Why white leaders were painfully quiet this Black History Month
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Why white leaders were painfully quiet this Black History Month
As March unfolds, many of my colleagues, friends, and clients have been asking the same question: Did this year’s “celebration” of Black History Month seem quiet to you too??
Over the past four years , many of us working in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have experienced a surge of invitations to speak, train, and collaborate. Society seemed to be collectively recognizing the importance of affirming that Black lives do, in fact, matter. However, this February presented a stark contrast; whereas previous years presented an overabundance of opportunities, I found myself having only one paid speaking engagement on my calendar last month.
Peers of mine have echoed similar sentiments across social channels, text chains, and meetups. Best-selling author Elizabeth Leiba shared that she received zero invitations to speak. DEI strategist Adriele Parker revealed that her experience has been the same. Another leading DEI practitioner, Tammy Triolo, cosigned their stories.?
This collective silence underscores a broader concern about the state of engagement with and commitment to DEI . And it suggests to me that perhaps the greatest threat to dismantling white supremacy is the wavering resolve of white allies.?
In 2020, HuffPost reported that 82% of white men and 81% of white women perceive themselves as strong allies to historically excluded colleagues. The survey revealed that most white respondents identified their “strongest allies” as individuals representing “an equal mix” of races and genders. However, Black and Latina women described encountering a contrasting reality within the workplace, and were less inclined to view white individuals as their allies. A mere 10% of Black women and 19% of Latinas reported white individuals as their strongest allies at work.
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THE RED ROVER EFFECT
As a DEI practitioner myself , I believe one reason this Black History Month was so quiet is because of a common pattern of solidarity and apathy that I call the Red Rover Effect. The children’s game of Red Rover begins as two teams form and create a human chain, holding hands tightly, facing one another on opposing sides. Once assembled, one side sings, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send [insert name] on over!” inviting an opposing team member to run full speed and try to break through the chain. If their attempt succeeds, a member of the opposition is won to their side. If not, they are absorbed into the existing team. The game continues until all opposing team members, unable to break through, are forced to fall in line.
In this way, Red Rover can be an eerie reminder of what it’s like to navigate life as a Black person—always facing barriers, waiting for an invitation, and striving for acceptance. The aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020 exemplified this experience. Worldwide protests provoked individuals and corporations to quickly announce newfound resolve in the fight for justice. The invitations to “come on over” were declared. Advocates for change started running as fast as we could to build practices, lead trainings, and form advisory committees. I collaborated with numerous Fortune 500 corporations, assessing their DEI programs. I connected with companies and individuals who said their eyes had been opened to the stark reality of racism, and they were committed to change. We saw a record number of jobs created in the DEI sector.?
But as the echoes from protests faded, so did the many companies’ commitments to DEI . It appears that many of the DEI pronouncements were purely performative —merely a means to quell the uproar. Since then, DEI budgets have been cut , programs have been diminished, and now DEI executives are being forced out or are leaving on their own accord after realizing they have been placed in positions without the power to make a difference.?
DEI experts charged forward only to find that the corporate leaders who had invited us were not welcoming (as they had led us to believe), but rather, clenched together tightly and unwilling to yield power. There were some breakthroughs, and some allies won. There were also well-intentioned individuals who initially were committed to change but discovering a limit to their solidarity when faced with discomfort and confronted by the monumental size of the task before them.?
A CO-OPTED CONVERSATION
Another reason this February was a painfully quiet Black History Month is because we are witnessing a disheartening cycle of retreat among white “allies” who have allowed DEI teams to be cut—and for conservatives to co-opt conversations about DEI.?
The retreat of white allies is a pressing concern for many. Recent Pew Research data indicates that 56% of Americans support DEI efforts. And a recent Marist National Poll highlights that more than 80% of respondents believe that diversity, encompassing race, ethnicity, and religion, strengthens our nation.?
Cuts to DEI teams are happening at alarming rates. Zoom recently eliminated its entire DEI team , as did Snap . According to the Washington Post , “Meta, Tesla, DoorDash, Lyft, Home Depot, Wayfair, and X were among major corporations making steep cuts in 2023, slashing the size of their DEI teams by 50% or more.”
Plus, anti-DEI sentiment has recently surged as conservatives frame DEI efforts as anti-white. To be clear, this argument is both deliberately misleading and fails to address the fundamental issue at hand: Where inequities exist, all people are harmed.?
Despite this risk of harm, conservatives aim to convince others that DEI endeavors seek to establish preferential treatment or enforce ideological conformity. They stand arms-linked, arguing that DEI initiatives compromise meritocracy and may impair evaluation based on abilities and qualifications.
THE LEGAL LANDSCAPE
A final reason I believe Black History Month 2024 was so quiet is because conservatives have created a fear of legal repercussions among corporations.?
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn affirmative action is a major reason so many companies were quiet this Black History Month. In June , Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton sent letters to 51 global and national law firms urging them to step back from DEI initiatives. And in July, 13 state attorneys general warned Fortune 100 companies about their DEI programs.?Plus, some 30 states have recently passed or introduced bills against DEI. Throughout this, too many allies have stood frozen.?
The frustrations that echo from the mouths of DEI leaders today sound painfully similar to changemakers of the past, namely the frustration with the “white moderate” that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of in his Letter from Birmingham Jail . “I must confess that over the past few years, I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate,” King expressed in April of 1963. “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.”?
King reminds us that challenging systems isn’t about patience, convenience, or palatability. We achieve progress with linked arms through highs and lows. If teammates loosen their grip, our chain is vulnerable.
Adept Research Analyst, within the FinServ, IT and GRC technology space with a love of marketing, strategy, and of course, research and writing
8 个月I think the Red Rover comparison and 'Co-opted conversation' is accurate. To expand on that, I also think that there's likely a correlation between a "quiet" Black History month, with a polarizing election cycle as well as diminished attention to ESG initiatives with companies. The "S" (social) in ESG often aligns very much to DEI , which similarly has been on decline over last year+ Response by Joe. K points out that lip service without action can be perceived as a detriment. It's much easier for leader's to remain quiet especially as certain cross-sections (consciously or sub-consciously) have a declining (or no) interest in expanding DEI or ESG. This is amplified during elections and recent SCOTUS decisions. The effort to address social issues, versus the financial viability and PR perception (real or imagined) around this is a cycle that seems to re-invent itself. As the research this article show, few companies or leaders aggressively distinguish themselves as allies to BPOC effectively, and this is even more true when BPOC are not part of the transformative conversations nor policies that DEI (or S in ESG) are meant to foster. So, it comes as little surprise that leadership voices were more quiet this February.
Real estate professional, mentor, coach, talent attraction
8 个月DEI is code for affirmative action which SCOTUS has struck down. Perhaps DEI is suffering from its own inadequacies, which have little to do with hiring and promoting on merit. The fiasco at Harvard and the ultimate removal of Claudine Gay is exhibit A to what I’m speaking of. Until America reverts to meritocratic hiring/promoting practices we will continue to see an inferior work force.
?? ?? ??Experienced Digital Marketing/Sales Strategist
8 个月I am not at the level of leading a company, but one thing I noticed is in that year’s past, some white leaders would say certain announcements and it came off insincere like they were just checking a box, or on another angle, if they say something about being inclusive, one look at their company would show they didn’t actually have any black representation. They caught a lot of flack for that on social media, rightfully so. I wonder if some have adjusted in these cases of giving black people the platform themselves within their companies, and if they haven’t, they should. Well researched article, thanks for keeping us up to date with all the DEI changes (and looming changes).
Student @ Rutgers University | Learning, Growth
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