I Don’t Feel Brave. But I Refuse to Stay Silent.

By Kim Brassor

I’m 70 years old. I’m a white woman who spent decades in corporate America, navigating my position as the only woman with a voice at the table in the boy’s club of upper management.

People called me a lot of things, but quiet was not one of them.

If only they knew how many times I deserved the blue ribbon award for things I didn’t say.

I led by example. Sometimes of what to be, sometimes of what not to be, but always a catalyst for change. A pioneer. A role model.

What I rarely was, though, was transparent about how it felt to play in that shifting sandbox that secured the corporate ladder.

I suited up and showed up for years, practicing fake smiles and polite acquiescence to those wielding power. I masked my feminine intuition under educational jargon. And I masked my frustration with overspending and overeating, keeping me sedated—and therefore “nice.”

It took me a long time to realize that my “niceness” was a shield.

It kept me safe.

It kept me in the room.

And it kept me silent in moments when I should have spoken up. Especially about race.

I don’t feel bold today.

I still worry about saying the wrong thing. About offending people. About losing respect from those who once admired my careful balancing act.

But I know this:

Silence protects power. It doesn’t preserve unity.

And I’ve decided my final chapter will not be written in polite acquiescence.

So I’m repurposing this Substack. (View Substack Here)

Not because I feel fearless—but because I feel responsible.

I believe it’s time for white women like me—especially those of us who’ve had seats at powerful tables—to use our voices in service of racial equity. Not someday. Now. In our lifetime.

This won’t be a space for perfection.

It will be a space for truth-telling, for learning, for stumbling forward together.

If you’re a white woman who wants to speak up but feels afraid—know this: I’m afraid too.

But I’m speaking anyway.

Because it’s time.

I’d love to hear from you. Where have you stayed silent? 

What truths are you ready—or terrified—to speak? Let’s begin this conversation, together.

Download the Speak Up Starter Kit at OneVoiceEvolving.com/free-resource

–Kim

From Silence to Solidarity: Continuing the Conversation

If this reflection stirred something in you—if you felt the ache of staying silent too long or the weight of using your voice in rooms where it wasn’t welcome—know that you’re not alone.

This moment isn’t just about speaking up—it’s about unlearning, reimagining, and rebuilding.

That’s exactly what our latest podcast episode explores.

In this special edition of One Voice Evolving: Resilience Reimagined, I sit down with Afro-Indigenous decolonial technologist and social scientist Christian Ortiz to unpack what Independence Reimagined really means. Not just for a nation, but for us—for anyone ready to untangle their voice from systems that have long silenced others.

We go deep. And we go there together.

🎧 Listen to “Independence Reimagined” now and explore how reclaiming your voice is part of a larger movement toward truth, liberation, and justice.

👉 Listen here