Tag: White Supremacy

The Buzz: Making the Case for White DEIJ Leadership 

Recently, the University of Florida announced the elimination of its Chief Diversity Officer and the entire office of program and support staff. The targeting of the likes of Dr. Marsha McGriff (former CDO at UF) is enabled by those who point to successful and educated Black women in positions of power as having “unfairly benefited” from affirmative action. Such erroneous claims would fall flat in the first instance if white folks took initiative in leading DEIJ change in their organizations.

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Racial Justice at Work: 5 Ways Centering White Comfort Sabotages Racial Justice Efforts 

Why can’t most white Americans lean in when conversations about race get uncomfortable? I’m not here to answer that question, but what has become increasingly clear to me is the harmful impact this dynamic has on BIPOC, especially from self-proclaimed “white allies.” In my experience, here are the top 5 ways I have witnessed and/or perpetuated, the centering of white comfort.

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The Buzz: Black History is Not a Political Agenda; white Supremacy Is

The rejection of this curriculum is squarely situated in the territory of “political agenda” — one that values the experiences and history of white people above others: white supremacy. Black history is not a political agenda. It is a truth, a lived experience, a celebration. It offers vital context for understanding dynamics that continue to play out today, at all levels of systems.

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The Buzz: Give Us Space

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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The Buzz: Avoidance of History is Never the Answer

Politicians would lead us to believe that if we stay focused on the future, the past can stay buried. The use of distraction and misdirection misleads us down the path of blind acceptance of the passive eradication of our very existence. The bottom line is that avoidance is not the answer, and if we fail to wake up, we are being sleep-walked to our demise.

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Navigating the VUCA World: Lessons from The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Impact in Post-Apartheid South Africa

In the aftermath of apartheid, South Africa embarked on a process of creating a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” This was a cosmetic procedure that looked like the real deal, but on closer inspection was just a mirage of attempted reconciliation, with half-truths and a lack of transformational power needed to move a nation beyond the hurt and trauma that occurred during the very volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) apartheid.

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Navigating the VUCA World: Where You From?

So, when I am at the pharmacy, at an interview, checking out at the grocery store, at the doctor’s office, or even presenting materials at work, and another Black person asks me “Where you from?” — what is essentially being said is “You’re safe to be myself around,” “I see you,” and “I can take a break from masking/preforming for the comfort of others for a moment,” and I do not take that trust lightly. I do not play about allowing anyone to shame me into voluntarily giving up such a huge piece of my culture.

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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

Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy and Belonging Across Differences

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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