be written and a voice that needs to be heard! As a white woman, there were a lot of things in this book that stung pretty bad and quite a few generalizations BUT it needs to be said. It's important to acknowledge and understand that journeys are different. I will never truly understand but I want to come as close as I can and I want to support the mission in actionable ways!

The book mentioned how white women don't physically show up to demonstrations or other functions of the community. From my experience (just speaking from my experience here) I have found that demonstrations and physically showing up in the white community was never an area of focus. As Minda points out in her book, women of color use salaries to give back to family, community, and church. Unfortunately (again from my experience) that is not a value that is taught in most/many white communities. It is something that I personally need to work on. I do use my power and influence to help advance women of color in the workplace but I do not physically attend events or demonstrations.

As a side note: I would say that it's unfair to bunch all white women into the voting for Donald Trump bucket. I know quite a few white women who did vote for him and I know quite a few who didn't. I wouldn't have voted for him if my life literally depended upon it. I cried when he was elected too for all the same reasons Minda cried.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating of this book is certainly not a critique of Minda Harts or the book's intentions.

I love the purpose of this book. I love that it highlights the struggles of women of color, particularly Black women. A book like this is very much needed in the world.

But for me personally this book wasn't what I needed it to be and that's okay. This book speaks to women who are starting out there careers and women in leadership positions, but for someone like me who is in the in-between there's a lot of go get 'em support and insights but not a lot of how tos I was hoping for. There's talk on knowing your value and to negotiate, but only one example of a negotiation. Harts also at one point says she only has time to share one story about white women tearing down women of color, which is an interesting note to make in your own book.

Lastly, I'm a believer that if you want to swear you should swear. If you don't want to swear don't swear. So reading the what appears to be self-censoring of four letter words throughout the book threw me off as a reader.

But Harts' message is powerful and important for women of color and those that work with them and people should read it.

[Dave B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read that was full of emotional conflict. First, I acknowledge that as a male I do not understand all the struggles experienced by African American business women. However, I am taking he advice of the author and seeking to understand the AA woman's situation in the business world. I struggle with this book because the author swings between "the need to fit-in or feel accepted by her superiors) and the need to push back against the current social expectations. There is a whole section on networking and socializing outside the office without paying attention to the mixed signals that males assume from females that speak to them outside the office. How do you network without some bonehead thinking you are flirting? How can the author build coalitions and mentors with diverse background if they spend time evaluating and reacting to European American females?

As an African American male, this book creates anxiety associated with leaning forward and taking the corner office and stress about lifting up my peers while out performing others on a daily basis. This is a high likelihood that this push could lead to depression or breakdown.

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a book that's all about advocating for the rights and wel being of black women and Yasminda Hart has done such a remarkable thing in how she sets us straight in this book. Reading it reminded me of something Beyonce said about the Black Lives Matter riots following the death of George Floyd and Breona Taylor, she said "don't just talk about it, be about it!"
This book delves into an area we play down because we don't want to be seen as over ambitious and it often hurts us. I kept taking notes, and reflecting on my career and the decisions I have made over the years and where it has led me.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC. Anyone who reads this book, moreso any black woman who gets this and has long struggled with getting a seat at the table or better yet bringing her own table will learn a lot about planning, networking and speaking up.

[Aileen Marquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read! I wish I had read this book earlier in my career. Harts uses pop culture to teach valuable lessons on networking, negotiating, and living around office politics.

[Valarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this for women of color just starting out so they can avoid the most common workplace mistakes, like ignoring office politics (an egregious error sometimes), believing all of your hard work will be seen and rewarded, avoiding post-work social settings, and letting your skills slip.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an important read for WOC in business!

[Kerrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s crazy to read words of another that align with your own experiences. Confirming that you aren’t crazy and that your thoughts are valid. I’m appreciative of the real life experience Minda put in this book. She broke down how women of color can get a seat at the table, if they don’t necessarily want to always create their own. Giving actionable steps and tips to guide us along the journey.
Even giving tips to non melanated individuals a way to acknowledge and help our disparities. Overall, I would recommend to women of color, especially those who want to advance in the workplace.

