I have a confession
Confession: I don’t drive in America because I don’t and won’t feel safe doing so. I am concerned that I may get pulled over by police and our interaction may lead to me not returning home to my loved ones.
The last two weeks have been an incredibly tough week for many within the global black community. Everyone will have a colleague who is in pain. With the senseless killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and barrage of evidence of the unfair and unjust treatment of black global citizens being televised, many are reminded of the micro-aggressions they have faced in their day to day lives. Whether that be the inappropriate comments they’ve experienced at work, the disappointment of being followed around a shop as the only black customer or “the” conversation black parents have with their children as they send them into the world. I look at my network of friends, family and colleagues and see fatigue. Having to retell their stories and then justify that black lives matters is exhausting.
This week I have been reflecting on how people use their platform to effect change. This week I have been demanding more from everyone. Demand sounds like a strong word but it’s true. This week I spoke with the Senior Leadership team within the UK, our HQ team and Field and Support Leaders to highlight that we all have to do more to understand the experiences and needs of our people. We have to think about how we contribute to society & to review what unconscious biases we all have. We mustn’t shy away from having these conversations and instead create spaces so that people actively listen and learn so they understand. This in my opinion is the only way we will create meaningful support frameworks for those who need it most.
Some people have expressed feeling hopeless and not knowing how they can support. You can support your colleagues by reaching out, reading articles about systemic biases and racism, explore what privilege means and how people benefit from privilege and the most important part…LISTEN. Listen deeply like you will only hear it once. Take in every word and in response don’t justify your beliefs and why you aren’t <insert defence here> but respond with compassion and a will to see continuous change and elevation of those around you.
This is the latest newsreel and I hope that people remember that when the next big topic arises and takes front and centre, some of us continue to battle this everyday on top of everything else.
Former Head of Learning and Development at Nuro
4 年Beautiful words from an incredible person. Demanding more is what we all need to do right now. You inspire so many and every single person you demand more from is fortunate to have you doing so. I miss working with you and will always stand with you.
Helping people use technology to solve problems.
4 年Black lives matter. White supremacy is so deeply ingrained in western society that many of us simply don't see it, but it is there. In the words of Emperor Haile Selassie, as sang by Bob Marley: "Until the philosophy Which hold one race superior and another Inferior Is finally And permanently Discredited And abandoned Everywhere is war Me say war That until there no longer First class and second class citizens of any nation Until the colour of a man's skin Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes Me say war That until the basic human rights Are equally guaranteed to all Without regard to race Dis a war"
General manager
4 年Love you Boo, so happy to have you in my life x
??Leadership Coach ??Leadership Trainer & Facilitator ?? MHFA Accredited Mental Health Trainer ?? Licensed Insights Practitioner ?? Performance & Culture Specialist??Belbin Practitioner??SLII Accredited Trainer
4 年Thank you for your honesty and for sharing this and it was a very powerful read . So important to use these most recent events as a catalyst for positive change in the world. We all need to challenge ourselves to do much more ... I have had a few conversations with my children this week and how they want to show up in the world and how they can fight injustice and stand up for people and give everyone a voice .