Companies need to see antiracism work as work
Story time—

(1) At my last job, the CEO got a list of “people who don’t look white.” (yikes — it’d take a whole different thread to unpack that) He asked us to call him & share our experiences with racism on the job. I called him, and in my eyes, two main issues surfaced during that call.

(2) Issue # 1 Antiracism work isn’t viewed as work
When he asked if I was clocked in during the call, I said, “Absolutely. I’m serving the company by explaining my ideas to you right now. This is work. Antiracism work is work. You can bet I’ll be on the clock.” He was very upset.

(3) It baffles me that antiracism work isn’t regarded as work. No other operations— marketing, finance, PR, etc— ever rely on unpaid work from hourly employees. To make DEI work dependent on volunteers shows how little this “mission” is valued.

(4) Issue # 2 Committees used as easy out
After hearing my concerns— personal experiences with racism, racially diverse entry-level staff but all-white 30+ person executive team, no real anti-bias training— he gave me the same response every time: volunteer on the DEI task force!

(5) With true investment, strong leadership, and power to implement changes, committees are effective. Without those things, task forces are a cheap way for organizations to save face and sidestep action.

(6) In order to create lasting change, create paid positions such as equity officers. Antiracism work is work. To get things done, make it someone’s job, and give them the authority to make changes.

(7) And when companies invite antiracism speakers to host workshops or lecture, expect to pay them like you would any expert. In this industry, many BIPOC are undervalued and expected to do free labor.

(8) TLDR; Antiracism work is work. Put it in the budget, not just on the calendar for thirty minutes every other week, if you want to get things done.