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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine how Black women learn to negotiate systems of racism and sexism to support their career progression in corporate America. The research questions that guide the study are: (1) What supported the career progression of Black women in corporate America?(2) What are the significant learning experiences that supported Black womens career progression in corporate America? (3) What strategies have Black women used to advance their careers in organizational systems?The study was conducted with twelve Black women who work for Fortune 5 organizations who were Directors or above in leadership positions. The data revealed three themes. The first theme was the women felt very uncomfortable in their corporate existence. Being a Black woman in corporate America, these women discussed feeling isolated which often left you to your own devices to be successful, as the second theme. The women acknowledged the third theme as seeing themselves as existing in a Corporate setting to manage issues that their White counterparts did not want to manage or did not have to manage to progress to higher levels. The final conclusion in this study is that the women indicated that 1) Successful career progression forced the women in this study to lead a tension filled lives where they constantly weighed their cultural alliances against their corporate acceptance; 2) The ethgender bias experienced by the women in this study necessitated that they actually succeed by performing at higher levels in order to workplace success and progression; and 3) The women in this study, who described themselves as accidental administrators believed that they succeeded because they obeyed culturally grounded rules