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‘I belong where I want to be’

Editor’s note: March 21 is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, an important date to recognize the principle of equality.

Laughter, tears, indignation and emotion — all these things combined were part of a conversation with two members of the GM Financial team in Brazil. Sabrina de Jesus, Finance Manager, and Tânia Bastos, Commercial Services Supervisor, spoke about the long path of dedication and resilience for their personal and professional growth.

These two Black women carry historical marks of social injustice and have experienced, like thousands of other Black women in Brazil, financial difficulties, domestic violence and racism.

But here is a spoiler: their story has a happy ending, and these two women do not plan to stop anytime soon.

Tânia and Sabrina both say that their respective parents, despite not having a high level of education, were aware of the importance of studies for them to take a different path from what had been the pattern they knew.

Tânia had always been pressured to do well in school by her parents. As a child, she was told by them, “You are Black. You are poor. You have to work hard. You have to be twice as good as others.” This motivated her, of course, but she says that, at the same time, all this pressure is a burden that many Black people carry from a very early age.

Study and career

“The odds were against me,” says Sabrina. “I grew up in a poor neighborhood, where the reality of many Black women did not include the ambition to go to college or to have a successful career. But from a very young age, I wanted a different life for me and my family.”

Sabrina took a technical course in business administration in high school and got her first internship when she was 15. With her salary, she could enter university, where she ended up receiving a full scholarship after six months.

And she never stopped studying. In addition to several specialization and language courses, Sabrina completed two postgraduate courses and a Master’s of Business Administration.

Before joining GMF in 2017, Sabrina had already acquired experience in national and multinational companies, mainly working in finance and human resources. “I always believed in myself and worked hard to be where I am today. But I wish other Black women wouldn’t have to go through what I endured. It is a hard road to travel.”

Tânia’s story at GMF began in 2008. She joined as an intern and was hired as a full-time employee six months later. Since then, she has worked in different departments and positions within the São Paulo office, including her first leadership role in 2017 in Collections.

In 2021, while she was at home dedicating herself to a very “special project,” — caring for her newborn baby, Rael, — Tânia received a call from the company with an invitation to assume a new position when she returned from maternity leave: Wholesale Supervisor.

“I almost dropped my baby on the floor,” Tânia jokes. “I was pretty insecure. There were so many changes, such as returning to the company after some months, working remotely and entering a completely new area of the business. It would be the first time that I would work with Wholesale Operations.” With the support and encouragement of colleagues and family, she decided to take this new step to advance her career.

What to expect for the future

Sabrina has a positive outlook on the path the company and society as a whole are taking to seek for a more egalitarian environment, however, she is aware that there is still a long way to go.

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the country’s population is made up of 56% of people who declare themselves to be Black or brown. However, companies are not portraits of these numbers. “Representation of Black or brown team members is still small, which is even more evident when we look at leadership positions industrywide,” says Sabrina.

“We need to have Black people highlighted in a positive way and in leading roles that others can mirror themselves,” says Sabrina. “This way, more Black people will believe that they can be in those places, too.”

Tânia agrees and adds, “I'm far from being a rich person, but today, I can take a vacation at a good hotel or go to a fancy restaurant for a special occasion. It is very sad to realize the more things get better for me, the less I see Black people around me.”

Both Sabrina and Tânia believe equity is the path to equality, and they invite all of you to get involved. Educate yourself, encourage conversations about racial equality, be antiracist and fight for a more diverse society where you live and work.

By Luciana Andrade , GM Financial

Luciana Andrade is fascinated by new ideas, good stories and how both combined can connect and inspire people no matter where they are. She has a lot of energy, which she splits between working, caring for her family and her greatest passion, dancing.