Discussions about race in America are at an all-time high. If you look on television or scroll through your Facebook newsfeed there is a continued conversation on race relations in this country. Thousands of opinion pieces have come out in the wake of the most recent Presidential election and hundreds of television specials are dedicated to the subject of race in America and abroad.

Confession: I don't always have the popular opinion. As an educated African American woman, it is often expected that I will blindly fall into line with the perspectives of the communities that I belong to. That's not the case. Recently, I was told that I am a "contrarian leader" and after this last year, I have to say that I agree. I am often the dissenting opinion, but there is a good reason. I promise.

My name is Taryana Gilbeau and I am excited to join the Glass Ladder Group (GLG) as the first ever Program Assistant! I am honored to work in an environment where cross-cultural dialogue is at the center of everything that we do. I have worked in many organizations that simply looked at diversity as placing people who did not look alike in the same room. Unfortunately, they did not cultivate a space where dialogue and understanding were at the forefront. 

Earlier this week I decided to take public transportation to work... Any one living in the Washington, D.C. area knows that the journey to work can be a bit of an adventure. In preparation, I plugged in my tunes and opened up the Pulse App on my phone. A young professional looking woman sat next to me and began to read her email. The image on her phone caught my eye and I instantly became curious. Don't judge me for being nosey, I am an information connoisseur! Naturally, I pulled out the Google machine and what I found has become my new favorite news service.

When you are in your 20s, the same question seems to come up over and over and over again. "What's next?" If you are anything like me this is usually followed by hyperventilation and nostalgia for the days when your biggest problem was figuring out who to take to prom.

Welp, those days are over ladies and gentlemen. Grab a brown paper bag and breathe! It’s time to face that fearful question head on.