Response To Corporate Messages Of Support From A Black Executive

Dear Decision Makers:

For days my feeds have been overwhelmed with corporate statements to “stand united with the black community”. A multitude of them from the sports & entertainment space. Immediately I’ve wondered if the black employees at those companies would agree they stand with us in practice? Sadly based on many of my own experiences the answer would be a swift “No”.

Really though, all Kaepernick did was take a knee and he was blackballed for it. The irony is that many who criticized him then, or were simply silent, today “stand in support”.

The murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery & Breonna Taylor, and the Central Park incident are horrific. They’re disturbing to me not only as an empathetic Human, but as fresh reminders of painful indignities faced in everyday life.

After 20 years in Sports/Entertainment/Events I can attest to many of the hurtful practices continuously occurring in work environments as well. This is not just a police problem. This is a people problem, a Humanity problem. Meaning it exists everywhere, racism isn’t magically erased in a sport or entertainment focused workplace, or because a D&I executive is on staff.

Black employees, entrepreneurs, colleagues and partners are totally exhausted.

I am totally exhausted.

I’m exhausted from being followed by store clerks… exhausted from white neighbors rushing to close secured entry doors in my apartment building… exhausted from fear a family member will end up on the wrong side of a police bullet or knee… exhausted from being stopped for DWB (Driving While Black), handcuffed, arrested, and held for an afternoon under suspicion while police confirmed the SUV I was driving belonged to my dad & the Harp taking up the backseat actually belonged to me, cause who’s actually seen a black harpist right?

In work settings I’m exhausted from being put in a single box, as if black people are monolithic… exhausted from being characterized as “negative” or “toxic” (aka the angry black woman) because how dare I calmly state a firm point of view or challenge the status quo… exhausted from assumptions about me being translated and accepted as facts but never being asked to voice my perspective… exhausted from all white marketing teams ignoring their lack of an inclusive thought process… exhausted from company indifference… exhausted from presenting ideas & solutions based on my expertise that are quickly dismissed but then accepted if resubmitted by a white counterpart with more “political equity”.

Those are a select few of my personal life and career experiences. Yet, I’m grateful because I’ve also had many non-black allies and colleagues advocate for me. Which is far more than a majority of my Black peers have ever had.

Those non-black allies provide an interconnectedness and hope that change IS possible.

I’ve said all this to make a plea to senior executives at leagues, teams, networks, corporate partners and agencies....

How about going a few steps further to backup your very well crafted words of support?

• First recognize culture is not built on free breakfast or a foosball table and Xbox in the break area
• Incorporate Black AND Brown representation on your boards to help shape the way your company operates
• Hire & promote Black AND Brown executives to the Leadership teams/C-Suite. Not to check a box, but because you have qualified people already in your organizations or available to you who have earned the chance to have their voices heard & make decisions
• Stop hiring interns based on entitlements & build programs of opportunity for young adults who aren’t the children of friends, don’t look like you & didn’t graduate from your alma mater
• Allocate budgets to work with companies launching meaningful sustainable initiatives geared towards communities of color
• Restructure HR practices, take feedback from employees of color seriously and implement broad 360-degree feedback into evaluations for all employees
• Hire agencies owned & operated by qualified people of color vs. agencies who claim cultural relevance with no diverse representation among senior staff

Show us we can believe your claim of standing with us.

Be the change you say you support.

Black professionals are tired of feeling exhausted.