Tag: race

A Point of View: Half White 

No one has ever asked me if I am half white. I’ve been asked if I am half Black or if I am Spanish. I’ve been asked “What are you?” and “What are you mixed with?” more times than I’ve been asked what my name is. There are so many issues with these questions and the circumstances in which they were asked, but the most unsettling for me were the underlying implications: the clearly defined yet unspoken understanding that there was probably white in me somewhere, but that color, that half, part, and piece of me, wasn’t the one that needed an explanation. 

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A Point of View: You Don’t Sound Black

As a young kid growing up heavily influenced by white culture, I spent a lot of time wishing that I had a “Black experience.” There is privilege and honor in being socially accepted in your racial community. There are those of us that did not have that access. I know there are others out there who have had similar experiences. Now that I am older, I understand that what I perceived as “authentically Black” is not real. My experience and life are a Black experience, because I am Black. No one has the right to tell me if I am Black enough. It took me decades to figure this out.

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A Point of View: Microaggressions: Between What I Look Like and What I “Should” Look Like

One of the most common phrases I’ve encountered throughout my career has been, “You don’t look Latina.” But I do, because I am. And the conflict is not between my physical appearance and my identity, but rather with reductive stereotypes and my colleagues’ participation in perpetuating them. No one has the right to determine whether someone is “enough” to qualify for an identity, and I sure hope for a day when our belonging to our identity groups is not decided by the depth of our skin tone. 

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The Buzz: Psychological Safety and Race Discussions

Are your workplace discussions on race really designed to positively impact BIPOC employees, or are they centered around helping white employees live with the discomfort of racism? If you are thinking of having discussions on race, think about the experience of your BIPOC employees. Notice and appreciate the vulnerability and risk they are taking in participating in this at work. Please don’t expect them to participate or speak about the issue. Give them space after the discussions take place.

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A Point of View: Stay Strong in the Wake of Backlash to Anti-Racism Efforts

President Trump placed a ban on anti-racism training in all government agencies calling it anti-American and divisive. The White house went even further by issuing an Executive Order restricting government contractors from engaging in training that would be considered “race or sex scapegoating or race or sex stereotyping.” This blatant attempt to deny that racism is still a significant force in our society is anti-American and those of us on the side of racial justice must speak up loudly now like never before.

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The Buzz: Where Are the Hugs For Our Black Boys?

As a Black woman with a father and brother who could have been Botham, I am also deeply saddened by the fact that there are often no hugs for our Black boys and men who are lost to violence. By the time we realize our “tragic mistake,” it is often too late. Where is the compassion for others that do not look like or have the privileges of the dominant group?

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The Buzz: On LeBron James & Unapologetic Black Fatherhood

Egotistical, narcissistic, attention seeking, being “extra” and “doing too much” are all terms and phrases I have heard used to describe basketball star Lebron James over the past week. The interesting part is that these comments do not stem from actions or behaviors he has displayed on the basketball court. These comments are in reference to the excitement and exuberance he recently displayed during one of his son’s AAU basketball games.

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The Buzz: Reminders on Racism… and doing something about it

Racism. This work. Sometimes, it can all feel so daunting. For me, this feeling is a bit more salient on some days than it is on others. This week, I had the opportunity to attend a talk on Race and Racism that, as enriching as it was, served as stark reiteration of the urgency of diversity, equity, and anti-racism work (emphasis on anti-racism).

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Racial Justice at Work: Practical Solutions for Systemic Change

Racial Justice at Work book cover

Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit

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We Can’t Talk About That At Work! (Second Edition)

Cover of the book We Can't Talk about That at Work (Second Edition) by Mary-Frances Winters and Mareisha N Reese

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