A Time for Optimism?

"No one has ever washed a rented car."  Attributed to several notable figures, the essential point is that unless one owns something, there is no motivation to care.  And without personal self-interest, why would anyone act?  Indeed, there are many reasons.

For thousands of years, religion has attempted to provide an ethical framework and motivation for virtuous behavior.  Rabbi Hillel, the famous Jewish religious leader and scholar, noted:  “That which is hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the whole Law. The rest is commentary...”  Messages concerning kindness, charity and selflessness have long existed.  Rejecting hate and considering others as oneself are underpinnings of a just society.  But commitments can not come merely at times of convenience and comfort.  Hence the urgency to evolve and embrace a new mindset.  We have more attention and buy in than perhaps ever before; an opportunity to confront and internalize our racism while using it as motivation to drive systemic change.

Roxane Gay, a contributing writer at The New York Times, published an opinion piece this past Sunday entitled:  “How We Save Ourselves.” Asking whether a sustainable upending of current racial inequities and economic injustice is possible, she commented “A great many things that were supposedly impossible have suddenly become priorities. It’s a bittersweet moment because we always knew change was possible. The world just didn’t want to do the work.”

I was struck by Gay’s language.  She let us off the hook.  It is not that ‘the world’ didn’t want to do the work.  It is white people.  The power structure.  As a white person, I wondered:  what would be the benefit to owning our racist past, of understanding our white privilege.  Of course there are committed folks who strive for racial justice and equality – those who are truly motivated to see real change – but none of this will be realized if led only by a select, well-intentioned group.  Until there is a dramatic and fundamental reorientation – particularly by individuals who don't recognize they are inherently part of the problem -- nothing may happen.

It is more than ridding ourselves of a pervading 'what's in it for me' mindset.  We must embrace our fundamental role in perpetuating inequities and injustice.  Part of this is to understand the 'specialness' of whiteness.  I can jog freely through virtually any neighborhood in America.  No one has ever trailed me in a store.  I have never been mistaken as a driver, valet or delivery person.  I have no pressing need to speak with my kids about exactly what to do (and what not to) if ever stopped by the police.  It won’t be a life threatening experience for them.  If we are being honest, we, as white people, must recognize our role as 'aggressors' who do not fear possible recriminations.  If I have an issue -- whether with the police, a store owner, anyone -- I don't hesitate to address it.

As Robin DiAngelo, a white professor and author who wrote White Fragility:  Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism said in a recent interview:  “We live a very insular experience. We have rarely ever been challenged in our racial worldview. We move through a society in which racial inequality is the very bedrock...and we are rarely ever out of our racial comfort zones.”

Yes, there is momentum from the corporate world toward change since the murder of George Floyd less than a month ago.  Examples abound:  Jordan Brand has announced a $100M donation to racial justice organizations over the next ten years, NASCAR banned the Confederate flag from its racetracks and facilities, YouTube has created a $100M fund to support black creators, and Apple has made a similar $100M commitment toward addressing racial and economic inequalities.  There are numerous other examples and more will certainly follow.  But how much of this is driven by consumer-facing companies that need to be responsive to a diverse base of customers?  How much change is being driven by individuals who are part of the white power structure and who have truly confronted their place in a racist and unjust society?

To help accelerate the potential for change, we’ve developed the SALA Series, an event-based platform that brings together a diverse global community of executives and influencers around themed points of discussion, with the goal of forging new relationships and helping spark change.  Change is not possible without engagements like these.  The work of meaningful introspection and honest dialogue is challenging – our goal is to make the process easier and expand its impact.

Dr. Helene Gayle, CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, a former CEO of CARE and a key member of our SALA community, who spent decades at the CDC and Gates Foundation, commented during a recent SALA event that she is ‘cautiously optimistic’ regarding the potential for change.  As she explained it, her emphasis was on the word ‘cautiously’ for a reason:

"I am cautious because I think despite the awakening that we are seeing and the recognition of the longstanding impact of racism, real change is hard.  This is especially true if change demands a dismantling of systems that provided unequal benefits. Those that have benefitted from unjust systems may resist change because they think there are winners and losers.  In the end, we will all win, if those who have been marginalized and denied opportunities are able to more equitably contribute to our society."

Indeed, this is a critically important movement.  But until individuals go through their own reckonings, structural change won’t happen.  Those of us in liberal white America who think "well, I have black friends; I've read black authors; I'll understand what it means to really be anti-racist and act on it."  But it is this same group that bears particular responsibility to be activists in an even more meaningful way.  

It is about more than speaking up at a dinner party when a racist comment is made or not crossing the street when a group of African American teens are coming your way on the sidewalk or choosing African American authors as part of a book club.  What about attending events or finding other ways to spend time in different neighborhoods from one's own, joining groups where you are the minority, investing in the success of others through mentorship and taking a leadership role with organizations on the front lines of change. 

As James Baldwin, the famous African American novelist, playwright and poet famously wrote:  "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."