“And I saw that what divided me from the world was not anything intrinsic to us but the actual injury done by people intent on naming us, intent on believing that what they have named us matters more than anything we could ever actually do.” – Ta-Nahesi Coates.
Equity in the Center, a project of ProInspire, offers us a framework for building a race equity culture that they describe as, “the foundational work when organizations seek to advance race equity; it creates the conditions that help us adopt anti-racist mindsets and actions as organizational readiness.” As leaders and colleagues, we each have a role to play in creating inclusive workspaces.
When many voices, not just some, are given the opportunity to enrich our work environments, we not only learn more and have more appreciation of each other, but we build better outcomes together by improving problem-solving and decision-making. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) and women are underrepresented in executive leadership, upper management, and board roles compared to their representation in the overall working population. Equity in the Center offers a three-stage mutually reinforcing model:
- The awake stage: Organizations are focused on people and building a racially diverse workforce and board. The primary goal is representation.
- The woke stage: Organizations are focused on culture and building a space where people can be comfortable sharing their experiences and have the tools to talk about racial equity.
- The work stage: Organizations focus on building systems to improve racial equity.
Today’s Challenge
Read
- “Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture,” from Equity in the Center, outlines ways that organizations can build both cultures and systems that advance racial equity both inside and outside their organizations. (Note: you will need to agree to their license agreement to download the report). Read the executive summary on pages 2-3 and the explanation of dominant culture in the context of building a race equity culture, found in the box on top of page 10. https://equityinthecenter.org/aww/
Watch
- Despite calls for authenticity, workplaces often marginalize underrepresented groups. Watch this Ted Talk where writer Jodi-Ann Burry outlines steps toward exposing privilege and achieving true equity on the job. The myth of bringing your full, authentic self to work | Jodi-Ann Burey – YouTube
Listen
- Listen to this podcast featuring Harvard Business Review co-hosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn responding to some common challenges faced by businesses in promoting diversity and inclusion in their workplace (transcript included). Explore ways to help support your organizational leadership to promote diversity and inclusion. https://hbr.org/podcast/2018/11/race-issues
Discuss
- What are some ways you can help build a race equity culture in your company or organization, neighborhood, and greater community? What are some tools that can help you get started?
- What influence do you hold to shift culture? How can that influence be used to build more racially equitable systems within your institution?