Racial injustice isn’t mostly about subconscious impulses — the problem is structural and requires a systemic response
Several years ago, when research about implicit bias — also known as unconscious bias — started to enter discussions about racism and how to undo it, I remember thinking three things.
First, the research demonstrated an obvious truth: people internalize biases picked up from society.
Second, the instrument chosen to…
The Takeaway
Overwork is a vestige of slavery
Co-authored by David Stovall, PhD and Ebony Omotola McGee, PhD
We do it all the time. As Black academics and racial justice researchers, we work seven days a week and way too many hours in the day. The grind never seems to end. We love the work although it comes…
The Takeaway
Working from home has an unintended benefit: White co-workers can’t get close enough to me to reach out and touch my tresses
My natural hairstyle changes frequently, and pre-pandemic, I wore it in a short, tight, coily wash-and-go style or, other times, in small twists or flat-ironed. The style that elicited the most attention was my Afro, which was larger than Angela Davis’ signature hairstyle.
I was accustomed to inquiries about my…
Black Thoughts
When it comes to Black employees, we already know the challenges
A new study by Walmart finds that, unsurprisingly, it will take almost a century for Black workers to be equally represented in the private sector.
The study, also cosigned by McKinsey & Company, more specifically states that it would take 95 years for Black employees to reach “talent parity.” In…
My interviews these days have a few more curveballs
“For the first time in more than a year, I’ve been playing the field for a heat check on my market value and other opportunities. I’ve noticed that things are…
Talking smack at work is nothing new, but here’s how to handle it
“Discussing discrimination directed toward us in the workforce is almost like beating a never-ending drum that few folks actually hear. Essence magazine recently conducted a survey that revealed 45% of Black women say they experience racism in their place of employment most often compared to all other areas of their…
An open letter from your Black diversity consultant
First, I usually hear it in your voice. Then, I see it in your body language: the SHIFT.
We’re on a call to discuss your newfound interest in diversity, equity, and inclusion work as an organization and as a leader. The second I shift from the word inclusion to the…
When you give advice to a Black person from a place of white privilege, don’t expect us to say thank you
I am an anti-racism writer. I share my experiences so that people understand that racism is real; it is not the collective hallucination of Black people the world over.
I write from a place of pain and trauma. It hurts to relive my experiences, but I feel the need to…
Momentum
A blog from Medium about the fight against anti-Black racism.
