Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: A White Man’s Journey To A Better Understanding

05 Jan Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: A White Man’s Journey To A Better Understanding

“Until you walk in somebody else’s shoes, how could you really know what it’s like?”

Richmond Flowers Jr.

As a white man, I’ve been insulated from many of the blatant and subtle forms of racism that my African American friends and business colleagues have experienced throughout their lives and careers.  To help myself and others to better understand and respond to these issues, I recently interviewed Loretta Young Walker, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of MedStar Health and Curtis N. Powell, Vice President for Human Resources and Safety at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  I asked them the following questions:

1.  What are some of the most common racist experiences you have had with perhaps well-intentioned but misinformed white people?

2.  What have you found to be some of the most effective ways of gauging the actual level and real diversity and inclusiveness of an organization?

3.  What have you found to be some of the most effective ways to encourage people to open their minds, change their ways of thinking and behaving, and promote a real sense of belonging and inclusiveness in organizations?

Before you read their comments, it’s important to emphasize that they are speaking specifically to my white colleagues and that their thoughts are not representative of an entire population of people. I invite the readers to use these comments to facilitate open conversations and perhaps challenge some of our existing beliefs about inclusion and equity within our respective organizations.  It is my intention to create a community of colleagues interested in both broadening our understanding and challenging our assumptions about the system and structures that have brought us to this moment in our country’s history. Here are some direct quotes from what they told me in response to these questions.

1.  What are some of the most common racist experiences you have had with perhaps well-intentioned but misinformed white people?

• How diverse is the executive team?  What is the diversity of the organization?  What programs has the organization sponsored for the black community?
• Whether it’s intended or not, people will assume that they know how I feel.
• They make statements that marginalize you in a meeting.  Yet, when someone else says the same things, it’s agreed with.
• An Administrative Assistant or female shares an idea in a meeting and it’s ignored unless it’s recognized by a white person, who blew himself up at the expense of the black man.
• Conversely, if the majority of the board was black, then I would have been praised.
• If I’m white and bring in all white staff, nothing is said.  An unwritten rule in predominately white organization is that you cannot have an all black staff – one of the perceptions is that they are up to something.
• Underappreciated; undervalued and marginalized until you are needed.
• As an African American and a female, assumption that we all think alike.
• Asking me to explain the behaviors of others who are African Americans.
• Assuming that all African Americans know one another.
• When I got promoted to senior positions, the assumption was that I was the most junior member of the team or an Executive Assistant.
• Questions were directed to my peer or to my direct reports.
• What drives me crazy is that I have to filter things three times in my mouth to avoid being viewed as angry.  I temper my tone whereas other people don’t have to do so.  But this would be viewed differently if done by a white male counterpart.
• Someone (mistakenly) described me as quiet and soft spoken.
• I’ve been devalued in many ways:
• During a senior level meeting, a white male colleague eases up to the podium while I’m presenting and says “I’m just trying to provide some additional points”.
• Was pulled over by the police while driving lawfully and approached with a drawn pistol and asked “What are you doing in this neighborhood?” (This is where I live and this is my neighborhood.)
• After dropping off two white colleagues at a restaurant, I went to park the vehicle and when entering the restaurant, I was denied admission by the maître d’ until my white colleagues indicated to him that I was with them.
• While I was mowing my own lawn, a passerby stopped and asked me for a card and what were my rates.

2.  What have you found to be some of the most effective ways of gauging the actual level and real Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness of an organization?

• How diverse is the executive team?
• What is the diversity of the organization?
• What programs has the organization sponsored for the black community?
• Taking a look at where the company chooses to invest its dollars in the community.  Is it the arts or education to underprivileged people?
• What engagement programs you have in place?
• What criteria have you implemented to measure and monitor progress?
• Asking others “Give me an example of a woman or a person of color who you’ve coached?”
• At work, it’s the people who are selected as the up and comers in the succession plan.

3.  What have you found to be some of the most effective ways to encourage people to open their minds, change their ways of thinking and behaving, and promote a real sense of belonging and inclusiveness in organizations?

• When people are respectful to me as a person and not for the position I hold.
• When I am invited to social events without strings being attached.
• When people show me they want me to be the best I could be.  People took the time to map out what I should be doing and what experiences I needed.
• Show me that they really care about you as a person. They take the time to role play with me and show me how I could have done this better.  Say “Here’s what you’ve got to do in that situation.”
• Have to have the tough conversations.
• If I’m appreciated and valued, I’ll stay with the organization like anyone else.
• Given people the opportunity to weigh in.
• Created “Black Professionals” group at my former organization.
• How do you leverage the rich resource to impact programming and how do we market to the blank community?  We did a lot of inexpensive stuff at my last organization.
• We listened to the people in the community and we tried to reach out and ask them how the company was functioning.
• People want to make an impact and to be part of the solution.
• Having open dialogues like what we’re doing right now.
• When something happens, engage in a candid dialogue and show them how that feels.
• When people say or do things that are inappropriate, the assumption is that they should know better.  But they often don’t know.

Suggested Next Steps:

While conducting these crucial conversations, readers need to evaluate how well they and their organizations understand the primary issues and challenges associated with diversity, equity and inclusion.  Applying proven approaches to gain this new knowledge will help us to most effectively engage and “call people in” to other ways of thinking, instead of “calling people out.”

Readers are cordially invited to share your own questions and reactions which we’ll be pleased to incorporate in our follow-up blogs. We’ll also share some evidence-based diversity, equity and inclusion best practices, along with historical data that you may find insightful.   For example, click on the following link for introductory information about structural racism. https://youtu.be/YrHIQIO_bdQ