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THE CAKE
Inclusion Is the Only Representation That Really Matters
How Harvard Business School case studies affect the world but have often left Black women out
Representation is often discussed as seeing oneself. Yet in a world where Black women, in particular, are vastly underrepresented when it comes to access to capital, representation can be our strongest tool in both educating the decision-makers and accessing the resources we deserve.
While I was a student at Harvard Business School (HBS), I read hundreds of case studies on business leaders. Reading about and discussing business challenges and exemplary leadership through these cases — the “case method — is the primary tool used there. HBS cases are also used and taught in business classrooms across the world. With that many case studies featuring a wide range of people and businesses, it seems like it would be hard not to represent the diverse U.S. population. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
While reading through cases, I discovered an atypical case protagonist, Taran Swan, a Black woman. I felt a special sense of pride seeing someone who looked like me being represented and discussed in the business school classroom. I remember thinking, “Finally! My class of mostly White men will have to discuss…
