Race Discourse in The American Workplace: A Perspective
By Breanna Robinson
The U.S. has regressed back to the foundations of oppression. Through this regression, the country has reached a critical point in time with the whole world watching under a microscope. From the murders of George Floyd to the murders of Breonna Taylor, Rashaud Brooks, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others, this has become the catalyst of grief and civil activism within all 50 states and the world around us. As a Black person, the injustice that I feel as well as many others feel around the murder of another Black person (many times and unarmed black person) is not a new reality—the scope of recognition for systemic racism within our country and the camaraderie that has been received from some people is something we're not used to at all.
On the basis of diversity, equity, and inclusion, there are some changes that are being seen from organizations that are not only supporting Black employees in the workplace, but also providing the general workforce with skills to prevent racism and bias among their peers.
With this understanding, many organizations have tweeted about the issues, made donations to important organizations for reformation, and hosted town hall meetings to discuss how to rectify things. What is truly the next step to enact this change? For one, having in person or virtual training available for people, or they can acknowledge the racial bias that is fueling the injustices of Americans and how this should be cared about and dealt with in companies. If a company chooses to go with recognizing the racial bias, then they must ask this question: How can we rectify the workplace to advance inclusion and equity for Black employees?
Through some research I’ve collected, companies and organizations that are invested in advancing racial equity within the workplace should consider these two major things:
Create a sense of community
We can all agree that we perform our best on the job when we feel a sense of belonging among our employees and employers (over 39% of employees feel like they belong when their fellow colleagues are checking on them). However, even though the conversations of “hey,how are you” are appreciated, conversations about race related issues tend to be anxiety-ridden. Many non-Black employees can do away with these feelings by avoiding these conversations about injustices and protest all together leading them to miss critical ways to help support Black colleagues. This is even more magnified during this pandemic in which many organizations are remote.
Moreover, to combat the feelings of powerlessness that many Black employees feel within organizations that are predominantly white and male, organizations should encourage authentic connection. Leaders and other managerial staff would need to address the organization by supporting racial justice. Every manager needs to have conversations with their Black employees and the other staff members to become knowledgeable on how to be effective allies. This will be on their Black employees terms and guidelines so that there is proper education on the perspective of what is happening on a day-to-day basis within the community.
Setting efforts to create optimal employee education
The US has a tumultuous history when it comes to slavery and how that has escalated within the Black community in terms of healthcare,equity, and accumulating wealth. Another aspect that is prevalent in this matter is the homogeneity that is evident in the upper level management of companies.One of the direct consequences of avoiding this very real and direct foundational part of American history as we know it is through the different perceptions about the effect that it's had on the community between white and Black America. A lot of these perceptions differ in the instance of how much progress has been made toward racial equality . It has been noted through various studies that properly educating white Americans about history and all of its facets as well education surrounding the current Black American experience, will increase the awareness of bias and racism.
More often than not, many Black people felt the responsibility of educating people who aren't necessarily aware of the realities that myself and other Black Americans face on a day-to-day basis (especially within the last several weeks). Quite frankly now there is a bit of an exhaustion in trying to make non-Black counterparts understand everything that is being felt. So, it would be a great benefit for white employees to take individual responsibility for their own education about what is happening. Organizations as well, must take their role very seriously and educate their employees about the realities of society so that we can be more supportive and inclusive within the workplace. Companies should focus on motivating employees to be more effective at pinpointing bias, create a dialogue with their Black employees and colleagues about the issues at hand that are faced, or they can show support whether that's through Back Lives Matter or donating directly to a go-fund me for Breonna Taylor. It will also be really helpful to provide training for people to develop skills that will reduce bias in their everyday decisions and interactions with other Black people. While this is great, there's still a lot of work that has to be done in order to shed a glimmer of light on the deeply rooted biases that single-handedly undermine experiences of Black Americans faced in the workplace.
Even though some of these methods seem like a no-brainer in creating a better place for Black Americans on the job, it is still a bit radical for a lot of organizations. This is merely the beginning glimpse into how to create a more diversified and equitable workplace that supports every person.
Just like the U.S. itself, organizations must come to terms with what should be done next— take this time to regroup and figure out what is necessary in addressing this is systemic racism and barriers for inclusion or let this be a situation that blows over with minimal intention to actually change for the better.
cover image via Medium