My current LinkedIn profile picture is easily one of my favorite photos of myself. And that's because it's a photo of me with my hair in its most natural state—an intentional decision that I made for myself and for other Black women and girls with hair like mine.

I was invited to be a guest on Lenovo's Late Night IT Season 2 to talk about DEI in tech and I made the very conscious and intentional decision to wear my natural, tightly coiled hair because I literally NEVER see Black women with my hair texture in the spotlight. At least not any without some sort of manipulation, whether that's heat, chemicals, or protective styles like braids, wigs, twists, etc.

And don't get it confused, I'm not here to knock any of that— I still wear my hair in all sorts of styles (including the aforementioned). But on that day, it was important for me to show up with my natural fro.

But if we were to rewind to the start of my career, there's no way I would've shown up with just water and leave-in for a professional shoot (yall, I didn't even do my edges 😅—iykyk).

For so long it was ingrained in me that my natural hair, as it grows out of my head, wasn't "presentable" or "professional." Heck, if I'm being honest, I didn't actually know what my natural hair texture looked or felt like until I went away to college and was left to tend to my hair on my own. Anyhow, there's so much more to say, and I will, on Tuesday, July at 12 PM ET. I’ll be joined by Caren Young, the Founder of The Professional Adult, and Clarissa "Clo" Fuselier, founder of Inclusion.Logic, who will also share their experiences. Join us here or click the link above (once you’re there, click “notify me” for a reminder).

⏮️ DEI in 5 Live Rewind

Earlier this week I was joined by Yeong Cheng (they/them), an agency coach for marginalized people, and Hady Mendez (she/her/ella), an inclusion & belonging thought leader and founder of Boldly Speaking. Together, we asked ourselves, “Where’s the representation?” Why is it that so many speaker panels still lack diversity? Check it out here or by clicking the image above.

The Latest in DEI News👇🏾

Happy PRIDE!

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Until later,

Adriele

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