Sustaining momentum post-“awakening”

Right after George Floyd was murdered by police in May of 2020, my email was blowing up. My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing with alerts that another organization was looking for help with antiracism. It was encouraging to see the increase of interest.

I was excited, but I was also wary. How long would the fervor last?

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised that the demand continued into 2021. It’s definitely quieter now. Have you noticed the dip as well? I’m guessing if you are a DEI consultant you may have noticed the inquiries slowing down. If you are the DEI director at your organization, you’re probably having a harder time getting people to show up to meetings to tackle those long term projects you started in 2020/21. It might also be harder to get the necessary money approved for those projects.

It raises a painful question: As a society, do we require an ongoing series of horrific incidents and sensational headlines in order to maintain the momentum of antiracism work? I hope not. But, how do we keep the work going? Do organizations have the stamina to follow through with changes when they don’t always see visible progress within a few quarters—and when opposition begins to regain traction? How do we keep folks engaged and committed to this work for the long haul? Particularly people who may not feel directly impacted.

If we knew that trick, of course, we would have dismantled racism long ago. My advice for leaders in times like this, when external pressure has lightened somewhat and the momentum is coasting, is to ground yourself in your sphere of influence. Ask yourself, where can I have some impact? Take stock of what’s happening in your organizational culture and evaluate where you have influence to make change.

Schedule time on your calendar to examine the systemic issues within your organization. Do a data dive: what is the distribution of employees of color within your hierarchy? Are they disproportionately at junior levels? What are you doing to advance people from marginalized groups? Is the rate of turnover in your organization higher for people of color? Do a DEI audit of your policies and practices to see if they’re equitable. Take the pulse of employees with surveys; see how they’re experiencing the environment, and be sure to obtain anonymized demographics so you can look for disparate impact on people of color. Include some qualitative data—try to get some stories from people. You might find insights that can serve as internal pressure to take to senior leadership.

I see some of this happening within our client organizations, and it gives me hope. The inquiries we receive these days tend to be more serious, more thoughtful, reflecting a deeper level of commitment. Motivated by clarity about the evidence of systemic racism and inequity inside their organizations, our clients are determined to make change and are engaging in the hard work of getting it done.

Antiracism work is not only important, but it takes time, attention, and focus. Don’t wait until the next crisis to start again. Let’s maintain the momentum.

How to decolonize your Thanksgiving

I am grateful for all our clients and colleagues who are doing what they can to create diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplaces so that everyone can feel a sense of belonging.

This tradition of reflecting on who and what we are grateful for is one thing that I appreciate about the Thanksgiving holiday. I also enjoy gathering with family and friends. And, I like to spend some time reflecting on those we have lost and those who don’t have as much to be thankful for in this moment. I don’t take my blessings for granted.

There is one thing that I find problematic about the holiday, though. I am disturbed by the false narrative that we share about the foundation of this holiday and the ongoing harm that we cause to Indigenous Americans, some of whom observe Thanksgiving as a day of mourning.

Do we have to throw out the whole tradition when we know the story is inaccurate? That is really up to you. My plan is to continue to educate myself about the real story, share resources with others so that they can be aware, and express my appreciation to those who are dear to me. I’m keeping the good parts and ditching the false narrative.

@Alex Diorio, our Operations Director, has pulled together some resources so that we can all increase our awareness. Check them out to learn the origins of the original day of thanksgiving, the inaccuracies in the version we learned in school about the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims, and how some Indigenous Americans observe this day.

However you choose to observe the day, my colleagues and I wish you the best and we are grateful that you took the time to read this post!

Chef Sean Sherman, Founder of The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen urges people “to explore a deeper connection to what are called ‘American’ foods by understanding true Native-American histories, and begin using what grows naturally around us, and to support Native-American growers.”

https://time.com/5457183/thanksgiving-native-american-holiday/

Indigenous East Bay residents share how they acknowledge and commemorate Thanksgiving in ways and suggest concrete actions that people can take to celebrate in a culturally responsive way.

https://www.berkeleyside.org/2022/11/16/celebrate-thanksgiving-respectfully-indigenous-native-people

More on Chef Sean Sherman:

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/24/1130505141/sioux-chef-sean-sherman-owamni-native-american-indigenous-food

Thoughts after the midterm elections

I remember election day in Jamaica, where I grew up. It was massive. Everyone went to the polls as if their livelihood depended on it. It basically did for many Jamaicans. If their party won the vote, they would have greater access to jobs and resources. If they didn’t win, the converse would be true. The stakes were high.

Here in the U.S., voter participation rates are skimpy in comparison. I think part of that is because our democracy is stable enough (most of the time) that the outcomes don’t lead to dramatic changes that overturn people’s lives overnight. The majority of Americans could plausibly believe that the results don’t affect them personally.

Now, you don’t need me to tell you that we still have a responsibility to vote—even if your day-to-day life feels mostly the same no matter the outcome. But what I do want to highlight is that the stakes are not the same for everyone. If you have identities that make up the majority or dominant groups in this country, complacency is a tempting option. But for many people, the results of each election do make a difference.

How personally you feel the ripple effects of last week’s midterms depends on the intersections of your identity. For example, if you live in Florida or Texas and you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, your rights have been up for virulent public debate. And now that Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott have been re-elected governors in these states, the debate has come down against you. If you are a person who can get pregnant, the composition of the congress is hugely important now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. If you are a person of color, we depend on our local and national legislators to protect our rights (to vote, be admitted to college etc.) from further erosion.

DEI practitioners often recommend to managers that they check in with employees after something horrific has happened, such as an incident of police brutality or a natural disaster. The wake of last Tuesday’s vote is another important moment for a temperature check.

It’s not about whether Republicans or Democrats scored more points. Ideology transcends politics, and some people were running on platforms that attack identities that are primary and significant to our colleagues and neighbors, like sexual orientation, gender and race. When those platforms are granted power, the fear of what might happen next is real.

So if you think that this could be a tough time for one of your employees or colleagues, check in with them. Allow your people space to talk and vent. Don’t be surprised if people aren’t on their A game.

And, if you are less directly affected by the perilous state of our democracy, don’t get complacent. We all need to continue to work together through the political process to make sure that no one needs to worry about their basic rights every November.