Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It’s not pie.
Jesse Williams
If you are a white person reading this blog post, I need to start with a warning: this article may make you uncomfortable. It will ask you to think about things that you probably do not think about on a daily basis. It may challenge your frame of reference and ask you to consider the world from a different perspective. However, if you allow it, this article may also fundamentally change how you see and interact with others. It can help you to change the world for the better. I know these things are true; they all happened to me after I was introduced to the concepts below.
The Realization
In 2020, shortly after the murder of George Floyd, I saw many organizations starting to revisit their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. These organizations recognized that if an event like this could happen in 2020, we are not where we need to be as a society in relation to DEI. During all of this, it never crossed my mind that I could contribute anything to this work. I am a white, middle-aged male. I thought to myself, “I’m not racist, and I treat everyone equally. I’m not part of the problem.” But I was wrong. I was part of the problem without even knowing it.
The Learning
I started to learn more about DEI, and I began to reflect on the fact that a bunch of white men founded this country. When the founding fathers wrote the phrase, “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence, they meant white men. They also explicitly excluded women from that statement, but that is for another article. Slavery continued in this country for the next 89 years. When Congress ratified the 13th amendment on December 6, 1865, white men made that decision. White men also decided to allow women to vote. For a long time, white men had all the power, made all the decisions, and benefited from their unique status. They got a pretty big head start. White men often have all the power, which is why we have a responsibility to advocate for those who don’t.
I also learned that racism wasn’t just about deliberate acts against people of color; there were more subtle aspects. As a white person, I never had to think about these subtleties. I never worry about how the police will treat me If I am pulled over for a traffic stop. When I shop, security never follows me around. When I sit by the hotel pool on a vacation, I am never neglected or ignored by the staff. Wherever I go, I am treated as if I belong. That isn’t always the case for people of color.
Finally, I learned about the “Doll Test” – a psychological experiment designed in the 1940s. The investigators presented a white doll and a black doll to white children and asked them questions like, “which is the pretty doll?” And “which is the bad doll?” The children would consistently attribute positive traits to the white doll and negative characteristics to the black doll. Was this conditioning a result of parental influence? No. When black children participated in the same experience, they also attributed positive traits to the white doll and negative ones to the black doll. Others have repeated this experiment over the years with the same results.
I chose to write this blog post because I think it’s important to consider that maybe the world is not always the way we perceive it to be. That the mere fact of being white has given advantages to a large portion of our society. I does not mean that these individuals didn’t work hard to get where they are. It does mean that people of color probably had to work harder to get to a similar place.
The Work
Hopefully, by now, you are asking yourself, “what can I do about this?” If so, I have a few suggestions:
- Educate Yourself – Spend time learning about the history of whiteness and racism in this country. If you want to dive into these concepts further, check out the book “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo. It will challenge the way you see and think about the world.
- Have Conversations – Talk to people who are different from you. One-on-one discussions with others can help you better understand their culture and experiences. People of color often don’t talk to white people about their experiences because it can make us uncomfortable. Lean into this discomfort as you have these conversations. Allow being uncomfortable to encourage you to change the way you see things and interact with others.
- Get Involved – Support the DEI initiatives at your organization or in the community where you live in any way that you can. Volunteer or attend DEI events, join an action group at your organization, or talk to others actively involved in DEI initiatives to find out other ways that you can get involved. Career Connectors has a great semi-annual Diversity Talks series that is a good place to start. You can see when the next event is on their events page: https://careerconnectors.org/event-schedule/
As individuals or as leaders, we have a lot of power and influence to help move forward with this important work. We have a responsibility to do what we can to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplaces, schools, and our community. I hope that these words motivate you to help make the world a better place for everyone.
