Use Your Outside Voice
I have cried off and on all week because it’s always been hard to be Black in America. People always tell me, “but you made it!” What does that mean exactly? I battled my whole life through the gauntlet of oppression and somehow survived? Yay me? That doesn’t make me want to celebrate. Instead, it makes me ask myself if I’m mentoring enough people and opening enough doors for students who look like me. But to be honest, it will take more than brown leaders like me to care about the plight of other brown people. Allies, we need you to step more boldly into the breach so we can stop this vicious cycle of violence and systemic oppression. Are you doing your part to stop racism, both covert and overt?
Today, I’m asking you to start with yourself. Examine what you’re doing that might actually be helping racism stay alive and well. Your natural response is likely, “But I’m not a racist!” Cool, but I’m not here to measure and score your level of racism. I am here to ask you to examine your thoughts, actions and non-actions and to reflect on how you occupy spaces. So where to start?
1. Use your outside voice. Your inside voice is inaudible. If you consider yourself an ally, then silence cannot be your choice and posting to social media platforms is not enough. If you see something wrong, have the courage to identify what steps you can take to correct it and take action. It doesn’t matter if it’s racist comments, jokes or conversations in your home or in your circle of family and friends or unjust protocols, policies, or practices in your work place. If it’s wrong, you must be willing to get uncomfortable and address it. Ask questions, suggest solutions, but you can no longer just let it ride.
2. Commit to personally doing the work of undoing racism EVERY SINGLE DAY. Not just when there is a national outcry against police brutality. Racism has been here for centuries. Many of us don’t get to wake up and decide that we don’t want to deal with racism. It’s a part of our daily lives and we have to carefully consider everything we do or say in order to be and feel safe. Practice makes perfect, so take action every day (no matter how big or small). And it’s not about showing you’re “woke.” It’s about taking the actions that show you actually care. This week, I helped a student complete her federal financial aid form. If you’ve never seen the application, the language is difficult to understand, even with a law degree. She can’t get access to aid for her higher education without completing that form. Without higher education credentials, students of color still can’t compete for jobs that provide family sustaining wages. My organization is also attacking this financial aid issue on the systemic level because it’s a bigger issue than my one student. This morning I hosted a virtual party to help a single mother kick off her minority-owned business. Socio-economics still matters, so helping minority owned businesses get a foot hold is critical. Simple actions that weren’t time intensive, were intentional, and will have long-term impact. But if you don’t know where to start on this journey, check out this list of examples. It’s from 2017, but unfortunately, still relevant.
3. Ensure the practices in your workplace are equitable and just. Why throw this one in? Most, if not all, of you work somewhere and spend more hours in the week in your work environment than you do at home. So, it needs to be a safe space for everyone to work and excel. Does your organization have an equity statement or an equity framework? Are there policies and protocols in place to back that statement up? For example, every organization should already have a non-discrimination statement related to hiring. Do the hiring protocols actually support that statement? It’s often human nature to hire people that remind us of ourselves, which does not lead to a diverse staff. What do you have in place to offset those biases during application screening and interviews? In my organization, it’s simple things like not using photographs of token students of color if they didn’t actually participate in one of our programs. We also instituted affinity caucuses for employees of color and a White Allied Group. The caucuses give both groups a chance to “let our hair” down and creates a safe space to share our wonderings without taxing the other group.
4. Do your research. In order to undo racism, you must first be clear on what it is. However, DO NOT burden your one black or brown friend to explain it all to you. Right now, we’re emotionally exhausted. There are so many books, videos, and articles available out there. Hit the internet and do a search for racism, undoing racism, racial justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, etc. There are also a myriad of consultants and non-profit organizations out there that you can pay to teach you as well. Here’s the consultant my organization uses. Stop asking for it for free from people who are already hit with a cultural tax on a daily basis.
5. Don’t explain away racism. I believe that most people generally try to see the good side of things. But when a person of color mentions a racist event that happened to them, that is not the moment to help them find the silver lining. There is no silver lining with racism. That is the moment to lend an ear and ask what you can do to help. That is the moment to say, “I”m so sorry that happened to you. Is there anything I can do?”
I’m tired today, but I will wake up tomorrow and fight another day for racial justice. I hope many more allies wake up prepared to do the same tomorrow and long after the protests die down. Allies, we know you’re out there. On a daily basis, we need you to use your outside voice.
@CEOARJ
“Empowered by ancestral hustle and warrior soul.”
*All statements expressed in this blog are my personal views and not a representation of Washington STEM.
