BECOMING AN ANTI-RACIST

Becoming An Anti-Racist, My Continuing Journey

 There are moments in your life you will never forget. You know exactly where you were and what you were doing when “it” happened. For me, some of the big moments I remember are the day Elvis died, when Ronald Reagan was shot, when the Berlin wall came down, when terror struck at the heart of America on 9/11, when Barrack Obama was elected as the first black President and when Kamala Harris broke every glass ceiling by being elected as Vice President. I can remember each of these moments so vividly and I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing for each of them.

 I also remember the day I decided to become an Anti-Racist. It still makes me sick at my stomach to recall the events of that day. My wife and I (I am sure like many of you) watched our TV screen in horror as George Floyd was murdered before our eyes by those we trust to protect and serve. I was astonished to see the other officers who could have so very easily stepped in, stand there in silent compliance to the terrible and gruesome crime that was being committed in plain sight. I heard him crying out and saying “I can’t breathe” as the life was drained out of his body. The moment that seemed to last forever ended with George becoming very still, his body lifeless as his spirit departed. I wept. Yes me, a tough and burly guy that NEVER cries, cried like a baby. Full of a sorrow deeper than I can ever remember feeling. What was happening to the country I love? How could this happen? It seemed like a scene from a movie but it wasn’t fiction. It was the culmination of a rivers of racism that had overflowed their banks and flooded our precious land.

I realized at that moment that I HAD to do something. Going through my life and not standing up made me just as guilty as those officers who stood silently by while their colleague murdered George Floyd. I was disgusted with myself for remaining silent and for not doing everything within my power to make it stop and reverse the tide of hate. I resolved to listen, educate myself, speak up, activate and LEAD. With the words “I can’t breathe” echoing in my head I made the CONSCIOUS CHOICE to become an Anti-Racist. Just like every business initiative that I have taken on in my career, I realized that to become an Anti-Racist, I NEEDED A PLAN. Here is the personal plan that I developed and that I hold myself accountable to:

1. EDUCATE MYSELF: Read everything I can get my hands on about black history and racism in America. How can you attack a problem if you don’t understand it fully?
2. FORCE MYSELF TO HAVE THE HARD CONVERSATIONS: Actively reach out to black friends and colleagues to gain a full understanding of their experiences and feelings. Listen with empathy with the purpose of understanding.
3. CHANGE MY ENVIRONMENT: I took down various memorabilia pictures in my office and replaced them with pictures of Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela and Obama’s inauguration to remind myself every day of what I stand for.
4. SPEAK OUT: As a business/team leader I have the ability to use that platform to speak out against racism. I had to toss aside my “political correctness” and to lean in to the discomfort of championing change.
5. GET INVOLVED: I chose to volunteer for every single opportunity within my company and my business community to speak up and lead change. 
6. MAXIMIZE IMPACT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA: Again leaning into discomfort, I decided to ACTIVELY take a stand on social media to make everyone aware of where I stand and to be an Anti-Racist change agent.
7. ADD ANTI-RACIST GOALS TO MY OTHER BUSINESS OBJECTIVES: Every year I have a list of business objectives that I am driving or trying to achieve.  Anti-Racist actions must become a permanent part of my objectives just as important as delivering business results.

Now, you may say that I am one man and if I do all of the things above very well, it is a mere drop in the ocean and will not make an impact. Believe me, I challenged myself with that same notion. However, I was reminded about a story I heard from a former pastor when we were attending church one Sunday many years ago. The story goes like this. A young boy was walking along a beach one beautiful summer day. Literally hundreds of starfish had washed ashore when the tide had come in and were lying there stranded on the beach and baking in the sun. The boy walked along and one by one, he reached down, grabbed a starfish and hurled it with all his might back into the ocean. An old man stood by watching the activity of the young boy, shaking his head and smiling. The man approached the boy and said “son, I know you are trying but there are hundreds of starfish on this beach and you will not make much of a difference”. The young boy looked down at his feet and thought for a moment. Then he reached down, picked up another starfish and hurled it back into the ocean. Turning back to the old man the boy said “I made a difference for that one!”

This painting is of a mural in Minnesota about the George Floyd incident. I had it made and mounted it on my wall, right by where I sit every day. It says “I can breathe now” at the bottom of his torso and lists the names of all the others who have been victims of racial hatred with the caption “say our names”. I put it there to remind myself of my commitment to MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I see it every day and ask myself every day; “what else can I do?” My Anti-Racist journey has just begun and I have much more work to do. But with the same attitude of that small boy, I CHOOSE to make a difference. One action at a time. It is my hope that you will join me, starting a journey of your own. If we all made this choice, just IMAGINE how powerful that would be!

Paul Lloyd, Anti-Racist