On Race, and Becoming an Ally
As years pass, I find myself increasingly skeptical of coincidence. The convergence of seemingly disparate events that all seem to point me in a given direction is something that I try to be open to, although it’s not always easy to do.
In the last two weeks, I’ve found myself connecting with experiences that have challenged me to think about race, and my relation to it as a white, male Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) practitioner.
I attended a fantastic play called “Thaddeus & Slocum”, which told a story about a pair of vaudevillians in 1908. The pair, one black and one white, are forced to deal with institutional racism in the turn-of-the-century entertainment industry by “corking up” – performing their act in black face and trying to pass themselves off as two white entertainers. Thaddeus, the black performer, grows increasingly frustrated and angry about having to mask his true self in order to pursue his calling.
On a recent Nerdist podcast, I listened to a conversation with Hakeem Oluseyi, an Associate Professor of Physics and Space Sciences currently leading research at M.I.T. His interests and story are fascinating, and I was especially drawn to his history and the choices that he had to make in his life, many of them directly related to his race and culture.
I started listening to NPR’s “Code Switch” podcast, which deals with issues of race and identity, focusing on topics that range from representation in pop culture, to the recent shootings in Orlando, to the O.J. Simpson trial, with more to come. I’m finding myself exposed to viewpoints that I never considered, and which are sometimes challenging. I count that as a good thing.
I had the opportunity to hear Andra Day, an immensely gifted singer, perform at Milwaukee’s Summerfest music festival. Day, who is African-American, spoke and sang powerfully about race (among other things), and the need for all of us to come together to encourage and offer hope to one another – always. To be a part of healing each other and the world – because we can.
So race has been on my mind. Then news came yesterday of two killings of young black men by police officers in Minnesota and Louisiana. And it all just feels so connected to me. Because this can’t keep happening. It’s horrific, and there are good people trying to do their best on all sides of this issue. But the fact is that institutional racism is real, and it’s having a deadly impact on our communities. And it has to stop.
Which brings me to the questions I’ve been asking myself for the last 24 hours. What can I do? How can I be of service in some way that leads to change?
This is what I’ve come up with…
I’ve got to understand and acknowledge privilege, and how it works in my life: As a white middle-class male born into a specific set of circumstances, there are societal privileges that accrue to me. I didn’t ask for them. I didn’t have to. They’re just there. And sometimes, they’re not about what I get. They’re more often about the things I don’t have to face in my daily life, the fears I don’t need to fear because of my skin color or my gender or my socioeconomic circumstances. Just acknowledging that fact is challenging, and it needs to be life-changing. I need to see privilege not as a cause for self-deprecation or self-loathing, but as an opportunity to create a space for others to share their voices and their stories. One of my favorite quotes is by Patrick Stewart, who said, “People won’t listen to you or take you seriously unless you’re an old white man, and since I’m an old white man I’m going to use that to help the people who need it.”
I’ve got to educate myself: Earlier today, Justin C. Cohen published a blog post titled “Advice for White Folks in the Wake of the Police Murder of a Black Person”. There a lot of good information there, including several references to books and other material. Cohen writes, “If you’re eager to learn, talk to other White people who have been engaged in the work, as one of the primary roles as allies is to lessen the burden that people of color have for the education process and the issues around justice.” Which brings me to my next thought…
I’ve got to engage in the conversation, and be an ally: And this one starts with just engaging in conversation, and making it clear that I won’t stand for injustice where I see it, and where I have something to do about it. It means addressing overtly racist comments, and calling out more subtle instances of racism, such as someone challenging the “cultural fit” of a Black candidate for a job with no clear reason for doing so.
This obviously connects in some pretty significant ways as I continue to work with our D&I Advisory Council to shape our company’s D&I strategy. Now more than ever, race needs to be a part of the conversation, and we need to look at how our company includes people of all backgrounds (or, if we don’t, chart a course to get there.)
As Justin Cohen notes, driving change and justice is not a fight that will end in months or years. It will take place over generations. So we must be patient, but not complacent. And for me, I need to continue thinking about the difference I can make in my corner of the world. Where I have a platform that I can offer up for other voices to be heard, I need to do that. And where I can listen and learn, I definitely need to do that.
I can also be a source of presence and support for my friends and colleagues who are coming to terms with yesterday’s events. At the end of her concert last night, Andra Day sang her hit song “Rise Up”. And she closed it with an addendum, which she asked the audience to sing with her. She sang:
We can spread hope and love…we can encourage each other.
We can do those things, and we must.
