When Latrice, known online as @themomlatrice, posted a 90-second video unpacking what it means to be a Black woman in corporate America, she wasn’t looking to start a movement.
Yet her words — equal parts raw truth and quiet power — have since rippled far beyond social media, resonating deeply with women who navigate boardrooms where their presence is both noticed and tested.
“We don’t code-switch out of shame,” Latrice says in the now-viral clip. “We code-switch out of strategy. We’re bilingual in professionalism and authenticity.”
That line — fierce, unapologetic, and profoundly human — has been shared thousands of times. It encapsulates a lived reality many Black professionals know intimately: the daily negotiation between authenticity and survival in spaces not built with them in mind.
‘If I Wanted to Make It, I Had to Be Versatile’
In the video, Latrice begins by reflecting on her upbringing in Compton, where she learned early that adaptability was not a choice, but a necessity.
“At school I talked one way, at home I talked another, and at work — girl — sometimes I feel like I got Google Translate running through my head,” she said with a wry smile.
Her delivery was casual, even humorous, but the message cut deep. Code-switching — the practice of shifting language, tone, and behavior to fit dominant social or professional norms — has long been a coping mechanism for marginalized communities.
Latrice explains that for many Black women, this adaptability often comes with emotional costs.
“You learn to soften your tone, adjust your words, and smile through things that would go a whole different way outside those walls,” she said.
It’s a balancing act: too “real,” and you risk being labeled unprofessional; too restrained, and you risk invisibility.
When ‘Authenticity’ Meets Corporate Culture
Latrice’s reflection isn’t an isolated sentiment — it echoes a broader frustration among professionals of color who find themselves walking a tightrope between personal truth and corporate expectations.
Studies have repeatedly shown that Black women face some of the steepest challenges in the workplace — from bias in promotions to microaggressions in everyday interactions.
A 2023 LeanIn.Org and McKinsey report found that Black women remain among the least represented in senior management roles, often citing that they “can’t bring their full selves to work.”
That’s what makes Latrice’s message so resonant. She reframes what’s often seen as “performing” or “pretending” into something more powerful: strategic adaptation.
“I had to learn that I’m not pretending, I’m adapting,” she says in the video. “Because what some people will never understand is what it’s like to move through spaces that weren’t built for you.”
Her voice trembles slightly on that line — not with fragility, but with conviction.
The Art — and Toll — of Adaptability
Social media users praised the video for putting words to a quiet exhaustion many had long felt. One commenter wrote, “We’ve been taught to survive in two languages — professionalism and authenticity. That’s a skill, not a flaw.”
Others noted that Latrice’s delivery — calm, feminine, but firmly resolved — embodied the very resilience she was describing. She wasn’t angry; she was gracefully resilient, the kind of woman who has learned to lead without hardening.
Yet beneath the celebration lies a sobering truth: being “bilingual” in corporate culture comes at a cost. It requires constant self-awareness, emotional labor, and the ability to gauge which version of oneself will be “acceptable” in a given room.
That’s a skill that few receive credit for, even though it often determines who gets heard — and who gets promoted.
‘Every Version of Us Is Real’
Latrice’s post ends with a rallying message for women like her:
“Every single version of you deserves respect. The polished version and the hood version. Don’t apologize — go get your money, sis. You’ve worked too hard to doubt the power of your own versatility.”
In those few sentences, she reclaims code-switching not as a burden, but as a badge — proof of emotional intelligence, survival, and cultural fluency.
Her message reminds us that adaptability doesn’t mean inauthenticity. It’s a response to an environment that demands conformity, even as it claims to celebrate diversity.
In a world that still scrutinizes how Black women speak, dress, and lead, Latrice’s viral post isn’t just social commentary — it’s a masterclass in owning every version of oneself, without apology.
