Is Your Organization Racially Illiterate?
Five questions to ask to assess the status of your organization’s diversity and inclusion programs
Weekly — and sometimes daily — I find myself in an awkward position: breaking the news to company leaders that, while they’ve implemented some diversity, equity and inclusion efforts into their organizations, they likely aren’t as racially inclusive, committed or “woke” as they think they are.
These are leaders who are used to — and expected to — measure and track performance, achievement, revenue and/or impact goals, but aren’t sure how to go about the new, or at least newly highlighted task of tracking the success of newly instated DEI efforts or measuring and evaluating the ever-shifting racial climate within their organization. So, I see and welcome the many well intentioned leaders who have done some amount of work to try to level the playing field under their purview.
Many of them have made a concerted effort to hire more Black and Brown employees, they’ve stood up a Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee, and they’ve started recruiting at a broader array of colleges, including historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
So, when I suggest that there’s more that could be done, they’re eager to take the next steps necessary to make their organization better and ask, “What should I do?” or “What might we do?”
Here are five questions I started asking to help them consider the big picture of racial literacy within their organizations — and uncover how they might be able to do more. It may seem like an insurmountable task to tackle all of the facets and dimensions of work focused on equity, racial literacy and the seemingly overflowing bucket of DEI at once, but they must remember that building an inclusive and racially diverse organization requires a team approach and a lot of repetition, practice — and is completely worth the work.
Question 1: What is the makeup of your leadership team?
Given the fact that there are only three Black CEOs at the helm of Fortune 500 companies (and 37 women — only one of whom is Black and is a recent addition to that group), it’s obvious that there’s a racial (and gender) gap in corporate leadership. In the nonprofit sphere, Black people make up about six percent of organizational leaders, according to this 2017 Battalia Winston report.
For context, the Black population in the United States is more than 13%.
The disparity is clear. And the odds that your organization also lacks diversity in its positions of power is high. Paying attention to your leadership team is especially important for leaders of organizations who have higher overall diversity numbers, yet the people of color tend to be concentrated in lower-level positions.
In addition to examining your leadership team, review your managers in the organization. Take a look at the board members. And review those in the organization who have been recently promoted, received public or organization-wide recognition or earned special awards.
While you’re at it, why not review salaries and tenure? Are they equitable? Are people who hold the same position and have similar years of experience earning the same amount? Or, is there a difference between what men, women and underrepresented team members are receiving? It may be time to take a holistic look at your compensation and benefits, and then set benchmarks and predetermined salaries based on position and responsibility, not identity or ingrained presumptions about race.
Question 2: Do you proactively provide a time, place and space for people to discuss racial interactions at work?
When you consider this question, what do you notice? How do you feel? Do you feel resistance? Or are you already aware that your workplace is no place for discussing racial tensions and interactions?
Discussing race at work feels uncomfortable to us because we’re often taught from a young age to avoid these conversations at all costs. However, I argue that noticing and processing these interactions is imperative if you’re interested in building an inclusive, diverse and sincerely committed organization.
At Lion’s Story, we believe this willingness and ability to successfully name and then discuss racial interactions is how people and organizations build “racial literacy.” Just like you’d learn any language that’s foreign to you, developing a racial literacy requires practice, relevant tools, and a willingness to forge ahead when it gets difficult or you’re feeling discouraged. Do note, both of those may happen.
Not talking about something, we all know, can have a long-term negative impact on our psyches, not to mention our physical health. This is especially true for your Black and Brown colleagues. Time and time again, research shows that people of color feel they can not bring their whole selves to work, especially when their organization is largely comprised of white colleagues.
In fact, according to Being Black in Corporate America, a research report by the Center for Talent Innovation, Black professionals are “nearly four times as likely to encounter prejudice as white professionals are (58% vs. 15%) … [and] Black professionals in the West and Midwest are even more likely [to experience prejudice], which could also be due to lower Black population levels in those regions. Without as much exposure to Black people, colleagues have fewer opportunities to correct for stereotypes they’ve picked up.”
It’s important to note that examples of prejudiced behavior aren’t always obvious or blatant — these less seemingly noticeable actions are considered “microaggressions” and can create a toxic environment for your Black colleagues:
· Telling a Black colleague they are articulate or “talk white”
· Not making time to mentor Black employees or junior staff
· Stating you’re not racist, are “color blind,” or have Black friends or family members
· Telling a Black colleague he or she is “not like other Black people”
· Asking a Black colleague to weigh in on Black-centered issues and cultural norms or explain them
· Using inappropriate and racially charged language or telling race-based “jokes”
These microaggressions add up; 30% of Black employees are more likely to leave an organization than their white peers. Not only does this cause a potential PR or, possibly, legal issue for an organization, it’s also incredibly costly.
