Here’s the uncomfortable truth Black women reading this already know: Being offered less than we deserve started way before any of us first earned a paycheck. Consider one of my earliest memories. While enjoying an idyllic afternoon on the playground at recess, my best friend looked at me lovingly and said, “Lola, I don’t like Black people, but I like you.” I said “Thank you,” and a pattern of accepting what was offered began. I was five.