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Tuesday

No Favor, No Response, No Movement - Black Lives Still Don't Matter in Many Workplaces

It was all lip service and well-written letters stating the companies were supporting African Americans at the height of the protests this year (2020), but all I saw was a platform for people to speak out about their prejudicial experiences and not much else.  It was back to covid-19 and business as usual.  

There was no movement in most workplaces like it was out on the street, because most people in leadership roles aren't the least bit interested in stirring up the pot where they rely on their paychecks--you just can't bite the hand that feeds you especially if it is a closet racist.  

Businesses were careful about what they said and what they were doing to "help."  In every letter I received from predominately white businesses, I was looking for something that I couldn't find, power.  What African Americans would be given the chance to sit in a board room among investors, managers, business owners and others and implement some real changes?  I offered my assistance.  I was willing to offer suggestions that weren't based on ethnicity, but simply ways to do business better.  I responded to one of those "supportive" letters identifying with our plights as African Americans working in predominately white establishments.  I stated I appreciated their kind words and I mentioned my personal experience working with the organization which had been positive, but what I did was also acknowledge what they said about hiring more minorities and I was willing to help with marketing, hiring practices, and so on.  I added that I have a background in Journalism and Communications, diverse experience working with people of all ethnicities, and went on to mention other things I could help with and you know what I got, no response.  That's right no response! 

So I started thinking, "maybe (the individual) was busy, maybe I need to escalate what I wrote because he really isn't in any position of decision-making...did the group have an African American in mind they were already familiar with to assist or possibly lead...was my letter too long, too short...did I sell myself well, should I have given some detailed ideas..."  I realized quickly none of those things were it, I sat back and watched, I noticed a pattern with other trending things that many companies wrote about like Covid-19.  

Covid-19

Well-written letters that talked about being concerned about workers' safety and thanking us essential workers, they mentioned what we already knew about such as: wearing face masks, washing hands, maintaining social distance, but what about keeping unnecessary public areas closed like seating areas, lobbies, apartment amenities, etc.?  We weren't out of the clear yet with the pandemic.  Instead, we saw a list of everything that would be open on the news.  Plexiglass guards weren't (and still aren't up) at every public location for cashiers and front desk workers, and some workers didn't have anything protecting them.  

To date, many people are still working without masks with no enforcement despite mandates.  There are still no disinfectant wipes at most public locations, no coronavirus testing results are required at many workplaces for those who returned back to work after having all the symptoms, and testing that did occur is taking far too long to get results back.  Yep, those empathetic letters "for safety reasons..." while people continue to die.  The writers were told to pen something thoughtful by upper management include a few action verbs, then check-mark complete, and on to the next task.  It's all about the money not our lives!

When a company truly wants to make a difference and they sincerely care about you, they will pick up a phone, arrange to meet with you, listen to what you are saying, and put action behind their words.  They don't just send letters out, conduct mainly one-sided conference calls, yet not walk the walk.  

Back to Black Lives Matter at the Workplace Too..hmm, really?

How did we even get to a point where we needed to address prejudice everywhere?  Defenseless people get sick of being told someone is going to do something about something, but don't!  

I personally do not need another token or favorited black woman or man speaking for me.  What I am finding are many of them are are simply happy with the conversation they are having with whites and not much else, "Someone finally noticed me, hooray!" I'm not much interested in another white person empathizing with my pain, I need more than that!

What most of us want is the following:  our names behind our ideas with the royalties to go with it--give us credit where credit is due, our positions being appreciated with the kind of money that you pay your white counterparts, we want quality resources in communities nationwide, to be treated fairly, justly, and obvious racist people continue to experience consequences for their actions and inactions, and many of you know the rest.  Instead what we receive is some "select" blacks running their mouths when a news topic is trending about a "black" issue while a non-black person behind the scenes jots some notes down.  He or she may even have a tear in his or her eye about our experiences, but that information is shared with someone or a group that just wants to sell us more things that matter to them or give us a job where our paychecks can't afford the very product that we are selling for non-blacks!

When we want to meet with whites about issues that aren't just about what black people go through, but everyone, nonblack influencers are unresponsive, busy, or already took care of the least controversial issue, because remember, they can only do but so much, they don't want to make too many waves, "I need my job."  Business goes on as usual.

Token Blacks in Corporate America - Black Workers Matter

Check out the following thought-provoking equations I created, and that I have seen ongoing in workplaces recently as well as in the past where there just ain't too many of us...

One token black with a matter + a few acknowledgments and issues addressed from mid-level management (not upper unless "the matter" was escalated and not in-person--the middle man or woman is often used) = personal satisfaction for the one or group giving the compliment/award/promotion and something the complaining African American can be proud of.

Two token blacks with a matter + a meeting with someone of importance = promises to meet some easy requests (just so long as they aren't too much of an inconvenience) and temporal satisfaction for all.

A few token blacks or maybe more (who aren't scared) with a matter + a meeting with upper management about all parties involved who violated policies/rules = a systematic plan to get rid of those troublesome blacks (write ups, layoffs, demotion, termination). 

Several token blacks or more with a matter + an in-person meeting (or maybe not) with upper management who hears about the issue and promises but doesn't deliver = negative news media attention and profit losses.

I'm never satisfied with empathetic, sympathetic letters and lip service and you shouldn't be either.

Nicholl McGuire blog owner and the author of Know Your Enemy: The Christian's Critic.
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African American Planet: Relationships, Education, Products & Lifestyle by Nicholl McGuire is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at africanamericanplanet.blogspot.com.

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