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How do you guys feel about black art pieces or pictures of Black figures in a corporate work environment? I am speaking especially of customer facing positions. Do you feel you have the ability to turn away potential clients who may be "put off" by them?

I never considered this until a few years back when I worked in the Minority and Women's Business Development department for my local airport. As office manager I had my own office for the first time and thought it would be nice to add some pictures to the wall. I had two pictures at home, one of Martin Luther King Jr. and one of Malcolm X. Those were my favorite pictures and in my mind I thought they would be suitable and brought them in and proudly posted them on my walls. Within a week I was called in for a meeting with the head of my department telling me that my pictures were offensive to others and he had received complaints and they needed to be taken down.

I have been wanting to get some pictures for my new office now but have been slightly hesitant since the bulk of my business requires my clients to come into my office.

Why is it that in corporate America we must hesitate to display any form of blackness? Do our white counterparts have these same issues?

i keep absolutely nothing personal in my office

work related awards etc are all that adorn it.
keep your lives separate is what i suggest.

I agree to keep it separate. The less they know of your personal preferences, the better it is for your work.

It was crazy of your supervisor to go as far as calling the pics "offensive" but the sad truth is that pics like that give your clients and coworkers the opportunity to feel that they know something of you. Its best to keep any objects you decorate your workspace with as neutral as possible.

The same holds true in my opinion with dress, hair etc. The only statement you want to make is professional.

__________________
"A generation of people who refuse to be themselves.
The philosophy of 50 cent has them hook, line and sinker.
The young black men become like a sacrifice.
They love it; they living in a fool's paradise."
-Brother Valentino

I agree, The only "personal" things I have on my desk are the knick-knacks some of my coworkers give me from thier trips.

__________________
"If u put a small price on ur value.. rest assure that the world wont raise ur price! Love U 2day!" ~ Rev. Run

"If you keep believing in yourself and seek enthusiasm inside your soul, things will get simpler, more spontaneous." ~Paulo Coelho

"Knowledge is like the wind, once you obtain it, you can go anywhere." ~Yellow Hare(Native-American Chief)

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit
the floor each morning the devil says:
"Oh Crap, She's up!"

Yeah I am not speaking so much of desks/cubicles...bue moreso in an actual office space which people generally decorate...like here in my workplace...most people here have their offices decorated to reflect their personal style...I am de only one with bare white walls...I never really thought anything of it until a few weeks ago one of my clients commented on it...but because of my last experience, I have been hesitant...


So...ahmmmm...I guess nobody wanted to answer if white folks go through de same thing...but ah guess ah probably asking answers

Yeah I believe so.

__________________
"If u put a small price on ur value.. rest assure that the world wont raise ur price! Love U 2day!" ~ Rev. Run

"If you keep believing in yourself and seek enthusiasm inside your soul, things will get simpler, more spontaneous." ~Paulo Coelho

"Knowledge is like the wind, once you obtain it, you can go anywhere." ~Yellow Hare(Native-American Chief)

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit
the floor each morning the devil says:
"Oh Crap, She's up!"