Confronting White Privilege with Jennifer Garvey Berger

I think the thing that I got these last weeks is that silence is its own kind of violence.” – Jennifer Garvey Berger.

And why not? Silent racism is a dangerous issue in the context of racial inequality.?

GEORGE FLOYD'S DEATH OPENED THE BIGGEST CONVERSATION ROOM ON RACISM

It's been nearly 2 years since the words “I can't breathe” were firmly carved into our collective memories as we saw a 46-year-old African American man beg for his life while a white police officer squatted on his neck.

His name was George Floyd, and Derek Chauvin – a white police officer – methodically took his life with total disregard for 9:29 minutes.

With his death arose protests against injustice on a national scale which have continued to spark greater discussions not only about race but also about white privilege.

Even though the racial crisis has been simmering for decades, never before has society come together on such a large scale to address it. Many people have, up until now, engaged in a collective act of ignorance by publicly supporting a fair system while being mute when it comes to physically speaking out against racial injustice and systemic racism.

Even though the racial crisis has been simmering for decades, never before has society come together on such a large scale to address it. Many people have, up until now, engaged in a collective act of ignorance by publicly supporting a fair system while being mute when it comes to physically speaking out against racial injustice and systemic racism.

These were the thoughts in my head when an article popped up on my LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago and it said “Confronting My White Privilege .”

I read through it and found the piece raw, and vulnerable which talked about white shame, white fear, white fragility. But, I wanted to learn more from this white, Harvard-educated, half professor and hear what she had to say on the topic of race.

SEEING RACISM FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A WHITE PERSON

Remember that Chimamanda Adichie had rebuked a white man on TV for talking about racism? So reading this article by Jennifer which was very open made it intriguing.

And even more interesting was knowing that it was coming from someone who was doing some work on herself, someone who realized there was a need to change and shift and she was making plans to do that within her organization and someone who was saying that,

“You know what, I don’t have all the answers, but I know I can’t stay silent.”

"When life gives you a chance to build something, make it a bridge, not a wall" is one of my favourite quotes so, I invited her on my podcast, and it was such a pleasant surprise when she agreed to join me and talk about racism, white privilege, why she had to set hers aside in the fight for a just world, and how she is changing her organization's approach to make it more diverse.

“We’re trying to figure it out together… We’re going to make a hundred million mistakes but it’s better to make the mistakes than not."

And it's such a big deal because, truth be told, black people alone can't put an end to racial injustice. Everyone - black people, people of colour and whites - must come together. White people, especially, have to do away with all privileges which aren't earned that they continue to make use of to put themselves ahead. Jennifer sees this as taking the ‘easy road’ in life, which is making the world an oppressive place for others to live in.

“There is no progress without losing something that you had... Development theory has taught us that when you put down what you have, a better world emerges.”??

This was a great conversation on the Leadership Podcast, and you will find it fascinating. Tune in and listen to Jennifer Garvey Berger , the author and CEO of Cultivating Leadership talk about what we should have known about racism and white privilege.

LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST HERE ????????

Leadership Is Confronting My White Privilege With Jennifer Garvey Berger

Podcast Host

Sope Agbelusi is a husband, father, executive coach, Keynote Speaker and Founder of MindsetShift. MindsetShift is a leadership development compact focused on leaders, teams and organisations to create people-centred, inclusive cultures that harness each individual’s full potential. Get in touch here

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