The Danger of the Back Door

"If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one.”?~ Carter G. Woodson,?Ph.D, Mis-Education of the Negro

Have you ever…

• Decided not to apply for a job (or school)?because you believed that you were not qualified?
• Talked yourself out of following your dream of starting a business because you thought that you would fail?
• Stayed silent while witnessing an injustice even though you wanted to speak out?
• Believed that only white people can be successful?
• Believed you’re too old/inexperienced/different to try?

Let’s be honest.?

Everyone has done (at least) one of these self-limiting actions.

This is the “back door.”?

I would like to deny having done any of the above “back door” actions. But that would be untruthful.??

I can remember many times when I chose a self-limiting action.?

They were not my finest moments, but I have chosen to approach them as?learning moments.

I am challenging the back door of self-limitation every day.?

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, American philosopher and the father of Black History month, discussed how racism has treated Black people as “just outcasts'' in their own country and in every store, job, office, street, library, park, or public space.?

The structures, institutions, and people operate in such a way that Black people were treated as inferior, undeserving, and “less than” in every way.?Racism ordered us to the “back door.”??

Internalizing racism kept many of us going to the “back door” without even being ordered to. (Dr. Woodson predicted this!)

In the above experiences, I confronted my “internalized” racism and self-limiting thoughts.?

Fortunately, I was able to recognize the “back door” of self-limitation and make changes for the future.?But the experience encouraged me to think of other times that go to (or seek out) the “back door.”

The “back door” can be created in many ways.

• By racism.
• By misogyny.
• By attacks on identity.
• By self-doubt.
• By low confidence.
• By fear.

The “back door” is always following us and seductively enticing us to “go this way.”

Going in the “back door” can feel like an easy way to get into the building.

What’s the harm?

The harm is that you might not feel like you belong in the building.

• Or the classroom.
• Or the job.
• Or the office.
• Or the store.
• Or even the country.

The “back door” is not the entrance to belonging, acceptance, or empowerment.

The back door is the pathway to accepting one’s inferiority and the legitimacy of a system that created front doors for some and back doors for others.?

Which door do you enter?

The Challenge of the Front Door

It is not always easy or comfortable to enter the front door, particularly when we have been socialized to look for the “back door.” We also know that there can be consequences for attempting to enter the “front door.”

Yet the front door is empowering and uplifting.??

Yes, the front door can challenge you to confront racism, sexism, and even your own self-doubt and fears.??

It can challenge your confidence.?

It can also boost your self-esteem and empower you inside--and outside--the building.?

Five Steps towards the Front Door?

1. Recognition. It is important to recognize that there is a “front door” and a “back door.” Every door is not equal.
2. Awareness. You must be aware of which is the back door and which is the front door. It is not always clear so take time to learn which door uplifts and empowers you and which door reinforces fear or inferiority.
3. Decision. You need to make a conscious decision to enter the front door, recognizing that there may be external consequences.
4. Action.?Just do it. Walk in that door. Ask for help or support if you need it.
5. Congratulations.??Honor yourself for going in the front door. Help others to use the front door, too.

The front door is open for you!

Which door will you use?

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