All that said, not talking about race and race-based interactions is a mistake no matter how you look at it. Not only should leaders prioritize and set up ways for employees to communicate with one another for goodwill, equitable opportunities and because it’s the right thing to do, they should prioritize the practice to ensure continued (and increased) profitability and growth.
Question 3: Similarly, do managers and leadership talk about what’s happening in the world as it happens?
George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Walter Wallace, Jr. Ahmaud Arbery. #BlackLivesMatter. Systemic racism. Storming the Capitol. The rise of white nationalism.
Are you talking about these things and the current state of our country as a leadership team and then addressing them as they occur? Is your leadership team taking the time to host town halls, listening sessions or release statements on each of these historic headline news items to publicly support Black people and denounce the ugly underbelly of racism in America? Are you sidestepping the obvious and downplaying the most serious examples of racism and white supremacy?
According to research from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania, between 2015–2020, the percentages of Black Americans killed by police, sadly, stayed steady. The findings, which were published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health, show that Black people were killed at 2.6 times the rate of white people.
These are things that need to be acknowledged, addressed and given the time and space they warrant. Similarly, on the other hand, outside of the short 28 days of February, are you taking the time to celebrate Black people and their achievements? These are markers of growth and building blocks of victory felt by the Black community — and space should be provided for reflection.
Question 4: Do you hire for “fit?”
In the past several years, organizations, of all sizes and across industries, have touted cultures that hire for “fit.” The job descriptions go something like this:
“We’re looking for ambitious, smart go-getters who share our commitment to excellence, customer service, and are fueled by caffeine. While skills are important, we believe that the right person can learn the tools needed to be successful in this role, but you can’t teach fit. For that reason, we are hyper-focused on selecting the right candidate who will seamlessly join our team and share our penchant for impromptu meetings over coffee, an occasional happy hour and an appreciation for a casual dress code.”
What’s the problem here? “Fit,” for a mostly white workplace, may connote sameness and, ultimately, in many cases, lead to a team that’s singularly white.
Not only does sameness — of color, of gender, of preferences and of motivators — set up a homogeneous culture, it’s more likely to make your organization less competitive than others who focus, instead, on true diversity.
“The case for establishing a truly diverse workforce, at all organizational levels, grows more compelling each year,” writes Vijay Eswaran for the World Economics Forum. “The moral argument is weighty enough, but the financial impact — as proven by multiple studies — makes this a no-brainer.”
The article cites research from global consulting firm BCG, which found that “companies that reported above-average diversity on their management teams also reported innovation revenue that was 19 percentage points higher than that of companies with below-average leadership diversity — 45% of total revenue versus just 26%.”
It’s really a win-win — you’re doing the right thing and being rewarded for it.
Question 5: Does your diversity, equity and inclusion program include ongoing opportunities for training, discussion, learning and skills development?
It’s estimated that 74% of organizations nationally have DEI programs in place, but how effective these programs are remains unclear — and there is certainly a need for a cohesive, strategic change management effort to ensure real impact is made organizationally.
That is, it’s one thing to have a DEI program in an organization — but if it takes the shape of an annual online tutorial with a self-paced quiz at the end, it’s not doing enough. Here’s a few things to consider:
Has any meaningful dialogue resulted from your current program or intentions? If so, how has it been addressed?
If you’ve surveyed your employees, has there been an improvement in perception of race-related issues within your organization? Are you getting feedback from employees that the culture is truly becoming more inclusive?
Are more Black and brown employees seeking out mentorships — and being granted them — by your leadership team?
Are gaps uncovered in promotions, continuing education opportunities and pay being addressed for equity?
To make true progress in diversity, equity and inclusion requires an ongoing, well-funded and results-based effort that works its way purposefully into a company’s culture. In the best case scenario, DEI work becomes woven into the fabric of an organization — and employees, managers, and leadership understand the expectations of themselves individually and collectively to support its goals. And, when individuals betray the DEI mission, they’re held accountable for their actions.
Moving towards racial literacy
Urgent action is needed, to be sure, but it is important to think strategically about how to implement some real changes in the system. In reality, current systems will require leaders who aren’t afraid to tear them down and start from scratch if that’s what it takes.
But it all starts with a conversation, and then the intention is supported by ongoing dialogue, be it uncomfortable or not. Learning how to develop racial literacy within your organization on an individual and team basis is a necessity, not a nice-to-have.
About Lion’s Story
We help nonprofits, small and large businesses, government entities and community organizations across the nation learn, develop and use the skills to have productive conversations about race. To learn more, visit thelionsstory.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
To discuss strategies for developing racial literacy within your organization, contact us at racialliteracy@lionsstory.org.
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Charles B. Adams is a Founder and Managing Partner for Lion’s Story — a non-profit that teaches racial literacy as a tool to fuel empowerment and fight injustice. For over 20 years, Charles worked on behalf of children as a school leader and in not-for-profit settings in New York, Washington, DC and Philadelphia.
