Tsedale M. Melaku

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas & the Caribbean, CUNY Graduate Center

Tsedale M. Melaku is a Sociologist, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Graduate Center, CUNY, and author of the 2019 book You Don't Look Like a Lawyer: Black Women and Systemic Gendered Racism, which reflects the emphasis of her scholarly interests on race, gender, class, workplace inequality, diversity, and occupations. You Don’t Look Like a Lawyerfocuses on how race and gender play a crucial role in the experiences of women of color in traditionally white institutional spaces, and specifically Black women. Dr. Melaku’s work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Bloomberg Law, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, NBC Left Field, the TODAY Show, Fortune and the Fair Observer. Her interdisciplinary research on women in the workplace unites three strands of significant sociological inquiry: diversity in the workplace, women in positions of leadership, and the impact of intersectional identities on advancement opportunity. Dr. Melaku is currently working on her second book, The Handbook on Workplace Diversity and Stratification. She received her Ph.D. and M.Phil. in Sociology from The Graduate Center, CUNY, and her B.A. in Sociology and Africana studies from New York University. Learn more about her research and interests via https://www.tsedalemelaku.com.

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More of Tsedale’s work:

• You Don't Look Like a Lawyer: Black Women and Systemic Gendered Racism

• Academia Isn’t a Safe Haven for Conversations About Race and Racism

• It’s Time for #MeToo to Address Structural Racism

• Amy Cooper, White Privilege and the Murder of Black People

• Why Women and People of Color in Law Still Hear “You Don’t Look Like a Lawyer”