“What is Code Switching? Why Black Americans Say They Can’t Be Themselves At Work”

Redefining and Reshaping Blackness Through Radical Self-Acceptance

American psychologist and Buddhist practitioner of meditation Tara Brach has said, “clearly recognizing what is happening inside us, and regarding what we see with an open, kind and loving heart, is what I call Radical Acceptance.” This passage comes from her 2003 book Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha.

Radical Self-Acceptance (RSA) is a concept that is based in self-awareness and authenticity. It is the practice of embracing things as they are, no matter how confusing or scary or wonderful they may be. Instead of trying to modify aspects of one’s self in order to be subjugated into a particular paradigm, it’s about recognizing and using the individual aspects of one’s self to create a simple and comfortable state of being.

It is nothing new that Black people have to do a variety of things to fit into a cultural and social paradigm that at times does not feel authentic to who they are. Writer Jessica Guyann, in her 2024 article for USA Today, “What is Code Switching? Why Black Americans Say They Can’t Be Themselves At Work”, writes, “Black employees are nearly three times more likely to code-switch than white employees, according to a survey of more than 2,000 full- and part-time employees conducted for Indeed by The Harris Poll…the habit is becoming more common as the conservative backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) causes some companies to cut back on initiatives.”

In the face of whitewashing and intense social and political conformity, how does a person of color adopt the concept of radical self acceptance? Can there be a space where one can thrive and be even within a confined space that is rooted in colonialism and anti-Blackness? 

One of the best ways radical self-acceptance can be integrated into the Black community is through self care. Black people have long been the symbols of cultural hypervigilance, so much so that they have become scapegoats of racial equality. Researchers Dr. Janan Wyatt and Dr. Gifty Amandu, in their 2022 article for Community Mental Health Journal, “Reclaiming Self‑care: Self‑care as a Social Justice Tool for Black Wellness”, writes, “radical self-care has historical roots and was seen as a much-needed practice among activists who sought to propel social justice efforts while preserving their wellbeing… more typically, radical self-care as a Black feminist ideology/praxis has denoted a necessitated self-care act rooted in the principles of self-determination, self-preservation, and self-restoration.”

Moreover, referencing the aforementioned in conversation with that of the work of Brach, redefining, reshaping, and radicalizing how the Black community can embrace radical self acceptance in the face of deep uncertainty can be key to holding space for one another.