The Double Tax & Why It’s So Damn Expensive to Be a Woman of Color Ft. Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman

Sep 3, 2025

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This week on Brown Ambition, Mandi sits down with the brilliant Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman award-winning researcher, speaker, and author of The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid.

Anna breaks down the reality of the “double tax” that compounded cost of racism + sexism that women of color know all too well. From hair discrimination to pay inequity, resume “whitening” to broken rungs on the career ladder, Anna shows us the data behind our lived experiences and, most importantly, offers solutions for economic justice.

We get real about:

Why “diversity vs. merit” is a false narrative (spoiler: they’re complements, not competitors).
The hidden financial and emotional toll of navigating workplaces as women of color.
How Anna negotiated her first big offer (and walked away with $20K more 💅🏾).
The role of allies — and why Chelsea Clinton writing her book’s foreword actually makes sense.
Why Governor Lisa Cook’s fight matters for all of us, not just Black women.

Anna also shares her personal journey: from growing up Ghanaian-American to becoming a PhD candidate at Harvard, teaching future economists, and creating a pathway for the next generation of women of color in academia and beyond.

This isn’t just a convo about the problems — it’s about solutions, power moves, and creating change.

✨ Resources + Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Grab Anna’s book: The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid
Follow Anna on IG: https://www.instagram.com/itsafronomics/?hl=en
Learn more about the Sadie Collective: sadiecollective.org
Show your support: #WeStandWithLisaCook

Let’s Connect:
IG: @brownambitionpodcast | @mandimoney
Email: brownambitionpodcast@gmail.com

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