It’s 6am. The alarm sounds, you wake up, complete your morning ritual, and then, of course, you check your phone.
An alarming news alert is sitting on your locked screen: “Video: Unarmed teenager beaten by police.”
Sadly, that type of headline has become commonplace—but routinely upsetting headlines, graphic videos, and hateful rhetoric on social media shouldn’t be normalized. It’s not healthy.
What’s even worse? When you decide to check out the disturbing news clip, and it actually hits home. It could be a hate crime that targets individuals who share your faith or an incident that marginalizes members of the community in which you grew up.
At this point, it’s 7am. Despite your fear, anger, or sadness, you still need to go to work and be productive. It’s a real challenge.
In July 2016, I was faced with this very dilemma. I woke up to news that Mr. Philando Castile was killed by a police officer at a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. His daughter was in the backseat.
I like to see things with my own eyes, so I watched the video. It was just as horrific as it sounds. I am not from Minnesota, I do not have any children, but it still struck a chord. A young man driving with his family was pulled over—that could have easily been a friend or a family member. I was overwhelmed with sadness.
What Happens When We Can’t Leave What’s Happening at Home?
When I arrived at work that same morning, it was business as usual. The silence struck me because my phone was flooded with texts about the incident, as was my newsfeed. I thought to myself, “How am I supposed to focus in the face of this tragedy? Why is nobody saying anything? Should I say something?”
According to Ellen McGirt’s article, Why Employers Need to Talk about the Police Shootings of Black People
“The concept of inclusion, the idea that people from a variety of backgrounds can ‘bring their whole selves to work and thrive,’ is a lofty and beautiful one. But when a traumatic event occurs—that means employees are going to be affected emotionally." The article goes on to say that “horrifying events present employers an opportunity to incorporate compassion into their management systems.”
The advice in McGirt’s article is not just for employers, it’s for everyone. My work involves advocating for diverse communities, many of which have been historically marginalized. I fight to make sure they are included when it comes to health care access. It would be hypocritical to advocate for others and alienate myself. Sometimes you have to initiate difficult conversations. Here are three steps you can take to address high profile instances of racial bias in the workplace.
How to Build an Inclusive Environment at Your Own Office
Start the Dialogue
During lunch, a few colleagues asked how I was doing. Instead of the standard, “I’m fine, how are you?” I shared the experience of hearing about Mr. Castile on Facebook. I asked if they had heard the story. As it turned out some hadn’t even seen the footage. It wasn’t that they didn’t care, it was that they didn’t know.
Get on the Agenda
Water cooler talk is natural in any office environment, but if you are serious about sharing and giving feedback, you’ve got to get on the agenda. Each week, our meetings begin with a moment of reflection. Instead of hijacking the agenda with my personal interests, I connected with my supervisor to ask if I could use those five minutes to share my feelings about what had occurred.
Tie It to The Mission
I am no stranger to public speaking, but addressing the topic of police brutality and alleged racial bias is tough. I didn’t want to come off as distraught, angry, biased, or accusatory. I wanted to be taken seriously as a professional but also as a human who thinks and feels.
So I asked other colleagues to speak alongside me. One read a list of victims of police brutality and demonstrated the proximity between the location of the incidents and our affiliates in the respective cities. Giving that perspective emphasized the magnitude of these incidents in the communities we serve.
As the workforce continues to diversify, it is important for employers to understand the cultural dynamics that can affect employee productivity and office culture. For women of color in professional settings, issues of racial bias and violence can be alienating. Fostering an environment of understanding and open dialogue allows employees to open their minds, practice empathy, and learn more about each other.