[Bianca Millien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a GREAT reminder starting a new job in a new company. It was also so good to feel seen and validated, many of the topics discussed I was actively having the same discussions with friends unrelated to the book.

[Shawntal Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very insightful for me as a Black woman looking to develop myself professionally. I really appreciate Minda's honesty about her experiences and feelings in her various positions. I appreciated the little references to movies, songs, and actors in her book to make it feel personable but there are points where I didn't feel like they were always necessary. Nonetheless, I'm going to return to this book multiple times.

[Stephanie White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST read!!!

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUST READ!!!!!

This is a must read especially for the black queens in corporate America or those planning to go into corporate America. So many great nuggets of knowledge.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could give a half star for 4.5. Harts book is eye opening for what women of color face in the workplace and practical tips for how to be a success partner.

[Madeline Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very poignant book because it feels like it's directed specifically to me, as a black woman, and not to a generic "woman" which, if we're honest, is rarely imagined to be black, and never really feels like it's written for me, specifically.

To be centered as a reader and experience a whole book on how to improve my mindset and approach to my career is a special feeling and one that I rarely come across in business books. I appreciate that and hope to read more of these types of business books. I'd like to see more points of view from other black women and from others who may culturally relate to WOC being on the career hamster wheel and feeling like they are going nowhere fast. I'd like to see more nuanced explorations of avoiding pitfalls in the workplace that are there for more than simply being a woman.

[Kilandra Bass · Rating 5 out of 5]

So timely, I loved this book. Minda not only told her personal experiences, but also provided tangible resources from her tool kit. She listed out examples of prompts, assessments and tests to take, email templates, do’s and don’ts, people we should know and highlight, as well as other gems. I highly recommend to all women but specifically Black women who are trying to level up in their career.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had read this years ago. I think of myself as an ally, but I needed to be a success partner. Also there are students I could’ve been more helpful to if I’d gotten “the memo”

[Angela Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for women of color, if you work with women of color, or if you wonder why you don't work with more women of color.

[Sahar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the book recommendation from a coworker of mine. I was truly struggling to continue after reading the first 2 chapters but kept going as a sign of respect for her. It got much better to the point that I finished it over a weekend.

The first chapter is a criticism of 'Lean In' and how in general white women have been ignoring women of color in their fight for equal pay and advancement in the workplace.
The next 2 chapters are more about how to navigate the corporate culture (e.g. how to socialize with your bosses and how to dress up for work) which I thankfully haven't been exposed to that much yet. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 are the golden chapters of the book. In chapter 4, she recounts her personal story of being subjected to microaggressions in the workplace. I sympathized with both sides of this story and it made me aware of some microaggressions that I have unknowingly been imposing or been subject to. Chapters 5 and 6 are about career progression and knowing your worth. A lot of the points in these chapters were reminders for me to dare to practice what I've been learning on these topics. Chapter 7 talks about confidence and maintaining nerves of steel in the workplace. Chapter 8, as the name suggests, is a preach to the white audience, mostly women. I learned from this book that women getting paid $0.80 on the dollar is specific to white women and that the value actually ranges from $0.45 to $0.8 depending on race, industry, title, etc. Chapters 9 and 10 are mostly a compilation of women of color in high ranking roles and resources to use for career progression respectively. Good reference material.
All in all, I do recommend this book. If you're white, try to keep an open mind as it's easy to get defensive in some chapters.

[Hannah]

This is probably the best management book I've ever read, and I think it would be a great read for white people in management positions, too.

As an audiobook it was iffy; she often pronounced words and names incorrectly (is that not what producers and directors are there for?) and the name thing in particular bothered me because there's even a point where she talks about names and palatability for white people--she's very realistic about it (doesn't denigrate people for taking the position of wanting to avoid having their name mispronounced even if it feels like letting white supremacy win), which is cool, but then why couldn't she be bothered to learn how to say Huerta correctly?

I do feel like Harts' editor was AWOL; there is some sloppy prose, the grammar isn't always great, and the organization of the book could have used some work. But the content is overall incredibly valuable.