The Unique Challenges Faced by Women of Color in Nonprofit Leadership

From Renee: In planning this series on Healthy Leadership, it was important to hear perspectives of people of different identities on Healthy Individual Leadership. Toward that end, we reached out to our colleagues Chrystal Morris Murphy, who shares her thoughts below, and Yanira Guzman, who we’ll hear from next time.

Chrystal Morris Murphy has over 20 years of executive, nonprofit experience. She is often called upon to facilitate complex conversations and lend counsel to nonprofits struggling to build trust between external and internal constituencies. Her expertise is grounded in helping clients design strategic planning frameworks, alliances, Communities of Practice (CoP), and strong boards.

Chrystal most recently served as Senior Vice President at the National Park Foundation (NPF). There, she built the Foundation’s Strong Parks, Strong Communities initiative (SPSC). Murphy’s consulting practice is based in Washington D.C.

Since creating the vision for this series, it has been a rough month for Black women – with the resignation of Dr. Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard University, and the suicide of Dr. Antoinette Candia-Bailey, Vice President of Student Affairs at Lincoln University. I envision a world in which all people can thrive, stand in solidarity with our Black colleagues, and, as a white person, it is more important than ever to step back and hear from Chrystal and others.

Women of color face a distinct set of obstacles that other groups at the executive level do not. As a leader in the sector, I have personally encountered inconsistent access to my peers in the C-suite, as well as a lack of protection from internal or external threats. My ideas were not always publicly supported. I have experienced the humiliation of presenting ideas to the executive team to have them cast down in public. However, moments later  a white male colleague would articulate the same - if not similar strategy  -  and  it would be accepted with enthusiastic support! When this happened, I would receive empathy and encouragement in private. No one ever protected me in those moments to say, “I believe Chrystal articulated that same notion, let’s circle back with her to make sure we got that right…” As a black woman business owner, I have been asked to reduce my fees significantly and do more with less. On a few occasions, I employed a white contractor to help validate my ideas and to ensure that I received the compensation my experience and expertise deserved.

Now that I have been Principal for Onyx Strategies Group for nearly three years, I have learned how to navigate most racial and gender biases levied against me. I will admit these challenges can still be difficult to negotiate and, if I allow it, battling consistent microaggressions can deplete my energy and confidence. To counteract these negative effects, I employ a leadership strategy that includes self-care that prioritizes my physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Here are 10 self-care tips that have worked well for me:

1. Spend Time in Nature:

It’s no secret that regular exercise is good for the body. It helps to release the unhealthy cortisol that’s been building from stressful engagements. Traditional exercise for me tends to be more stressful.  Instead, I choose calming hikes in nature (some more strenuous than others), forest bathing, and kayaking.

2. Mindfulness and Breath Work:

Mindfulness is a popular term in today’s modern lexicon, but it shouldn’t be conflated with meditation. To be mindful is to intentionally connect with our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and the surrounding environment. My mindfulness practice encourages me to observe my thoughts and emotions without becoming overly reactive to them. Incorporating mindfulness helps me to reduce stress and enhance focus. I can better accept things as they are and not be judgmental about what I didn’t complete on the day’s task list.

3. Eat and Hydrate Well:

We all love comfort foods. Some of my favorites include pasta, bread, potatoes, and sweets – but eating too many of these can make me sluggish. I know that when I only drink water and consistently eat a variety of organic fruits, vegetables, and protein, I notice a big reduction in body inflammation and improved joint movements. Therefore, I feel better and my focus dramatically improves.

4. Adequate Sleep:

I know this is cliché, but prioritizing sleep is huge for me.  It helps improve my immune, cognitive, and emotional functions. I try to get six hours of sleep each night. Anything less than that makes me crabby and unproductive.

 5. Detox from Devices:

After 8 p.m., I regularly turn off my devices or put them on a “do-not-disturb” setting until 7 a.m. the following morning. If I’m on vacation or out of the office, I program my phone to only accept calls from family members or close friends in case of an emergency.

6. Professional Development and Learning:

To keep my skills current and relevant, I invest time in professional development activities or pursue interests that contribute to personal growth outside of work-related activities.

7. Delegate and Prioritize:

I am a big proponent of delegating tasks to avoid being overwhelmed. Why employ contractors or full-time staff if you don’t trust them to do the work? I spend the beginning of each week prioritizing my workload and share tasks that aren’t aligned with my strengths and values.

8. Social Connections:

My universe includes a small group of friends. We keep each other’s best interest and well-being paramount. These strong connections bring optimism, productive criticism when needed, unconditional love, and support. We show up when the need is critical and/or if we haven’t spoken in months. When we re-connect, we pick right up where we left off. Maintaining regular connection to this group of amazing women is a high priority for me.

9. Solo Vacations and Scheduling Downtime:

I have learned that uninterrupted time alone gives me an opportunity to re-charge and be creative. I generally take three or four days away to reflect, read, get clarity, and rest. Time away from both business and personal responsibilities is essential for my homeostasis and renewal.

During any scheduled downtime (separate and apart from solo retreats), I like to fish, kayak, hike, read, or participate in a new activity. I use downtime to disconnect from work-related stressors and engage in leisure activities.

10. Community/Cultural and Spiritual Engagement:

I also connect with cultural or spiritual practices that bring a sense of peace, grounding, and community.

As a woman leader of color, I have found that if I don’t consistently deploy the above, I am less generous with my time and resources and my performance is less than stellar. Therefore, my top-ten leadership practices help me to feel well and good – which makes me a more effective, productive, and balanced leader, wife, sister, and mom.

Closing from Renee: This advice has been honed over the years for Chrystal, who has proven her ability to overcome obstacles and bring her important vision, presence and work into the world. We encourage you to consider how to implement some of the universal advice, like Eating and Hydrating Well, Getting Enough Sleep, and Delegating and Prioritizing, and consider other practices that you can make your own, like your Mindfulness or Spiritual Engagement.