Dr. Tsedale M. Melaku is a Sociologist, Assistant Professor of Management at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College (CUNY), and Author of You Don’t Look Like a Lawyer: Black Women and Systemic Gendered Racism (2019). You Don’t Look Like a Lawyer reflects the emphasis of her scholarly interests in race, gender, class, workplace inequities, systemic racism, intersectionality, organizations and diversity. She earned a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in Sociology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York, and a B.A. in Sociology and Africana Studies from New York University. 

Her focus is on how race and gender affect advancement in traditionally white institutional spaces, and how white racial framing and systemic gendered racism play a critical role in the experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and more specifically, BIPOC women in organizations. Dr. Melaku investigates how institutional practices perpetuate structures of racial and gender inequality that create barriers for Black professionals. She is particularly interested in the intersection of race, gender, and class and how they jointly operate on the experiences of Black women in the workplace. Dr. Melaku theorizes about the invisible labor clause and the inclusion tax and their impact on marginalized individuals in organizations. This work also highlights the shared experiences of BIPOC, women, and BIPOC women in institutions. You Don’t Look Like a Lawyer was selected for the 2020 Eastern Sociological Society (ESS) and Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) Author Meets Critics book salons.  

As a public intellectual, Dr. Melaku fervently believes in critically engaging with a larger audience about the everyday impact of racial and gender aggressions on the experiences of BIPOC professionals and women as a whole. She is a sought after speaker on the topic of systemic racism, intersectionality, gender inequities, and allyship in organizations. Dr. Melaku’s recent book and articles have garnered international attention, with features in the Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg Law, CBSNews, TODAY Show, Inside Higher Ed, The Boston Globe, Forbes, Fortune, Teen Vogue and various other outlets.

Currently Dr. Melaku is working on her second book, The Handbook on Workplace Diversity and Stratification, while conducting research examining the impact of COVID-19, racial violence, and political polarization on the experiences of BIPOC professionals in white institutional spaces.

Dr. Melaku is an Ethiopian-born New Yorker living in Harlem, raising two beautiful boys with scholar dad.

To learn more about her research and interests follow her on Twitter @TsedaleMelaku or connect with her on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/tmelaku.