The buildup to yesterday’s election was one wild road paved with racism, misogyny, and hatred. At the time that this piece was written and published, we still await a final tabulation of the results, but one thing is clear already: no matter the outcome of this election, we have work to do.
The commentary and spectacle that American politics have become distracts from the fact that for Black and Brown people, the fanfare is only a symptom of the racist systems we navigate on a daily basis. Those systems are especially upheld in the workplace, which serves as a microcosm of oppression and caste.
The Myth of Objectivity
Many corporations, nonprofits, and educational institutions stay out of politics for more than the reasonable caution of what their organizations can and cannot do based on their tax status, being either unaware or uncaring that that too, is a political act. If there’s nothing else that this era of future history books will teach us, we should understand that objectivity is a myth.
Objectivity was at the root of why media organizations normalized White Supremacist talking points, right wing conspiracists, and fascists under the guise of wanting to appear fair to “both sides.”
Objectivity is why a vast majority of Americans remain distanced from and misinformed on our own country’s imperial violence and feel comfortable ignoring the genocide of the people in countries like Palestine and Sudan.
Objectivity is also why many workplaces ignore the realities of this political climate, choosing instead to plow through business as usual, as if this climate isn’t impacting employees and company culture.
And in every scenario, it’s women of color whose needs go unmet and unsupported.
So what do we do about it now?
Keep Women of Color at the Center
The resistance that so much of the country has to policies that would support issues like reproductive access, student loan debt, childcare and end of life costs, and more have one thing in common: they disproportionately affect women of color.
In the workplace, DEI practitioners and expert consultants like ShiftED can support in keeping a check on the bias that prevents meaningful changes from being made because those in power can’t rationalize that making a change that directly benefits women of color is worth the investment. And, that worth is something that does not need to be proven or justified in any way.
Healing Has to be a Priority
The worst thing that this country could do in the aftermath of this election is to move on as if the hatred and vitriol that’s been stoked up over the campaign season and the years preceding it didn’t just happen.
This is exactly what happens in the workplace on a daily basis to women of color who are harmed by White Supremacy Culture, yet are seldom given the tools to navigate spaces not made for them. Sweeping issues under the rug creates a buildup that has a negative cumulative effect on company culture, productivity, and retention. Creating the space, safety, and resources to address racism and biases as they arise may create discomfort in the interim, but the discomfort of few should never be prioritized over the harmful experiences that women of color are subjected to at work.
It may be the American way to put our heads down and pretend that the racism blatantly happening around us doesn’t exist and to allow White Supremacy to skirt by without accountability, but there is a different way possible. In the workplace, that change starts with telling the truth about racist dynamics, making healing a priority, and centering women of color. Schedule a consultation with ShiftED today to begin this journey.
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