How to Be a Better Anti-Racism Advocate at Work

Tired of hearing about racism, diversity and bias? Imagine what our Black work colleagues and friends feel in workplaces where they are often in the minority. Taking steps toward a more inclusive, less racist workplace begins with self-awareness and an understanding of the privileges and power white people take for granted. It means uncovering and combatting our own unconscious bias, stopping racism whenever we see it, and educating ourselves by reading and listening.

Black Americans have been experiencing and fighting for justice and equality for decades. But the most recent events and protests have many of us wondering how we can best support work colleagues and friends who are Black or fall into other marginalized groups.

What can we do to become stronger advocates and allies?
 

The racial picture at work

In professional settings African-Americans are often overwhelmingly outnumbered by white people. According to hbr.org, “… Black people account for 12% of the U.S. workforce, close to their 13.4% representation in the general population.” Those numbers, however, fall significantly at higher levels with “just 8% of managers and 3.8% of CEOs being Black.”

This underrepresentation has obvious effects on income … and with it … housing, access to quality schools and education, retirement savings, and much more.

But, in addition to economic impact, being the minority at work comes with challenges and emotional costs, says Adia Harvey Wingfield for theatlantic.com.

Wingfield references research by Carbado and Bulati that indicates that minority professionals feel they often must tread cautiously at work to avoid upsetting the majority group’s sensibilities — “they can be visibly Black, but don’t want to be perceived as stereotypically Black.” They also have difficulty finding mentors of the same race, coping with stereotypes and being treated as a representative for their entire race.
 

Outright discrimination and subtle bias

Cases of workplace race discrimination continue, with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reporting 23,976 race discrimination charges in 2019. This includes hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoffs, training, benefits, as well as outright harassment or work policies that discriminate.

Subtle racism and microaggressions also continue, prompting a renewed focus on diversity, inclusion and unconscious bias, making workplaces taxing for Black workers, who feel they can’t be authentic at work.
 

Find out more about Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace at the virtual, instructor-led seminar.

What can you do to be an ally — to fight bias and help make your workplace more welcoming?

1. Understand your own privileges or power. If you identify as White, acknowledging the privileges of your white racial identity is a crucial step. Need examples?  It’s also important to consider who holds the power (who gets to make the rules of the game). Facing your whiteness can leave you feeling guilty, sad, confused, defensive or fearful. Also consider how over time when a non-dominant group (people of color) are discriminated against, targeted or oppressed, they can internalize the myths and misinformation leading to internalized racism. What do you do with your power … your privilege … your influence? You could use it to take risks that support others.
2. Interrupt racism when you see it, suggests the Smithsonian’s nmaahc.si.edu. This means always speaking out against racism when it occurs in conversations with friends, family or colleagues. Whether comments are overtly racist or more subtle words coming from individuals who may be unaware of their biases, speak up. Even though it may feel uncomfortable, say, “I know it may not have been your intent, but that comment was offensive.”
3. Become more aware of and openly accept feedback about your own bias. If someone tells you something you’ve said or done demonstrates implicit bias or appears racist, you might be shocked or defensive. But remember, we are often unaware of our own implicit biases and they don’t necessarily align with our declared beliefs. Thank the individual for speaking up, ask questions to help you better understand how he or she feels, and commit to not doing or saying something that will affect them in this way again.
4. Educate yourself on issues. Instead of relying on marginalized people to educate you, take time to research the facts on the issues and the history of those issues. (Here’s a starting point on racialization in U.S. History.) And stay up to date.
5. Listen and learn. Supporting an African-American or Black colleague or friend means listening carefully to what he or she says, suggests registered psychotherapist Renee Raymond for globalnews.ca. Their experiences related to race are diverse and very different from white experiences with race. Allies can learn by listening without judgement to the experiences our minority colleagues and friends have been dealing with most of their lives.

There are things each of us can do to eradicate racism and support our colleagues and friends. Don’t avoid these issues. Become more self-aware, learn about the issues and step up when you need to.