Making anti-racism part of our lives
As a privileged white woman, I was nervous to host a conversation about anti-racism. Especially because of the powerful speakers who would be at the table. But I knew that the most privileged and cowardly thing to do would be nothing, so I decided to do it despite my nerves. There are people who have read more, gone to more protests, written, called, canvassed more and those who are more articulate and active on social media. But that didn’t matter; what mattered was gathering a group of people, understanding the situation based on three individuals’ research and lived experiences and committing to action.
We gathered at the virtual table to explore what motivates people to enable change in our communities and our country and I thank and applaud everyone that took time to be part of the conversation.
Shalon holds me accountable. Whether you were able to join us or not, I hope you’ll also feel inspired to learn and to act; to stay focused even as the mainstream media cycles through to a new topic.
I wasn’t in every breakout room and the recording was not complete, so I’m going to share stories and suggestions that I was able to capture. Please respond in the comments to add more and check out the info on the event page and in the slides from the event.
Expert Insight
We were fortunate to welcome three excellent speakers who brought passion and experience to our virtual table:
Judge Gary Jackson - Denver County Court
Dr. Malik Simba - Professor Emeritus
Mike Pearson - Chief of Staff for Google Health
We are grateful and thank them for their participation and the work that they do to help people recognize and understand racism and to break and rebuild the systems that support it.
What is your call to action?
Judge Jackson kicked off our conversation by asking what inspired each of us to act. His most recent, personal call to action came in 2018 when after 50 years as a Black Lawyer and Judge, he recognized that Colorado would not have any Black Judges at the highest level of the judiciary in the state. This void in the court system would negatively impact the people relying on the court system for fair and just trials.
In order for a judiciary to serve effectively, it must reflect ALL people it serves.
Judge Jackson formed a coalition to speak out against the inequality on the bench and is pushing every day to increase diversity and fairness in the courts.
His recommendations on actions we can take:
Find the issues that matter to you and vote on them
Be aware of who serves as the judiciary in your city, state and country. Get involved in the selection process - which is possible even if you’re not an official, a lawyer or a judge.
Vote.
What is your story?
Dr. Malik Simba reminded us that the way we reach people to in order to help them to understand and make changes in their lives is through storytelling. His professional career has been devoted to working with students at universities across the country to give historical understanding about race relations. Dr. Simba combines personal stories with the evaluation of the circumstances that have led our country to where we are today.
His goal is to empower students from all backgrounds through education and a connection to their and our shared past. By helping them to understand what history tells us, he inspires resistance against the status quo. He encouraged Shalon attendees to:
Inform yourself - spend time to understand what the administration is doing to support different groups of people and why. Since the country was founded, America’s leaders have had reasons to support (or not) equity. By understanding the financial and political motivation behind the decisions that are made, we are able to stand against policies when they do not serve all people.
Find, consume and share stories that will resonate with your network. When we can make concepts relatable, it’s more likely that someone will be open to changing the way they think and the way they operate. A couple suggestions:
Join socially active groups where you can share your time and talents while benefiting from others’ energy and knowledge.
A dirth of Black leaders
Similarly to our other speakers, Mike Pearson has spent most of his professional career as one of the few Black people, let alone leaders, in his organization. As tensions rose, yet again, across the country in response to the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, among so many others, he dug deeper into the executive makeup at his own company, Google, along with other leading organizations in Silicon Valley. He presented senior leaders with concrete evidence of the lack of diversity at the top of the organization, and highlighted the ways in which a homogeneous leadership negatively impacts business and, more importantly, the people the organization claims to serve. Mike is working with his Black colleagues and allies at Google to recommend real change across recruiting and building a leadership pipeline. Like Judge Jackson and Dr. Simba, he’s asking hard questions that force his colleagues to examine how things have been done and how they can be interrupted and improved.
Mike advocates for:
Executive teams working directly with HR/People Operations teams to initiate and support formal and informal programs to launch Black and other minority employees into high level leadership roles.
Shareholders to question and investigate the essential need for diversity (especially considering it’s positive impact on the bottom line - see this article from the Harvard Business Review)
Disrupting the myth of the inadequate recruiting pipeline. There are so many brilliant, talented and creative folks who can add value to an organization and a community. It is essential to break the cycle of only selecting candidates from small pools where everyone looks like the people who are already sitting at the table.
It will feel hard
Like a fish swimming upstream, disrupting the status quo takes commitment and a lot of sustained effort. Each action we take on its own may not feel as if it’s having impact. But collectively, we can make a difference. Progress can be made and as Mike noted
The unique thing about this moment in time is that there is a groundswell of people who are willing to address and question the status quo.
As more people start listening and participating, their contributions will add strength to the movement. This is the time to encourage people to vote and to make sure their friends and families are registered. Now is when our voices can promote knowledge that results in change from healthcare to the prison system. Our dollars enable people and organizations to thrive as they break down barriers to equity and inclusion for all people. Check out more resources and recommendations for learning tools and organizations that will benefit from donations on the event page and in the slides shared during Shalon.
Most importantly, continue talking to each other about what’s going on. As we learn from our friends, neighbors and public officials, we are empowered to act and to make a difference - and the changes we make now will last throughout our lives.