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by Ayanna Rashida Cummings (Author)
Having a seat at the table is analogous to having a voice and decision-making authority in organizations and governmental entities. At a larger, more structural level, having a seat at the table translates to having an impact upon policy and governance. When African Americans and underrepresented ethnic minoritized individuals have such a seat, it is usually deemed a "first" and sometimes the "only" in a sea of whiteness. Seated at the Table is my reflection on what we are capable of as senior level leaders in organizations who desire systemic and structural cultural transformation. As an African American woman, I feel it is particularly poignant that I have such a seat and that I accept as a critical aspect of holding such a position the responsibility to pull others along in our journey towards inclusivity and equity for all people, particularly those who are marginalized and have historically been left out of such discussions and decisions. Throughout this book I provide data and statistics that are shockingly real and which underscore works such as this as exceptionally relevant in today's racialized society. It is my hope that readers walk away from this book with a sense of urgency and agency as they tackle the malignant -isms that permeate society at large, and subsequently the organizations that have in sum profited from the oppression and denigration of racial and ethnically minoritized groups (Brewer, 2021; Thomas, 2019). No system or institution in the United States, including corporations, is free from the impact of such -isms on their operations, hiring practices, decision-making, evaluation processes, governance procedures, community outreach, team performance, etc. I hope to arm readers with the tools they need to effectively mitigate the impact of such -isms at all levels throughout an organization or enterprise.
