A Black woman in North Carolina said she was turned down for a promotion because her boss told her she was too “articulate and sharp,” per theGrio.
Chantel Adams, a senior marketing executive who earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, said she’s faced challenges in earning promotions despite her qualifications. Adams said she was once denied a promotion because she was told that: “I was so articulate and sharp that it was intimidating to some people.”
“I have nearly $300,000 of post-high school education. It would be surprising if I weren’t articulate and sharp,” Adams said.
Adams noted that she took on extra responsibilities at her job and had an undisputedly strong performance, yet her peers, one of whom didn’t hold an MBA, were promoted.
“It’s unreasonable and unfair to hold someone’s strengths against them,” Adams said. “I would consider that as something that is race-based.”
The senior marketing executive shared her story amid a recent U.S. Census report that found women still make 71 cents on the dollar compared with men at the same education level.
Adams said she’s tried to overcome obstacles in her career by constantly changing jobs.
“I knew that I needed to be intentional and move with urgency as I navigated my career in order to work against that headwind,” she said. “When those opportunities were not afforded me within one company, I’ve gone elsewhere.”
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