I HAVE AN ADMISSION TO MAKE: I have a hard time speaking up. You wouldn’t guess it, given that I hold degrees from and teach at some of the best universities in the world. For over a decade, I had the title Managing Partner before my name and the initials JD for juris doctor after it. I’ve been in front of audiences of up to 300,000 people. I make a living by talking and leading.
Then again, maybe you wouldn’t have guessed I have a hard time speaking up — you would have assumed it. After all, I’m female, Asian and (relatively) young. It’s a well-documented stereotype and statistic that people like me are good entry-level hires but not likely to be promoted to management. People assume that we’ll work hard and not cause problems, but they also assume we don’t have the vision, self-confidence and savvy necessary to run the place.
I am the model minority myth incarnate: stable two-parent household, straight-A student. I went to the University of California, Berkeley for college, because in‑state tuition was the practical choice. I studied and have taught at Harvard Law School. I tick all the boxes that are supposed to give you a good life. In some circles, people would say I’ve ‘made it.’ So, what is there to complain about?
If success were only about having a seat at the table, I would be considered successful. But having a seat at the table doesn’t mean that your real voice is actually welcome. I am consistently called upon to validate decisions from the ‘minority perspective’ — as if I can speak for all women, people of colour and historically oppressed groups. I’m often present so the powers-that-be can feel good about themselves (or change the statistics in the shareholder report) because the room looks a little more
