The Persistent Reality of Hope

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” -- James Baldwin

 As the year 2020 was recently relegated to the record books, it marked the end of a historical and arguably unprecedented year. Perhaps not since the earliest days of this great experiment called America has the nation been faced with such a unique combination of threats, ostensibly coming at us from all sides: 

 ●     Politically, we may be as divided as we’ve been since the Civil War; 

 ●     Racially, our publicly-facing tumult and conflict harken back to the challenging days of the civil rights era; 

 ●     Economically, we are rife with inequality;

 ●     Even our health and well-being have been severely challenged in a way that may rival any point in the past 100 years. 

There is no doubt that this rather surreal period is calling on all of us — both individually and collectively — to rise to meet the challenges of our era. Yet for many, the tank of energy is nearly empty. For inspiration, perhaps we need to look no further than the immutable words of our national hero — who would’ve celebrated his 92nd birthday last month:

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” - Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hope. It’s the foundation upon which all future aspirations ultimately rest. It’s the illumination that once lost, necessarily prohibits a pathway out of the darkness from ever being found. As a person of color who’s spent the past several decades working on issues related to addressing society’s inequities, I remain convinced that hope has never been more at risk. However, I am also convinced that it has never been more important. 

●     Hope is alive in the efforts of our first responders, who are steadfastly guiding our sick nation back to health. 

●     Hope is alive in the eyes of our youth, who’ve pushed back against oppressive systems of criminal justice and are insisting upon reform. 

●     Hope lives in the words and gestures of our elderly, who continue to persevere despite COVID-19, imparting their wisdom to all who would only ask or listen.  

 And yes, hope is alive in the efforts of all those who are slowly but steadfastly causing our age-old paradigms around societal inequity and race to shift, perhaps not quickly enough, but certainly perceptively. 

 As a Black man in corporate America who leads Diversity and Inclusion consulting for one of the world’s largest professional services firms, I’ve seen some of those “perceptible shifts” up close: I’ve seen them inside the firm, PwC, where our Chair and US Senior Partner focuses with a fervent intensity upon remedying inequality. We are bold, intentional, transparent and unwavering in our commitment to D&I. And I’ve seen the shifts with myriad businesses, as corporate CEOs have, arguably for the first time, begun to finally openly grapple with issues of race and inequality.

The business community has the power to address bias and systemic issues that inhibit prosperity and economic growth, and what gives me hope in my role is that we’re seeing that corporations are now talking seriously about age-old barriers created by race and societal inequality.

In biweekly conversations that we facilitate with Chief Diversity Officers (CDO), it’s increasingly clear that leaders in the diversity space are now consistently seeking ways to widen the net and enable greater accountability and impact for their organizations. Achieving results is no longer simply relegated to the CDO and their team. Instead, we are seeing organizations find new ways to hold their entire C-Suite and Board of Directors accountable for progress. Leading organizations are also deeply engaging their employees and resource groups in ways that are more closely tied to achieving tangible business outcomes, and aligning themselves with other organizations and their own supply chains to further amplify their impact. Leaders are recognizing they can take incremental steps that can gradually lead to what may become monumental shifts.

As a result, policies are indeed beginning to change -- and that for the better. Even longstanding corporations are changing policies requiring equitable diversity on their boards, creating a more inclusive culture.

 I am not na?ve, nor pollyannaish -- but ultimately, I am optimistic. There’s not a problem that we now face that cannot be solved. But solving the problems and building a better collective future requires hope to unlock, vision to build, and character to sustain. In short, while success can be predicated upon hope, it will ultimately hinge upon the fortitude of each of us, both individually and collectively, as human beings. It will require us to take stock of our role in this moment in history, and rise to the occasion. As Dr. King also admonished: 

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

So, during this Black History Month, although we may have lost our ability to travel and see our loved ones due to COVID-19, let us not lose hope. 

 We may have lost some of our former role models, but let us not lose hope. 

 We've faced a challenging economic environment, but let us not lose hope.

 We may have even lost loved ones, or members of our own family, but please, let us not lose hope. 

Let’s recognize both the problems and the opportunities of this vital moment. Let’s confront the challenges soberly and squarely, while remaining grounded in the belief and hope that our problems, deep as they may be, are all actually solvable. 

 Mahatma Gandhi, a man after whom Dr. King modeled his non-violent approach to resistance, is credited with saying “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Make no mistake, this is our moment and our time to do precisely that.