Here’s a quick story about the other “talk.” I suspect some version of this happens in every Black family:

Early in my career, I worked as a MBS salesman for the largest investment bank not located on Wall Street—in Little Rock, Arkansas. In the firm’s 60-year history, no Black person had ever been hired to work in this role.

While we often hear about how Black families have “the talk” with their children—especially young men—about how to interact with the police.

What’s discussed less often are the conversations that take place about how we, as Black Americans, have to carry ourselves in workplaces dominated by white people.

I was a grown man, and yet, my uncle still felt compelled to pull me aside and warn me about what I was about experience. I didn’t believe him. Thought he was overreacting. But he was right.