I started to review all of my friendships with white women: Could they be my true friend if they love me, but are apathetic toward ending the oppression of people who look like me? Am I the “Black friend” in their argument as to why they can’t be racist?
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In a world where we are told we don’t belong and confined to spaces that are meant to break us, it is liberating to define spaces just for ourselves. Black-only spaces give us room to exist in ways that are meaningful and transformational.
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2.5 years out from those initial trainings, there’s a silence steadily creeping into organizational DEIJ efforts. Employees are quick to notice that DEIJ is no longer the priority that they once thought it was. Sadly, an institutionalized silence confirms what many suspected was performative all along.
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This world, nation, and our respective states have unfortunately missed the mark on humanity. We have witnessed some extreme human “turbulence” that has moved us into emergency mode and many of our brothers and sisters have suffered an enormous amount of trauma, despair, and heartache with few glimpses of hope. Meanwhile, many who have not experienced this level of trauma personally have asked the question, “What can I do?” or perhaps made the statement, “I am just one person.”
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I’m a white executive team member for a global human resources consulting, technology and administration firm. We have more than 2,000 employees, with a significant presence in the U.S. This is the story of how I became a member of our newly-formed Black Leadership Council, as their executive advocate champion and ally, and what I learned along the way. My hope is that others can benefit from understanding my experience, and the discoveries I’ve made over the past year.
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As organizations adapt to and change with the current political climate, with many scrambling to meet the needs of their Black employees and change their cultures to be anti-racist, the role of organizational leaders will be critical in making the long-term systemic changes needed to ensure racial equity and justice. DEI practitioners need to both engage with leaders around what it means to be an ally and push them to model equity- and justice-centered allyship—for that’s how the necessary systemic changes will most effectively and efficiently take hold in our capitalist enterprises.
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When we began this series 11 weeks ago, I am not sure I expected us to stay on the topic this long, nor did I anticipate its timeliness to this moment we are experiencing now. Racism is not new, but this newfound energy and outward (re)commitment to justice and dismantling racism by organizations and corporate leadership is. Inasmuch as I can be cynical about it all, I am also hopeful, inspired, and re-energized. As leaders begin to (ideally) align their organizational priorities, financial resources, and accountability measures with statements of solidarity and empathy, I would like to offer specific actions that affirm what we explored in this series.
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Once again, we find ourselves asking: How many more Black people must die in vain? When will we come to terms that Black lives do matter? At what point will we take responsibility for the inexcusable racism that still prevails in our society? Having conversations about racism is, indeed, a challenging process. I am offering some steps you can take, followed by action steps to start your journey to better understanding.
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We are not effectively talking about race, and it is literally killing Black people. Even though Race is a social construct, it still impacts our systems and makes a difference in how we experience the world. The more we continue to not talk about race and racism in an effective and actionable way, the more Black people will continue to die.
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Previously, I wrote a post about the recent incident between Terry Crews and Gabrielle Union following her exit from and allegations of sexist & racist culture at the NBC Show, America’s Got Talent. You can read my previous take on the issue here — but ultimately, the long and short was that Crews did not do a very good job at supporting Union in his public comments following the incident, and that he owed Union an apology, which I was doubtful he would issue. Just as my prior article went to post, Terry Crews went back on Twitter to apologize.
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Many felt Terry Crews’ statements on The Today Show were an indication that he had forgotten who was there for him and who supported him when he made allegations. Crews was called a hypocrite, and his allyship for Black women was called into serious question. This doesn’t completely invalidate him as an ally or erase all the work he’s done for Black and women’s causes. That is the other lesson here. Allies will fail from time to time.
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Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the Out & Equal Workplace Summit for the...
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