CONCRETE CEILING BREAKTHROUGH

The Concrete Ceiling Breakthrough Campaign is our chance to create change.
This three-year national campaign aims to:

  • Popularize the concrete ceiling framework through strategic narrative change

  • Document 3,000+ Black women's workplace experiences through healing-informed story collection

  • Translate narratives into evidence-based toolkits for organizational transformation

  • Establish "concrete ceiling" as the professional standard for understanding Black women's workplace barriers

COMPONENTS

  • STORY COLLECTION

    Evidence base for research findings and toolkit

    STORIES

  • COMMUNITY CONVERSATION

    Quarterly learning series

    CONVERSATIONS

  • STORY CIRCLES

    Narrative collection engaging 3,000+ professionals

    STORY CIRCLES

  • CONVENINGS & DATA GALLERY WALKS

    Half-day in-person sharing and learning

    CONVENINGS

  • TOOLKIT

    Evidence-based organizational resource

    Click Here

  • MEDIA CAMPAIGN

    75+ strategic placements

    Click Here

  • POLICY ADVOCACY

    Congressional briefings, state legislation

    Click Here

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

Barriers to Workplace Advancement

    • White women may be doubted due to gender

    • Black men may be doubted due to race

    • Black women are doubted due to both simultaneously—and must constantly prove competence

    • White women labeled "too emotional"

    • Black men labeled "threatening"

    • Black women labeled "angry" OR "difficult"—stereotypes combining racial and gender biases

    • White women face glass ceiling at senior levels

    • Black men face barriers at multiple points but have some "similar to leadership" benefits

    • Black women face concrete ceiling from entry-level through executive—never getting sponsored, mentored, or advanced

    • White women earn 82 cents per White male dollar

    • Black men earn 87 cents per White male dollar

    • Black women earn 64 cents—the compounded penalty

WHAT IT CREATES / BARRIERS

Evidence of the Concrete Ceiling

    • 38% of Black women hold bachelor's degrees or higher (most educated demographic in America)

    • Yet only 1% reach C-suite positions

    • Black women earn 64 cents for every dollar paid to White men

    • Even when controlling for education, experience, and industry, the gap persists

    • 50%+ of Black women work in occupations where they're overrepresented

    • These are disproportionately lower-wage sectors (healthcare support, education, service)

    • 54% report being "the only one" in their workplace

    • Experience highest "emotional tax" of any demographic group

    • 36% intend to quit within 2 years due to barriers

    • 58 Black women promoted per 100 men (lowest rate)

    • Face "broken rung" at entry to management—never getting first leadership opportunity