Worcester Business Journal Special Editions

Worcester Business Journal 45 Walk the walk against racism S crolling through social media is always a great way to get a pulse on the times, from official statements, profile filters, and hashtags. You would have to be an ostrich to not see the Black Lives Matter movement is one of the hottest topics right now. It gives me mixed emo- tions; ones sometimes fraught with despair, sadness and anger, and above all, exhaustion. I've seen numerous blacked out pictures, shared articles, and read countless official statements from all types of organizations. Ones you would expect (Cherry Garcia has never tasted better), and others, unexpected. It's all the same theme, "We believe that black lives matter." at's great, but what are you actually doing to ensure that? As the person responsible for social media for my orga- nization, I stay away from vanity metrics. It's not about how many likes a post receives, it's about action. e Black Lives Matter movement isn't a trend. BLACK LIVES MATTER. ere are no if, ands, or buts about it. is isn't about a few weeks of posting; it's about making a change. Are you walk- ing the walk or just talking the talk? What organizations do you patronize? Does the company's leadership accurately represent the community and the val- ues you want to be associated with? Do they act accordingly with their statements against social injustice? If you can't confidently answer, "Yes!" to those questions, it's time to find another place to shop. Ibram X. Kendi, bestselling author and founding direc- tor of the Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University, said, "Being an antiracist requires persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism and regular self-exam- ination." A great way to do that is by educating yourself on the issues. ere are many resources available to help better understand the reason behind the movement; you can start by reading one of Kendi's books. Speaking of self-examination – have you considered your own actions? On the same day that George Floyd's video was released, another video surfaced that morning of a white woman calling the police on a Black man in a New York City park. e woman came under immediate fire and quickly issued the standard "I am not racist" apology. Amy Cooper was the one breaking the rules and called the police not out of fear as she claimed, but because she knew she could use them to her advantage. Her call was dripping in coded language and stereotypes. While not all occurrences are this dramatic, I can say from experience they do happen, even in the workplace. ink about what you say about your col- leagues of color, are you perpetuating stereotypes? Take action in making a change. ere are many organi- zations working on eliminating racism, empowering people of color, educating our youth, and protecting civil rights. You could volunteer, you could donate, or you could do both. Racial justice is not a trend, and it's on all of us to keep the momentum going. Melanie Bonsu is the director of development & marketing/ communications for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. BY MELANIE BONSU Special to the Worcester Business Journal Melanie Bonsu W There are two pandemics ravaging our nation, COVID-19 and the ongoing pandemic of racism. Both have devastated the lives of people of color and affected local economies. We have banded together as a community to support those impacted by COVID-19, and we have supported our local businesses to survive through this crisis. Yet, we have not begun to address the ongoing public health crisis racism perpetuates throughout our society and in our workplaces. Companies must confront racism systemically, ad- dressing the structural, cultural and social mechan- ics of their organizations. The current moment has the potential to be pivotal in addressing systemic racism if corporate leaders have the wherewithal to commit to the following strategies: 10) Commit: To addressing the injury done to employees of color through overt and microaggressions faced inside and outside of your organization. 9) Commit: To providing ongoing racial equity edu- cation for members of your board, executive team, and staff to better understand systemic racism and the opportunities for racial equity growth, develop- ment, impact, and advancement. 8) Commit: To equitable human resource practices to ensure you are addressing unconscious racial bias in hiring and corporate advancement. 7) Commit: To fostering a safer and more wel- coming workplace by implementing a no tolerance policy for racism. 6) Commit: To establishing a racial equity com- mittee of racially diverse employees who meet regularly with the CEO, providing granular feedback on racial equity initiatives, identifying company and industry specific actions addressing systemic racism; and self-accountability. 5) Commit: To speaking out. The default response by white people not directly impacted by racism is to remain silent and avoid talking about race for fear of being seen as racist. The CEO is responsible for conveying concern for all employees. 4) Commit: To affirming the rights of employees of color by providing space to come together for reflection and conversation. 3) Commit: To leaning in when approaching uncomfortable conversations about racism, and when your world views, positions, or advantages are questioned or challenged. 2) Commit: To accountability in taking a stand against racism. Articulate how progress is tracked and communicated throughout the company. 1) Building the capacity to be anti-racist takes commitment, time and hard work. Talking about racism is difficult, but necessary. Let us help. 1 0 T H I NG S I know about . . . Committing to standing against racism By Maritza Cruz Maritza Cruz is director of Racial and Gender Equity at the YWCA Central Massachusetts. Reach her at mcruz@ywcacm.org. W I n an effort to put the renewed focus on business diversity & inclusion efforts into an historic prospective, outgoing WBJ edi- torial intern Devina Bhalla spent a good portion of the summer looking at Central Massachusetts' ties to the institution of slavery. What she found – probably like you would find almost anywhere in the country – is both before and aer Massachusetts abolished the practice, the region's economy had direct and in- direct ties to slavery. In the years leading up to the Civil War, the South and the enslaved people who made up a sig- nificant portion of its labor force were such a part of the national economy, it would have been nearly impossible for businesses to ignore it. Central Mass. businesses, particularly those in the tex- tile industry, bought raw materials from the South, while other businesses sold their finished goods to slave owners. e point, rather than placing the blame of this terrible institution on a handful of people and businesses, is to show slavery is part of the shared histo- ry of our region and nation. Everyone is culpable in one way or another, and we all must address how the legacy of slavery and the treatment of Black people since abolition have le the Black community at a disadvantage. As Central Mass. businesses have stepped up their diversity & inclusion efforts this summer in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, we must understand the history behind why these efforts are necessary and why previous endeavors to address these issues have le us still in the situation we are today. I'm certain over the course of history, my ancestors probably did terrible things. ose who lived through the period of time where people were bought and sold – which, frankly, is the majority of human history – either directly or indirectly benefited from a terrible practice. And I am aware, as their descendant, I sit in a position of privilege not afforded to those who are descended from enslaved people. But I can't do anything about those who came before me; I can only control what I do now and its impact on the future. e concern about today's increased diversity & inclusion efforts is the focus will fade once the killing of Floyd and others like him moves further away in time. If we are to proceed to a place where people of all talents and back- grounds are given equal opportunity, we must understand the history of where the disadvantages come from, and how we can overcome them. - Brad Kane, editor You can't change the past, just the future W

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