‘It’s A Gut Punch To Identity’: The Grief Black Women Carry When Work Disappears

Essence Magazine:

By Ariel Williams ·Updated October 10, 2025 Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

I now work in a health care–adjacent role in Florida, but two years ago, I was a remote sales manager who was let go after 20 months. I had been under-trained and had no prior experience, yet I brought in $1.2 million in my first year. Despite that level of performance, company execs called sacking me a “business

This post first appeared in Essence Magazine. Read the original article.