Real Diversity: More Than a Hashtag
I was in my tenth grade English Honors class sitting straight up when I heard my white teacher say, “Please take your head off of the desk.” I was so confused. I could see him staring at me from across the room. My classmates started to laugh.
Finally one of my classmates blurted out, “Oh!! You thought she was that black book bag!”
I looked down at my bag and felt so embarrassed and ashamed. Looking back, my teacher should have been the one soaking in those feelings. not me. He never apologized. He allowed me to bear his bias. And, that’s the biggest letdown. Perfection isn’t a realistic expectation, but when you make a mistake — own it. That’s the first step to real healing and transformation.
As an adult, I continued to experience, and observe, racist practices and discrimination in the workplace. In one particular incident, the company president’s behavior was so egregious it has stayed with me my entire professional career.
It was annual review time. I had heard the rumors that he met with all of the other employees to discuss their roles and salaries. They were all white and all of their conversations had ended with receiving a $10K bonus.
Then, it was time for my meeting. The conversation started off positive, before it quickly turned into something else. He asked me if I would be willing to sit in his office every morning between 9 and 10 a.m. because he needed to avoid a particular stakeholder. In his words, this stakeholder did not particularly like people of color, and would immediately be turned off by the sight of a Black woman working in his space.
At first I thought he was joking. But he did not crack a smile. It was at that moment I realized that despite my best efforts — overcoming daily put downs and unconscious and conscious biases all while earning my scrum master certification, building successful client partnerships, and working late nights and early days to prove my worth — things were getting worse for me. It was becoming unbearable. Once again, I was back in that classroom, being reduced to a black backpack.
During this time, I leaned on my training as a transformation coach that had taught me to be present with my feelings and to work with my inner critic. I used all of these tools and more to cope with the daily stress of working while Black.
Thanks to one of my allies, there was an attempt to investigate the inappropriate, racist request. I was quickly awarded the bonus that everyone else had been promised. The new CEO never mentioned our conversation. Eventually this person moved on, but there were no real changes made. As soon as I was able to, I moved on — scarred, but unbroken.
Here are three things I learned during that very difficult process of moving forward:
1. Every experience is designed to teach us more about ourselves. I started to keep a daily gratitude journal and was amazed to see that in so many ways I was reaching so many of the personal and professional goals I had set for myself. I was growing as a leader and finding ways to celebrate my own successes — whether it was through a successful launch or an email from a happy client.
2. When you are consistently professional, kind, and gracious — people notice. Although there was no DE&I team or point person at the organization or any organization I’ve worked at to date, there were allies. They always checked on me and made sure I knew that they were reporting all happenings to the powers that be.
3. In situations that feel impossible, it’s helpful to note what’s working well. At that time, I was leading our diverse group of interns. I made a point to demonstrate teamwork, inclusivity, and how to have difficult conversations that move everyone forward. I found this work rewarding because it was the exact opposite of the angst I was experiencing. More importantly, it provided me with a dynamic opportunity to have a positive impact on these students who would one day have opportunities to lead.
I wish I could say that this was the most egregious abuse of power I’ve experienced throughout my career, but it is not. While some are seeing diversity, equity & inclusion as trendy, many are seeing it as a key to lasting change. And I can assure you that things need to change.
It’s important that we model communicative practices that encourage honest feedback — even when it scares us. It’s important that leaders showcase vulnerability without engaging in fear-driven manipulative activities. And from a practical perspective, diversity can potentially make companies more innovative. Forbes.com contributor, Tendayi Viki explores this theory further in his article “Why Diverse Teams Are More Creative.” Viki explores the role that diversity plays in helping companies create opportunities for more “aha” moments. What if diverse teams were innately more creative and able to solve problems faster?
When companies get called out for their lack of representation, it’s usually when errors so obvious to a diverse team become public. The organization becomes the target of ridicule for a week or two, and then we all just move on. But it’s no laughing matter, and the need for real diversity that breaks barriers is so much more than a hashtag.
