11/09/2025
I AM THE 300K!!
It's been a while since I've done an original post. So much as happened to me in 2025 but the landscape of social media has changed drastically and so I had to come to the realization that barely anyone will see this post. After accepting this reality, I decided what I post is mostly for me. The people who "follow me", know me or have spent any length of time with me know who I am as a human being, a woman, and a Black American. For those who the algorithm place this in your feed and the people who know and love me will appreciate the story I am about to share and where I stand now.
As the statement says, I am one of the 300K - 360K Black Women who lost their job due to the current administration. My "tenure" with the University of Illinois ended when the administration pulled $2.75B designated for Digital Equity and Inclusion services to the American people. You can (insert political statement here) as for whether or not that decision was good idea or not but to be perfectly honest - all I wanted to do was to teach people how to use technology and the internet to enhance their lives. That was it - plain and simple.
For the past 10 years, I've proclaimed that helping people - as practitioner of Seva - is my life's purpose and that Digital Equity was how I would fulfill that purpose. For the past 10 years, it seemed like the universe agreed with me. I've had the honor to speak on the importance of Digital Inclusion with equitable practices on major stages (and y'all know I love a stage). That all ended on July 2, 2025.
Those who know me, know that me losing a job is not abnormal. (It's a running joke: where is Aneta working this year?") All joking aside, anyone and everyone can look to me as a case study on how horribly the United States workforce treats a Black Woman within its system. I don't have a salacious, over-the-top, egregious story to share. What I do have is 35+ years of microaggressions, unnecessary write-ups, subtle harassments, unsubstantiated disciplinary actions and terminations, and of course lay-offs that insult my intelligence each and every time.
I could have gotten another job. I have a amazing network of friends and former colleagues that had no problem sending and recommending another position.
I just couldn't do it again. The resume re-fresh, the HR ghosting, the rejection emails two months after I've applied. The dog and pony interview show. All of this to pour my time, talent and treasure into an organization, a company, an agency, a non-profit, a (insert industry here) that will NEVER truly see me. My expertise is never truly empowered in the organization.
Now, If you've gotten this far, please read this: My accomplishments at work were regularly "celebrated" but never truly "empowered" to make a true impact. At the same time, my extremely bright personality (because I am bonafide lightworker) somehow means that I am either happy, un-smart person OR an unprofessional one.
At the last professional conference I attended for Digital Equity practitioners, when I told my fellow DE champions about this development. A colleague said, "You can take sabbatical. You deserve it." So, I've decided to do just that. This summer, I've made made another move to Fayetteville, NC to prepare for a very unique life adventure.
So, I'm on sabbatical for now and as I mourn and heal from this latest loss (I miss Champaign. IL so much more than I thought I would) I am identifying what this next chapter will look like. I can say that I will be leaning more into my creative side - performing in theatre, writing and amatuer photography. I will be utilizing this page - Aneta Uplifts - to share these projects. I hope you will join me here.
If you believe my story will help someone, please feel free to share. I know I am not alone - I have 360,000 Black American Sistah's all trying to navigate these troubled waters but we will rise again....we always do!
