STOP LYING.

The past 2 years have been fraught with challenges.

That has got to be the understatement of the century. With all that is going on, what certainly hasn’t taken a back seat is racial interest and racial unrest. Racial equity and social justice work efforts are on par to match that of any other time in history. After the murder of George Floyd , companies like ours gained lots of publicity. The questions were poignant and they were the same...

“What do we do to fix this?”

This simple question highlights how much work is left to do. In all honesty, I hate the “What do we do to fix this?” question. It is an indication for me that on the surface people have no idea how big “this” is. First of all, what is “this?” Many people ask that question and they have no idea how embedded racism, racist policy, and racist practices are in our institutions. In fact, they often mean, “How do we stop this outward expression of intentional, conscious and mean-spirited harm without making any of our clients, employees, or anyone else feel uncomfortable?”

This is why it is imperative that before people engage in any kind of racial equity work that they have at least a foundational understanding of why the inequities exist. Without that, what happens is inevitably a dog and pony show that is doomed for failure.

Why?

Because learning about “this” can be traumatic. Inward work will come with external consequences. People will be upset and uncomfortable. Some of those disgruntled people will be funders, board members, politicians, community groups, and your family members. You cannot engage in racial equity work without losing some friends. In fact, just the mere mention of the word “diversity” let alone the term “racial equity” will be met with swift resistance and it will come early and often. So, get some thick skin if you are serious.

Short of having thick skin, at least stick to your values.

There is not a single organization that doesn’t demand that ethics and integrity are foundational to their values. In fact, many organizations are full of people who argue that ethics and integrity be specifically called out on the company’s website and other marketing materials. But as it relates to racial equity, organizations lose the courage to allow moral compasses to lead. The leaders have no issue lying* to their internal stakeholders and to everyone outside their organization about their intentions and even about their actual racist policies and practices.

TOP THREE LIES

1. We value people of all races: If you value people of all races, it should be apparent. Do not publish an article highlighting how much you value all of your customers if your organization has terminated 95% of the African-American leaders within your organization. Stop publicly claiming to value racial equity but internally your behavior is out of alignment. In short, stop lying.

2. We invest in racial equity training: If you believe that there are gaps in understanding and your stakeholders have funded training, please invest the times in credible training that has proven to be effective. Avoid? touting your training plan and then balking at the time commitment. You can spend an entire semester learning about one aspect of racial injustice and still be a novice on the topic. Know that it will take more than a 20 minute Zoom session to move the needle or stop lying.

3. Our aim is greater diversity, equity and inclusivity: If you are data driven, racial equity is one of the few challenges where the data is clear . Either you believe something is wrong with BIPOC people or you understand that a history of racist policy and practices have created the disparities. Leaders will deny every single, solitary ounce of data depicting that we have a racial problem in America. They even insist that it is the training designed to fix the issues that causes greater divisiveness not the racism. Just. Stop. Lying.

Harvard Researchers have concluded that they could not “conclusively isolate the impact of unconscious bias, prejudice, and racism in generating the disparities” precisely because there was so much of it. If you have a desire to fix this, know that It is worse to say you value something and then behave to the contrary.

If you believe the undisputed research about diversity, equity and inclusion improving outcomes , then ensure your behaviors match. If you value the importance of living in alignment with your values, then show the proof. If you need help, Racial Equity Tools provides help free of charge. If you still don’t know how to start, you can learn privately without embarrassment. But by all means, if you do not value racial equity, my invitation is simple.

Honor your values.?

Stop lying.

*Before hiding behind the guise of intention, think about the impact of your lies - intentional or not.

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Dr. Nicole Price is CEO of Lively Paradox . Through transformational training workshops and keynote presentations, Lively Paradox delivers actionable insights and skills to help leaders, teams, and individuals bring their full selves and best efforts to work, every day.

Find more tips and professional development videos on her YouTube channel: Dr. Nicole D. Price , or visit www.livelyparadox.com to learn more about her company.

Photo Credit: Samantha Levi