Culture at Yelp: What we read in 2021

For the last couple of years in our Culture team meetings, we’ve read and discussed an article each week. Last year, we wrote about our favorite pieces with our top takeaways. Today, we’re excited to continue this tradition and share the inspiring pieces that helped us serve our employees this past year. 

How High-End Restaurants Have Failed Black Female Chefs “To ascend that ladder, an aspiring chef needs to be noticed, promoted, and if possible, mentored by someone at a higher level – something that doesn’t always happen for women, particularly Black women.” 

Has the Pandemic Transformed the Office Forever? The change to how we experience the office is clear. The efforts to provide an equitable experience regardless of location is what matters even more now. 

Black, Deaf and Extremely Online On TikTok and in virtual hangouts, a younger generation is sharing the origins and nuances of Black American Sign Language, a rich variation of ASL that scholars say has been overlooked for too long.

How to support Asian American colleagues amid the recent wave of anti-Asian violence Acknowledgement followed by genuine conversations and action is the first step to true allyship. 

Asians must be a part of our story, too White supremacy hurts us all. We need to continue working toward a world where we all belong because we are human. 

How Do I Define My Gender if No One Is Watching Me? These past two years have allowed us to look within and ask ourselves who we are when no one is looking. We should take the opportunity to explore the narratives we’ve internalized throughout our lives.

10 Queer Indigenous Artists on Where Their Inspirations Have Led Them For too long, Indigenous folks have been stripped of their voices. These pieces powerfully help them take control of their own narrative.

A Lesson on Critical Race Theory While CRT is still misunderstood, the hope is that its acknowledgement and application will help empower many through systems that currently function to disenfranchise and oppress. 

Congress is passing up a chance to close a tax loophole — and the racial wealth gap There are outdated laws, like the ‘step-up in basis’ loophole, that are allowed to continue to perpetuate our country’s racial wealth gap.

‘Self-Care’ Isn’t the Fix for Late-Pandemic Malaise How we think about acts of kindness can affect how much, or how little, they contribute to our self-care. 

We hope you’ve enjoyed this list. See you next year!