About time
Bidemi Palmer wants to help more women of color lead in business
Bidemi Palmer had often considered how she would fit into the business world as a young black woman, but those thoughts became more persistent during her senior year at Questrom. “I’ve always been thinking about my identity because, as a black woman, I’m susceptible to double discrimination,” she says. “While there’s a lot of talk about diverse candidates being accepted into universities, I always wondered what would happen for me after graduation.” One of her Questrom classes presented her with an opportunity to explore that question.
Given a semester-long assignment to find a social issue and champion it, Palmer (BSBA’18) created a video called About Time, a compilation of interviews with women of color in positions of power in their respective businesses. The video earned her an invitation to the Clinton Global Initiative University conference, a weekend-long event held in Chicago in fall 2018 for young leaders to connect and share their world-changing ideas.
“Inspiring women and people of color to realize their dreams and increasing representation are really at the heart of my project,” she says. “Everyone wants to be able to see themselves excelling.”
Now working at Accenture in New York City as a technology analyst, Palmer finds comfort in her company’s inclusion and diversity efforts. “I noticed all kinds of diversity—people with tattoo sleeves and piercings, people who identify as queer, or people who wear their afros. Seeing that was really important to me.” Palmer wants to continue helping other women of color fulfill their potential to lead.
“No matter where my career takes me, I have to make sure I keep this dialogue in mind. The dream would be to continue the project in some aspect, but with a wider reach so that young people can feel encouraged to believe in themselves.”
You can help Questrom students launch their big ideas by becoming an alumni mentor at questromconnect.bu.edu.
