Access Denied: Addressing Workplace Disparities and Discrimination

by Brenda Harrington

In Access Denied, Brenda Harrington addresses what it takes to pave a path to success in storied detail. She explains that beyond degrees, experience and competence, it is necessary to interpret an organization’s culture, the behaviors that are tolerated, and who the power players are, through a lens of diversity and inclusion.

This resource places precise language around the unique challenges facing BIPOC individuals including: the issue of code-switching; the pitfalls of assimilating into a patriarchal and white-dominated work culture; the problem of veiled discriminators; and the complications of workplace dynamics that favor a dominant group. She also acknowledges the physical and mental toll of pervasive and systemic racism.

Through stories and reflection exercises that are deeply grounded in reality, Harrington provides members of minoritized and marginalized groups with tools to navigate their circumstances more effectively, with a view toward building the lives and legacies they want for themselves and their families.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 11, 2022

About the author

Brenda Harrington, PCC is a Certified Executive Coach and leadership development facilitator. The founder of Adaptive Leadership Strategies, LLC, she works with leaders globally in public, private, government, intergovernmental, humanitarian, and non-profit organizations.

Through executive coaching, team coaching, and facilitation, she focuses on helping clients embrace, nurture, and develop their innate and unique attributes in order to step into the best possible version of themselves.

Reviews

[Bethany Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book should be required reading for all white people that work in corporate America. While I am not the book's target audience, I found it to be eye-opening and educational--a look into a world that I don't experience because I am white. There were times while reading it that I wanted to throw the book across the room. It made me mad. It made me want to take action. We can each do our part to make our workspaces more inclusive, and safer for black people and people of color. Highly recommend reading this book.