'It's a collective issue': 3 Black women on the challenges of working in Sask.

You're not the right fit. Five words Nordy Amanambu says followed her throughout her career. And it wasn't because she lacked qualifications. Working as a temporary clerk for a company in Saskatoon, she had a bachelor's degree and years of admin experience. But Amanambu says a permanent position always went to an external candidate with less experience. I was burnt out. I was stressed. I was resentful. but I also was wasting my potential because I could do so much more but they refused to hire me and pay me much more than they were but they wanted to keep me there for as long as possible. A survey commissioned by CBC News heard from over 1,200 people who identified as being of Black ancestry or ethnicity. It found Black Canadians are more employed on the prairies than in any other region but only 66% are working in their area of expertise. The lowest in Canada. Jana A. Madison worked in the Bahamas as a registered nurse. She then earned a degree in medicine and a master's in medical law and ethics. When she moved to Canada 12 years ago, she had planned to complete her medical residency, but ended up working in an entry-level administrative job. She says she faced racially charged emails and remarks from her colleagues. I was literally a shadow of myself. If you were to see a photo of me back then and how I am now, it weighed heavily on me emotionally, psychologically. Stats Canada data from 2023-24 found nearly half of Black Canadians experienced unfair treatment or discrimination in the workplace. And racialized groups face additional barriers when obtaining higher levels of education and employment income, even though they are more likely to have a bachelor's degree. Psychotherapist Sharon Makanga says in workplaces where representation is low and support is limited, many black employees' progress plateaus. Oftentimes what happens is the employees will just maintain that level of competence, so they won't take on trainings or they won't go above and beyond to ask for a promotion. It's why Makenga founded the Afro Mentorship Initiative. It works to empower black youth and encourage inclusivity. Mentorship is so important because when we see people who look like us doing the things that we aspire to achieve, it becomes so real and attainable for ourselves. And she's working to change the reality one kid at a time, including her young daughters. Aaliyah Marco-Omené, CBC News, Regina.