Never Wear Red Lipstick: 8 Lies That Stop Black Women from Succeeding in Life and Business

Burton, director of global supplier diversity and inclusion at McDonald’s, aims in her empowering debut guide to help Black women thrive in a discriminatory business world. She calls on readers to dismantle limiting beliefs that constrain their success, like the advice once delivered to Black women not to wear red lipstick to avoid exaggerating the “size of their lips” (an admonition, the author writes, to minimize themselves in the business world and beyond). Once readers have dismantled such beliefs, they can harness their strengths to improve their work performance, including using faith and prayer to make values-led decisions, prioritizing self-care to boost productivity, and fostering “grace and toughness” to more confidently lead. Drawing from her own experience, the author is frank about the ways racism impacts the corporate world but remains refreshingly optimistic about how readers can utilize their unique skills and experience to succeed within an unequal system. As antagonism toward workplace diversity initiatives climbs, this serves as an especially valuable resource for Black Christian entrepreneurs and professionals looking to get ahead. (Mar.)