I was pressured by the CEO to withdraw a discrimination complaint
Pros
VIP has an admirable mission to improve the health and wellbeing of the Bronx, and most of the employees work hard towards this mission. Also, the Bronx community is what makes working at VIP a rewarding experience.
Cons
Despite a great mission, VIP's abusive leadership ultimately made working here a nightmare. My mental health severely suffered from the abuse and I could not wait to leave. Some of the white members of the senior leadership team lack cultural competence and humility, especially in dealing with Black employees and patients. I was often diminished in meetings, barely given a chance to talk, and shunned from having access to spaces and projects where they thought I might outshine or outperform them. Two ideas I had for grants/fundraising were immediately taken from me and given to a white employee to work on and receive credit for instead. Although VIP eventually received both of these grants, I was never acknowledged for my contributions. Also, white consultants from outside VIP (with no connection to the Bronx) are given more respect and money than full-time Black employees who live and work in the community. Further, their biases went undisciplined by a self-focused CEO. I was even pressured by the CEO to withdraw an EEOC complaint I had filed against the Chief Strategy Officer. And for the remainder of my time with the organization, I was retaliated against by both the CEO and Chief Strategy Officer with micro-aggressions, all because of the complaint I had initially filed with the compliance office. The executive team is paid great salaries and big annual bonuses (just Google VIP's Form 990) while hardworking staff at lower levels are given little to no salary increases or promotions. In fact, financial decisions were made during my time at VIP that actually lowered my salary instead of raised it. Performance reviews were also delayed, which impacts career growth. It was so disheartening to have to leave this organization that I poured so much into. I truly loved the majority of the staff and the Bronx community. But the racism I experienced by white leadership and the lack of protection from the CEO, made it impossible to stay any longer. But I am in a much better place today because I knew my worth and got away! I'm sharing this review to encourage others going through similar situations. Know your worth!