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THE ONLY BLACK GUY IN THE OFFICE
You Won’t Miss the Cultural Anxiety of Office Potlucks
For Black employees, breaking bread with White co-workers can play up some insecurities
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
Buckle up: The annual barrage of immaculate Thanksgiving feasts and struggle plates alike will fill our social media feeds in just a few short days. I know I said letting my co-workers follow me on social media was a strong never gonna happen, but I’ve gotta admit that I’m reconsidering this year — with Big ‘Rona shutting down the office, it’s my chance to see what the (in)famous annual company potluck would have held for me.
This being my first full year at the new gig, it was supposed to be my first potluck too, and I’d already heard enough to know it was a big deal in the office. Even so, I had no trouble imagining what my experience would’ve been: grabbing some biodegradable cutlery, picking around the buffet for a few quick bites, then keepin’ it pushing. Saying office potlucks can be a toss-up is an understatement; I’ve walked away with enough Ls to know never to expect too much.
I can hold my own in the kitchen, but the…
