Aurora, Colorado, USA—Jacquie Abram, Anti-Racism Consultant and Author of Hush Money: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in Her Workplace and Kept Her Job, will participate as a speaker in the 7th Annual State of Disparities in the African American Community Virtual Conference on Friday, August 13. Sponsored by the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition (NEOBHC), the free virtual conference will be on August 13 and 14 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (Eastern Time) and anyone can participate by registering at State of Disparities in the African American Community Race in America Tickets, Fri, Aug 13, 2021 at 9:00 AM | Eventbrite.
NEOBHC's is a social justice organization created to address disparities and inequities in education, employment housing, health, and the impact on African American health disparities by working to empower, educate and advocate for health equity in under-served populations. Its vision is to achieve health parity (equality) in the African American/Black population.
The program schedule is:
August 13, 2021
Anti-Racism Training Part I
Featuring renowned Anti-Racism Expert Dr. Camara P. Jones, MD, MPH, PhD.
National Anti-Racism Training conducted by Diversity Talks and PR(iSM) Resistance Coalition
White Folks (Part I)—We Have to Talk About Race
White Folks (Part II)—A Call to Action September 13, 2021
Anti-Racism Consultant Jacquie Abram
August 14, 2021
Youth lead discussions on drug use, mental health, foster care advocacy, literacy, menthol and flavored tobacco products, and digital media. Featuring Rev. Todd Johnson, Black Boys Read, Angela Thi Bennett, Digital C, Nationally recognized Cuyahoga County Poet Honey Bell Bey and National Artist PROPAGANDA.
Time 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Zoom Webinar at https://tinyurl.com/2021NEOBHCConference
To supplement the paperback and Kindle version, a Hush Money audiobook, narrated by Peg Barcelo, was recently released. Coming in at about five-hours long, the audiobook version ably brings out the edge-of-the-seat-tension which is felt throughout the book. Abram and her co-authors, daughters Deborah & Delilah Harris, aim to educate the reader about systemic racism in corporate America.
Hush Money tells a compelling and cautionary tale that is all too familiar to Black people across the globe about the rigors of working in a large, highly bureaucratic organization and dealing with covert and overt racism. Levels and types of discrimination are chronicled in the five-year journey of Ebony Ardoin, an ambitious, young, Black woman in search of a fulfilling and rewarding career path that allows her to live the American Dream.
The twisting arcs of Ebony's story reveal layers of emotional complexity and racial trauma as each new promotion invites praise, jealous rancor, and outright loathing. Organizational politics and protecting turf go hand in hand with discrimination, retaliation, intimidation, and racial hatred expressed in a variety of ways.
"I left corporate America after my own experiences with systemic racism traumatized and nearly destroyed me," says Abram. "Now, I spend my time trying to heal from my experiences by writing books that shine a light on systemic racism in the workplace to help others."
During her career in higher education spanning nearly two decades from 2001 to 2019, Abram was discriminated against because she was Black multiple times by multiple employers in the U.S. The same thing happened to Deborah Harris during her fifteen-year career in higher education and municipal
government spanning from 2005 to 2021. The same thing happened to Delilah Harris during her ten-year career in higher education, customer service, medical billing and coding, and property management, spanning from 2011 to 2021. In all three cases, their careers were repeatedly derailed.
"This book is incredible, gripping from start to finish, and a compelling contribution in the movement toward racial justice." —Jessica Tofino, Educator and Writer, 5-Stars
"It's IMPORTANT that people see and feel how others walk through this world. For anyone in leadership, you should read this [Hush Money]. Use it as a tool to see things happening before it starts into something." —Cindy Hasselman, Founder/Chair of Unity and Equality Alliance, 5-Stars
"The novel is visceral, stunningly well-written, and places the heated scar of racism squarely before our eyes. This is a powerful novel that deserves a place in everyone's library. Brava!" —Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Hall of Fame Reviewer, 5-Stars
Abram, Harris, and Harris wrote Hush Money because they want to provide those who are currently dealing with racism in the workplace with a sound strategy one Black woman used to successfully prove the existence of racism in the workplace. They also want to provide employers who are looking for a more effective way to prevent racism in their organizations with a better way to understand it. And finally, they wrote the book to provide people who have never experienced systemic racism in the workplace but are allies in the fight for equality and justice with a way to understand what modern-day racism looks and feels like by putting them into the shoes of a racial discrimination victim.
"Systemic racism exists and is more common than many may think," says Abram. "We want to offer hope and justice to those who are still suffering and are afraid to stand up."
About Jacquie Abram, Deborah Harris, and Delilah Harris: Jacquie Abram, Deborah Harris, and Delilah Harris are a mother-daughter powerhouse trio, who are intensely passionate about revealing the grueling truth about systemic racism in America. They co-authored the book Hush Money: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in her Workplace and Kept her Job.
All three women left corporate America after experiencing racism in the workplace and suffering racial trauma.
Jacquie spends her time writing books inspired by her experiences and the experiences of her daughters and others that shine a light on systemic racism in the workplace. She hopes her books will offer courage to those who are currently experiencing racism and don't know how to fight back, those who previously experienced racism and feel alone, and those who are allies and want a deeper understanding of how to help prevent racism.
In March 2021, Jacquie also launched her career as an Antiracism Consultant, doing work that focuses on educating, training, and facilitating discussions with organizations and individuals on the impact of systemic racism in the workplace.
Jacquie enjoys the camaraderie of working with her daughters and delights in her four wonderful grandchildren.
You can learn more about Jacquie and Hush Money on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Hush Money: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in Her Workplace and Kept Her Job. ASIN: B08MCD34JP, 2020, ebook: $6.45, paperback: $6.45, audiobook: $6.95, 146 pages, available on Amazon.com.
Media Contact: For a review copy of Hush Money: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in her Workplace and Kept her Job, or to arrange an interview with Jacquie Abram, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @abookpublicist.