Below is an email I sent to my corporate leadership team and my colleagues on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.
Subject: I need you to see ALL of me
I know this is a long email among a countless number of emails in your inbox, but I do hope you read it all.
Dear colleagues and friends,
It’s hard being a black person in America and the past few weeks have been tougher than usual. I’ve experienced a mixed bag emotions – anger, frustration, sadness, exhaustion. The recent events don’t hurt because they’re new, they hurt because it’s a never ending story that has continuously resulted in nothing changing. And I’m tired of it. Enough is enough and things must change. I don’t want the next story to be my husband, my brother, my nephew/niece, my cousin, my future child or me.
Now is not the time to be impartial, to be silent or to be ‘color blind’. I need you to see me…to see all of me…to empathize with the pain, hurt and frustration that I’m going through…that a lot of your black colleagues are going through. But it’s not enough to just acknowledge it. If you truly care about me and your black colleagues, you will take action to drive change so we can stop this never ending cycle that is currently elevated in the news right now. Otherwise, the story will fade after a few weeks and the world will go back to ‘business as usual’ until it pops back up in the news in a few months or a few years. And for me, that’s not acceptable. Because for me and many other black people, the issue will still remain a fact of our daily lives.
I’ve had several people ask me how I’m doing, and it’s good to know that I have colleagues who care. To better help you understand how I feel and why, I’ve included below an article and a video that provide a little more insight. I’ve also shared my initial thoughts on what I think needs to be done by all of us. I sincerely hope that you will join forces with me to help drive change so I don’t have to live in fear of myself, my husband, friends or family members being the next headline or name on a protest poster.
Some perspective on how I feel & why
Black Trauma And Showing Up At Work - refinery29.com article
Understanding the issue (spoiler alert: it’s about more than just George Floyd, Breonna Taylor or Ahmaud Arbery) - Chris Cuomo video
My call to action – I see there being 2 buckets of ongoing work:
1. Proactively practice anti-racism behaviors/actions
a. I’ve provided a list of resources below to help you get started. The list is long because we have A LOT of work to do over a sustained period of time. So although the list is long and we’re all very busy people, know that if you decide to do nothing because the list seems too burdensome, myself and your other black colleagues will continue having to carry this burden alone. We don’t have the privilege of opting out.
2. Make the people who exhibit racist behaviors/actions uncomfortable
a. One of the most disturbing issues for me with the 9min video of the officer kneeling on George Floyd’s neck and the video of the white woman in central park falsely accusing the black man of threatening her life, is the fact that these people felt comfortable with their immoral actions even though they were being filmed and other people were around. What this says to me is that they felt like there wouldn’t be any meaningful consequences to their actions – based on the multiple instances where justice hasn’t been served and no consequences were experienced, I’m not surprised. So I want to change that. I want people to feel uncomfortable exhibiting racist behaviors, and in order for that to be true, we all must call it out, have the tough and uncomfortable conversations about it and there must be consequences when people’s lives are put in danger.
Resources you can start with are listed below. But like anything else, if you want to know what you can do to make a difference, Google is always a great place to start. 😊
Educating yourself
· A detailed list of anti-racism resources #1 - http://bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES
· A detailed list of anti-racism resources #2 - Medium.com anti-racism resources
· 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice - Equality Includes You - https://medium.com/equality-includes-you
· Suggested book: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
· Suggested documentary: When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix (This is very relevant considering the recent central park incident were Christian Cooper was accused of threatening a white woman)
Educating Kids on Race
Numerous studies have shown the early and negative impact society's racism has on children's development. By the ages of 3 and 4, American children internalize racist stereotypes of self and others. By age 5, they recognize that different groups are treated differently and understand something about their racial social status. Children will never just "unlearn" these things on their own. (excerpt from a CNN article)
· How do I make sure I'm not raising the next Amy Cooper? - CNN article
· Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup - prettygooddesign.org article
· 31 Children's books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance - embracerace.org resources
Book recos from a colleague who ordered these for her kids
· The Power Book: What is it, Who Has it and Why? - Find it here
· A Kids Book About Racism - Find it here
Below are a few images that have spoken to my heart in some way. Including them here to give you food for thought and reflection. They could also be used as discussion starters with your family and friends.
Tasha Randle