To Be or Not To Be: How Anti-Racism Impacts Company Culture
“In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist.”
These words of Angela Davis echo more loudly today than ever before. Being non-racist, allows you to live and function comfortably in your privilege without action or advocacy on behalf of others. Being antiracist is about action and leveraging your privilege to advocate for others who don’t have that same level of access.
Being non-racist in a systemically racist society, is as problematic as companies projecting how they are an equal opportunity employer, without recognizing the disparity gap candidates of color face with regard to recruiting efforts. Companies exclusively focused on promoting equality without prioritizing equity, will inherently establish a company culture that breeds resentment between those who are and those who aren’t disproportionately affected by systemic issues that undermine parity in the workplace.
Resistance can take many forms. The nightly news is full of examples of civil disobedience of all kinds. But, what can this look like within a corporate space? Let’s consider the following scenario:
A company has an opening for VP, Marketing and would like to choose from a diverse panel of candidates to fill the role. The recruiter does her due diligence and looks at a wide range of candidates. She taps into her professional networks and also solicits referrals from employees. The resulting list of 10 candidates represents diversity in terms of gender, race, age and ability. Although each candidate goes through a series of interviews by a diverse hiring committee, the top 3 candidates selected are all White men. While the recruiter is a bit disappointed in the outcome, she had been very satisfied with her initial list. She doesn’t question the group decision and extends an offer one of the final three.
In this case, the practices of the recruiter were non-racist. She respected the desire for diversity by going beyond her standard contacts. Her pool of candidates and the hiring committee were both well-represented. But somewhere in the process, antiracist behavior could have changed the outcome. For example, when the shortlist was created, either the recruiter or members of the hiring committee could have questioned the criteria upon which the final 3 were selected. They could have applied more scrutiny to the decision-making process and asked why those 3 were deemed more qualified than the others on the list. This level of probing may have identified some level of unconscious bias. While the outcome may not have changed, the exercise would have ensured greater accountability for all involved.
So, what should you consider if you identify as an ally and/or are simply committed to being an antiracist advocate for people of color (POC) within your organization?
Hold your co-workers and company accountable. Challenge yourself to engage in respectful dialogue with your colleagues when they make discriminatory comments regarding race or any other “isms.” By actively listening for verbal cues and understanding subtle signs of exclusion, you’ll learn to spot things like microaggressions and non-verbal cues that suggest bias.
Attend cultural events and forums that focus on race-related issues. Actively seek out race-related events to help expand your knowledge and check your bias. Many companies have employee resource groups (ERGs) or business resource groups (BRGs) made up of various minority communities within the company. They are often tasked with creating programming to help advance the company’s understanding and knowledge about their heritage or cause. Many of these events are free, but more importantly, membership to join these groups is open to everyone. The challenge: Join, listen and act with humility with the understanding that you don’t know what you don’t know — but you’re there to learn.
Understand and avoid normalized, microaggressive comments. Microaggressions can be intentional or unintentional. Regardless, they communicate derogatory and negative racial assumptions to the person on the receiving end. Comments like those listed below can have an insidious effect on people of color, causing them to internalize your ideology and beliefs about them. Here are a few notable microaggressions to stay away from:
“You’re so well spoken for a…”
“Can I touch your hair?”
“You’re so pretty/handsome for a…”
“All lives matter.”
“I’m not racist, I have Hispanic friends”
“I don’t see color.”
Check your guilt, your privilege and others’, too. Internalized guilt of those who are privileged and not disadvantaged, allows the status quo to be maintained. Most non-racists become so paralyzed by their guilt, they listen to respond and defend their character. Instead, they should strive to listen to understand, so they can be of service in dismantling systemic discrimination.
Align with those who are adamant about dismantling systemic racism. Guilt also seems to create a savior complex, which can position the offer of allyship more like a burden and less like a sincere gesture of appreciation and preservation. Be sure to not wield your privilege among those who have been fighting this battle much longer than you. It’s a slippery slope to demigod or savior.
In today’s world, everyone must begin with a non-racist approach to business in an effort to create inclusive work environments. But, we all must also strive to be antiracist in the practices that directly impact the culture. Those decisions start at the top. If you’re part of senior management within an organization, now is the time to take a closer look at how you can co-create an antiracist culture at work.
