What’s up royal fam? I’ve been sitting on this topic for a while now just debating on if it’s something I should discuss, but now I’m ready to. Ok imagine it…it’s 2011 and I’ve been working at Wendy’s for over a year. I’m always on time, never call out, come in when they need extra help, and well versed on all the roles as a crew member. I’m also a college freshman studying business at a four year university. Amongst the staff are some great people and some not so great people. We have the entitled millennials, the motherly black women, the too cool for school black men, and the non-english speaking immigrants. Then you have me who fits into to none of these categories. Outside of being a black female or a millennial, I had nothing in common with anyone.

Some time goes on and our General Manager decides to promote some team leads, all of which are in my same age group, been there for less time than me, and White females. He also promotes some folks to full-time and assistant manager…all of which are related to one another and speak little to no English. (They were so difficult to work with.) Now a few months have gone by and the health department comes to inspect and we score so low that our regional managers come in and immediately fire the General Manager. By this time I am working almost 30 or more hours a week, I still can do any job function, and I help the manager complete his tasks for closing. Corporate transfers in a new General manager and then he hires a new shift manager. Well I am tasked with training this new manager and the other new employees on night shift. I’m hopeful for a raise or something but nothing happens. Finally I decided to just quit! I had been working there for two years and making $7.25 an hour while going to school for business and it all seemed like it was for nothing.

I had tenure (I was there before the location opened), I had skill, I was dependable, responsible, and I had potential for leadership that nobody noticed. I was ignored all the way up to the time I resigned in which all they did was try to convince me to reconsider…still no offer for anything more. It made me feel like no matter how good I was, I would never be good enough. Because I wasn’t what people expected, they didn’t know how to deal with me. I wasn’t like everyone else. People always made me feel like I wasn’t black enough, I wasn’t white either. I also wasn’t content with complacency. I was pursing higher education to have a real career. This taught me that I am responsible for what I will accept and how I will be treated. Enough was enough and I had to come to the realization that I deserved more and I wasn’t going to get it there. I had to trust God because I didn’t have another job to go to when I quit. God provided for me anyway! To this day this still is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I was able to pursue greater and better opportunities once I decided to LET GO and BREAK FREE.

I encourage you all to break free from the boxes people have put you in. Don’t allow discrimination, or prejudice to cap you off. I didn’t and now I’m living my best life as the beautiful, talented, successful, Doctoral candidate I am today. OKAYYYYY!!!! Change your story and be your own man/woman. I’ve accepted that I will always be judged by someone based on my color, gender, personality or anything else they don’t like. The only thing that matters is if I’m going to let their opinions and preferences stop me from reaching my goals. And trust me, I WON’T!

Stay tuned for part 2. I’ve had quite a few of these experiences.