Enriching our conceptual and practical understanding of resilience through the lens of black women at work

The term “resilience” is frequently highlighted as a key factor in explaining how Black women maneuver through adversity and trauma. Often likened to a rubber band that may be stretched but not damaged, resilience has been heralded as an idealized virtue for Black women and other vulnerable workers to cope with disproportionate demands and to individually “overcome” structural obstacles that stem from racism and sexism. In this chapter, we center the experiences of Black women workers and consider resilience through the lens of their exposure to societal, organizational and interpersonal adversity and trauma. Second, we consider resilience through the lens of struggle, examining the challenges of Black women to “bounce back” from performance shortcomings and how they ultimately grow through failure. Third, we examine how resilience emerges as a core mechanism for Black women in coping with trauma and adversity. Finally, we explore individual and organizational resilience interventions tailored to enhance the well-being of Black women in the workplace.