How to be a better ally for your black coworkers

The first six months of 2020 have brought levels of pain, fear, and exhaustion to the black community.

In addition to experiencing disproportionately high mortality from Covid-19, black Americans are continuing to face acts of racism and injustice across the country. Over the past few months, there have been many protests and demands for Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old black man was killed in a Georgia neighborhood by two armed white residents; Breonna Taylor, an unarmed 26-year-old African-American emergency technician was killed by police in her Kentucky home; and George Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old black man, died while Minnesota police officers knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.

People across the country expressed outrage and demanded accountability when black man Christian Cooper, a black man, was accused of threatening the life of a white woman when she called the police for him. I asked you to leash your dog in Central Park. Although these incidents have made national headlines in the past few months thanks to social media, they are nothing new. Blacks have been fighting for decades to get justice from an unjust system and quite frankly, the emotional and mental toll is exhausting.

As we deal with ongoing racist practices amid a global pandemic, conversations around allyship have come to the fore as it will bring people of all races and backgrounds together. stand up for disadvantaged groups who are constantly deprived of justice. Here are five ways that whites and non-blacks can support the black community right now and move forward.

Understanding your privilege as a white person is crucial to understanding how race and racism can impact the trajectory of one’s life.

Frances Kendall, author of “Understanding White Privilege: Creating a Path to Authentic Relationships Across Races,” describes white privilege as “having greater access to rights.” power and resources compared to people of color [in the same situation] do.”

According to a recent study by McKinsey & Co. The wealth of a white family is 10 times that of the average black family.

These racial wealth gaps have been linked to years of discrimination in housing, education, employment and the criminal justice system. When looking at housing, for example, data from the Urban Institute shows that real estate agents and rental housing providers recommend and show fewer homes and apartments to minorities than people of color. white has the same level.

When looking at the criminal justice system, data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission reports that black men who commit the same crimes as white men get a 20 percent higher average prison sentence. When looking at police interactions, black people are more likely to be stopped by police at a stop and street than white people, and police are more likely to threaten or use force against them. with black or Hispanic people twice as high as white people. , according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

In Robin DiAngelo’s book, “White Fragility: Why It’s Hard for Whites to Talk About Racism,” she explains how it’s very important for whites to talk uncomfortable about race. It is important for them to realize their privilege and understand their benefits. “a deeply segregated and unequal society.”

With whites sitting at the majority of America’s leadership desks, DiAngelo writes that it’s imperative that they understand how racism works because “the decisions made at those tables affect our lives.” of those who don’t sit at the table.”

“The exclusion of people at the table does not depend on intentional intent; we don’t have to have the intent to exclude for the outcome of our action to be excluded,” she explains. “Although implicit bias always occurs because everyone is biased, inequality can simply happen through identity; if I weren’t aware of the barriers you’d have, face, then I won’t see them, there’s little incentive to get rid of them.”

The real work of allyship is a form of educating yourself about what you need to personally learn and unlearn in order to be a better advocate.

In addition to the books by Kendall and DiAngelo listed above, there are a number of other great pieces of literature that showcase the systemic racism and privilege of whites, including “How To become an antisemitist” by Abram X. Kendi; “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates; and “Me and White Supremacy: Fight Racism, Change the World, and Be a Good Ancestor” by Layla Saad.

In addition to these books, the National Museum of African American History & Culture just released a new online portal called “Talking about Race.” The portal, according to a press release, is “designed to help individuals, families and communities talk about racism, racial identity, and how these forces shape every aspect of society.” society.” The portal includes online assignments, academic articles, and over 100 multimedia resources for individuals committed to racial equality.

In times like these when the news is flooded with heavy headlines about black deaths, violence, and protests, it’s okay to check in with your black colleagues just to show that you care. and being aware of what’s going on can make a difference.

“I think the most important part that our non-black employees, colleagues, and leadership has to do is just say something,” career coach and leadership Kimberly Cummings told CNBC Make It. “There’s this pressure right now to say the right thing, but honestly, it’s not necessary to say the right thing because everyone is handling the situation differently.”

Cummings says that a simple check-in to say, “I know you’re probably going through a really hard time right now, so if you need to take a day, take a day,” actually does. can be useful. And she says leaders who are managing teams should reach out to all employees, not just black employees, to show that they’re aware of what’s going on and that they have resources available. for those in need.

“I think silence is jarring, and I think it’s the most hurtful thing for American businesses,” she said, noting that employees are watching what leaders are saying. and did not speak.

In addition to addressing what’s happening in the news, it’s important for non-black colleagues and leaders to speak up when they witness instances of bias, racism, and discrimination. injustice in their workplaces and communities.

For example, Cummings says, if you’re calling Zoom at work, where comments are insensitive, or if you’re in an environment where a black colleague’s work is routinely belittled, you shouldn’t. close one’s eyes on something. situation.

“I think solving it is the most important issue,” she said. “When we’re talking about everything that’s going on in the world right now, the common denominator is that there are problems that need to be addressed and talked about openly and frankly and that applies to the workplace as well. .”

She stresses that now is not the time to sweep things under the rug and act as if they didn’t happen. In fact, she says, the role of a true ally is “to speak up when another group may not be able to.”

“I think in times like these, when everything is so stressful, people are so focused on the experience of being a black person at work, outside of work and everything in everyday life,” she said. their. “So as an ally, if you see something that makes you feel uncomfortable and you notice that it makes your minority colleagues feel uncomfortable, then it’s important to It’s important that you speak up and talk about this behavior, this conversation, this inappropriate behavior.”

Doing this, she says, “is where change will happen because silence is literally showing people that what’s going on is okay, it’s acceptable, and it’s acceptable.” Okay.”

Speaking out against issues of racism and injustice can easily fall on deaf ears if you’re leading a company that doesn’t prioritize recruiting, promoting, and supporting black workers.

In a report released last year from the Center for Talent Innovation titled “Being Black in American Business,” it was said that about a third of black professionals aspire to hold positions. executive at work, and nearly two-thirds consider themselves “very ambitious” for their careers. Yet despite this ambition, black professionals today hold only 3.2% of executive and senior management positions in American businesses and less than 1% of Fortune 500 CEO positions. . Of the four black CEOs leading a Fortune 500 company today, none of them are women.

“It’s a shame that there are thousands [black] Kenneth Chenault, former president and CEO of American Express, said in the report.

In a study published by researchers at Northwestern University, Harvard and the Institute for Social Research in Norway, it was found that combating black racism remains a problem. in the hiring process today with white applicants getting 36% more callbacks for the job than equally qualified African-Americans.

Kenneth Frazier, who served as the CEO of pharmaceutical company Merck, is one of the few black Fortune 500 CEOs. In an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Frazier spoke openly about these inequalities and explain how the death of George Floyd impacted him personally as a black person. As a leader in the corporation in America, he has called all business leaders join and be a “unifying force” in creating opportunities and jobs for diverse professionals.

“I know for sure that what made my life go on a different trajectory was that someone stepped in to create an opportunity for me, to close that opportunity gap,” he said. “And that opportunity gap is still there.”

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