Leaders Stop Failing Black & Brown Employees- We Are Not Ok!
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Two years ago I wrote a piece about black employees not being ok in light of all the things going on in America. The hate crimes, the shootings of unarmed people, the public killing of George Floyd and so many other things that have happened take a regular toll on our mental health. Sadly, two years later despite all of the rallying for DEI initiatives…….we are STILL NOT OK!!!!! The frustration leaves people tired and sad while in many cases simply feeling helpless. Ignoring it is not ok.
When I look at platforms like LinkedIn, I constantly see people saying they are allies. I see others doing the work in the D & I space saying they are fighting racism, gender inequality, microaggressions, and the cliche’ “unconscious bias.” I have a question to ask of every company that has allocated money to DEI, every school individual getting into DEI work, and also every person impacted by blatant racism, microaggressions, systemic inequities, and gender inequality……Have we moved the needle forward or are we spinning our wheels?
Today, I read a post by a family member of someone who lost their life in the Buffalo, NY massacre. Yes, it was a massacre, not just a shooting. This grown MAN hunted these people on purpose even apologizing to a white person who was at the store because he was clearly looking for black people. All I could do was read the post over and over and say what are we supposed to say now? Should I say, I will pray for you? Should I say, sorry for your loss? Should I say, things will get better? Or should I say, that must be so hard to have to deal with and go on with my daily life like so many others have the luxury of doing? Well, folks, things are not getting better, prayers continue to go up, DEI jobs continue to be posted, and yet the evil monster that is HATE is growing.
People are simply not ok! I am not ok. And to be quite honest, I am sick and tired of people having to pretend we are. Every day I worry about my children being the next ones on the most hunted list…..the living while being black list. It’s not enough to say we are not ok WHEN these things happen. We are not ok BECAUSE THESE THINGS KEEP HAPPENING. Imagine being on a heightened level of awareness EVERY SINGLE DAY simply because you exist and being expected to perform at the same levels as others…
