It's Time to Tell a New Story: Embrace Black
Pepper Miller
Cultural Insights Expert, Author, Let Me Explain Black Again, Black "Still" Matters in Marketing and Co-Author "What's Black About It?"
"In addition to my "core four" Black Affirmations, what are your affirming beliefs about Black consumers? It may be easier to start with Black people you know -- perhaps a friend, neighbor, or family member. What do you know for sure about them?" - Excerpt from "Let Me Explain Black, Again"?
This Black History Month, I want to challenge you to tell a new story. Identifying with Black people doesn't have to be an abstract exercise. Start with who you?know. The Black guy at your favorite restaurant? The parents of your children's friends? Your?neighbor two houses down? Do you know them to be?jokesters, always making someone laugh? Do you know them to be?helpful, lending a hand to carry something for someone else or holding the door? Do you know them to be?vibrant, lively and even loud with their music or dancing? If you are curious about them, extend a hand or introduce yourself. It's time to tell yourself that new relationships are possible with people outside your cultural circle. It's time to tell a new story about Black people, and who they can be to you, in your life. Breaking down barriers and closing racial gaps will not come from Washington or the media. It'll come from you, connecting with your coworkers, colleagues and neighbors. Empathy and extending a branch to connect is the path to allyship.?
I have had brands and corporate leaders order two or three dozen books at once, because they want to take this Black ally conversation within the walls of their company culture. Gifting a book like Let Me Explain Black, as well as other resources, for me, is one of the greatest gifts one could give an employee or colleague. It's the gift of possibility to begin partaking in valuable conversations-- first with yourself (what I call "internal dialogue" in the book) and then with others. Conversations sheds light on misperceptions and blindspots we all have, even those we're not yet aware of. The insights that come from conversations lead to changed perceptions and eventually changed behaviors.?
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I speak on stages and in board rooms all over the nation, with all manner of people in the business and market research worlds. But I go into each one of those engagements, ready to have a meaningful, personable conversation. It starts there. You can start a conversation. Ask yourself who you know, and what you know about them. Extend your inner dialogue, into a conversation with the Black people in your circle. And then with those closest to you. Start conversations, make connections, I implore you, going into 2024 with a resolve to tell a new story. My book "Let Me Explain Black, Again" can guide you and those you lead.