Dave Chappelle: "Unexpected Change Agent"

Last night, there was an act of leadership that was courageous, risky and so needed. This occurred when "comedian" Dave Chappelle chose to denounce and speak to the antisemitic rants of celebrities figures such as Kanye West and basketball star Kyrie Driving. Let us make no mistake, it takes great courage to speak to these issues that throughout history has been the incentive for dangerous actions. And, we are now living in a time where despite access to knowledge, the amount of misinformation and poor communication can easily create dangerous condition where people will be inspired to take the wrong action.

What Mr. Chappelle did in speaking to the dangerous judgement involved in these antisemitic rants is to demonstrate the leadership voice needed to help us see more clearly, to try to bring meaning to what appears chaotic and to work to defuse the rage. Chappelle wisely suggested that Kanye (now called YE) may not crazy", but that he is "unwell". That is a less incendiary way to help us understand a person who is in trouble. It takes courageous leadership to speak to what we all need to hear. But Chappelle also presented the data that, there are many Jews in Hollywood. And, Chappelle is right in understanding that how we speak about "Jews" is a sensitive matter. A people who have been traumatized are not imagining a dangerous world. Jews are also not imagining a rise in antisemitic violence. So, it was courageous to name some of that data without trying to "work the data" .It was in presenting the inner thinking that rarely gets voiced that Chappelle brought humor that made it easier to consider two different minorities. He said many things, including that he was also scared that speaking could be the way that he himself could have his success taken away.

So, this is our paradox-we may have many policies, programs and calls for diversity, end of systematic racism, antisemitism and other minorities, but, if we are afraid to talk to each other-what can change?

It's risky to speak to the issues. And, without that, nothing really counts. we need leaders from all minorities and majorities groups to start speaking to the issues and to each other. We need the facilitators of diversity management and coaches to leaders giving support for these courageous conversations. If your want to know what a change agent looks like- Dave Chappelle embodied that last night. Even if you do not agree with all he said, can you look to see what courageous it took to speak as he spoke. If you want to see what a programmatic commitment looks like to speaking these issues-SNL and its leadership, Lorne Michaels, demonstrated that.

We need more. We need to applaud them and then we need to start talking to each other and making sure that the terrible tropes of racist slurs, anti-semitism, homophobic and other ills are unpacked and treated a fertilizer for the human condition. Let the wrong words spoken without accountability not become weaponized.

I welcome the change agents and leaders who risk to say what we need to hear. I invite your support of that and ways to meet across our differences.

#tikkunolan #healing #awarene