Black Lives Matter Discussions are Appropriate and Necessary in the Workplace and on LinkedIn

On June 17, 2020 when I logged on to #LinkedIn via my laptop I noticed something different.

I'm an avid user of the platform, so changes stand out to me. This particular change not only stood out to me, but it resonated with me.

Usually the LinkedIn logo on the home screen task bar (at the top left) is the brand blue with 'in' in white. On the 17th the blue was been changed to black.

Right away I thought the change happened as a way to demonstrate support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. LinkedIn has been highlighting #BLM content in their 'Today's new and views' section and related content overall. So it made sense to me to see the logo change. But I needed to make sure, so I reached out to a LinkedIn executive to verify. He confirmed!

I've seen some LinkedIn users say this is not the place for such efforts. But these are not normal times. As a Black woman, I truly appreciated seeing the temporary logo change.

This brings to mind a quote by Albert Einstein,

“If I were to remain silent, I'd be guilty of complicity.”

There were some who clearly did not agree with the modified logo or such content being on LinkedIn. I received these comments when I made a post about the logo:

No, No, and No. "All Lives Matter" and Black People don't need White or any other colored People, to stand out for them. Instead, that is really a paternalist behavior and emphasizes a much deep racist pattern for sure. Stop the brainwash. Linkedin as well, please.

To further her point, shortly after making the comment above she changed her profile image to a graphic stating "All Lives Matter." Although I refused to engage with the person, others reacted and affirmed her comment.

Blacks in USA should compote themselves and comply with the law, so their lives would be matters most. Some of them like misbehaving.

To say the comments didn't rattle me a little would be an understatement. Especially the second one.

                         8 minutes and 46 seconds              

For almost 9 minutes a Minneapolis police officer had his knee on the neck of #GeorgeFloyd. This was done in broad daylight with witnesses all around. This occurred despite Floyd saying, "I can't breathe!"

Have you ever thought about how long 8 minutes and 46 seconds is?

Since the unjustifiable killing of George Floyd, there have been non-stop protests around the United States and internationally. In a sense, this case has been the straw that broke the camel's back. The country that points the finger at other countries for their acts against humanity is finally having to deal with it's own four hundred plus years of systematic racism against Blacks.

Now back to the racist comments I received to my LinkedIn post.

The video of the police officer killing George Floyd was repeatedly shown on the news for countless days. It is very troubling to know that individuals could have seen it or just heard about the 8 minutes and 46 seconds and yet still miss the gravity of what happened.

To be clear, I do believe that all lives matter. BUT saying Black Lives Matter does NOT mean that no other lives matter. The statement is used to bring attention to the racial discrimination that Blacks in America experience. The disparities exist in just about every aspect of society. The response in itself is racist because it dismisses facts and allow for the injustices to continue.

A quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Letter from the Birmingham Jail rings loudly during this period as well:

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

The racist comments I received are what I'm used to seeing on other social media platforms and especially in the comments section of posts from the media. So to see the comments on LinkedIn really disturbed me. This was not the first time I received such comments, but the timing of them made the sting of them more hurtful. With it being the platform for professional and business purposes, I would hope that people would be more selective with their comments.

The racist comments signaled to me why racial discrimination continues to permeate in corporate spaces.

If Black Lives don't Matter to some on LinkedIn or in the streets, they don't matter to them in the workplace as well.

As a Black woman, I know all too well the impact of #systemicracism. I've experienced it since birth in one form or another.

As an #entrepreneur, I'm not exposed to #racialdiscrimination in the #workplace on a daily basis. Prior to becoming my own boss, workplace discrimination was the norm. Since becoming an entrepreneur, I have an ever growing list of times when my proposals were rejected due to 'The Good Ol' Boys Network.'

The data in this LinkedIn info graphic comes from a report by the Center for Talent Innovation. Considering it is 2020, the findings are glaring. {Full report.}

The protests that have occurred since the unjust killing of George Floyd are fueled by the larger issue of the racism that Blacks experience overall in America. The workplace is one clear example as seen in the info graphic.

This is not anecdotal information about the experience of Blacks in corporate America. This is factual information based on 3,737 professionals who were surveyed last year. As the data shows, Blacks are shutout of professional opportunities no matter how educated they are or how hard they work. Sadly, I'm certain that most, if not all, Black professionals can identify with the working while Black dilemma.

White silence and denial of these facts allow the disparities to continue. The George Floyd case was police related, but Black professionals are shell shocked on a daily basis in the work world.

In 2017, I published a LinkedIn article titled, 'Black Women in Corporate America are Hurting.' To this day, the article still generates engagement. The comments that readers made, including men, still weigh heavily on my heart.

In the forward to the above mentioned report, the authors address why the report was necessary:

The US has not fully reckoned with its legacy of racism, and conversations about race are fraught. Despite the fact that hate crimes are on the rise, half of White Americans say, "There is too much attention paid to race and racial issues in our country these days."

The subject of race is even more of a "third rail" at work - preventing the frank explorations it merits, and allowing systems of privilege to remain in place. Representation of Black professionals in leadership still lags far behind college graduation rates.

Black Lives Matter discussions need to happen in the workplace and on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an extension of the workplace in many respects, so why not have the discussion on LinkedIn? These discussion need to happen, but the discourse must be respectful.

Many companies, including LinkedIn, have released statements regarding their commitments to make financial investments to racial justice causes and/or internal changes. The workplace disparities will not be corrected with feel good #marketingcampaigns or quotas. #SystemicChange will only happen from systemic reform. This requires continued focused attention as well as open and honest discussions.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

#diversityandinclusion #diversitymatters #equity #equityandinclusion #inthistogether #corporate #corporatebarriers #diversity  #BlackLivesMatters #WorkingWhileBlack #equityandinclusion