DIVERSITY, EQUITY INCLUSION

Anti-racism at Work: Honesty, Support, and Commitment

By Reachel Knight

THE PANDEMIC WAS A GAME-CHANGER FOR ME. Like everyone, I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands with nowhere to go and nothing to do. I reflected on my personal and professional life, and all the social unrest associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. As others have shared before, being a Black woman in a predominantly White, male industry comes with challenges—and anyone like me can share the ones they’ve faced. You hear stories about demotions, being overlooked for promotions, and being denied access to certain projects and opportunities, but unless you’ve lived them—which many of us have—it’s hard to grasp.

As part of my healing process, I set objectives for myself: ■ First, I wanted to become fluent in the principles of diversity and inclusion and be able to apply them to my everyday life. So, I completed a Leadership and

Inclusion Certificate in my spare time. ■ Second, I wanted to be more unabashedly vocal around my experiences of racism, especially in my professional life. The time to turn the other cheek to uncomfortable conversations has passed. ■ Finally, I wanted to create clear expectations of what I need from my employer and colleagues as part of an anti-racist professional environment to guide my professional development.

What became apparent to me is the qualities I seek in my professional and personal relationships are the same: honesty, support, and commitment.

Honesty

Honesty seems like such a simple concept, but honesty around race and racism is much more complex, especially when defensiveness, anger, and frustration are involved. No one wants to be called a racist or to be accused of racist behavior, but there are too many stories (mine and others) and too many incidents of overt and covert racism to ignore.

The intent of anti-racist work is not to dissect each individual instance, but rather to have safe, open discussions that result in forward-focused solutions. (I strive to perfect the art of calling people in versus calling them out: calling people in is a gentler approach to difficult conversations about race and racism, and is, ultimately, a more effective way to work through problematic behavior.) It’s crucial that individuals and employers do not look to the oppressed to fix the problem of systemic, institutionalized racism.

I’ve been in countless discussions where I am looked to for suggestions and recommendations because I’m a person of color. As a Black woman, I’m living in a racist society and trying to navigate it as best I can. I continue to do the work to educate myself, and my expectation is that colleagues, peers, and leaders do the same: It’s no one’s job to educate you but you. It is the responsibility of those with privilege, especially in leadership roles, to champion change and work toward being openly anti-racist, seeking out expert support when needed. Do some quick research online to locate the diversity and inclusion experts in your area who can facilitate important conversations about employee relations, hiring practices and policies, and more.

The intent of anti-racist work is not to dissect each individual instance, but rather to have safe, open discussions that result in forward-focused solutions.

Support

I started working in the parking industry at a municipality in Canada in my early twenties. My manager at the time, a middle-aged White man, sat me down and said, “You are going to have a hard time in this industry because you are a young Black woman, but here is how I am going to support.” He knew my professional reality and made a promise to navigate it with me. He made it his mission to ensure I always felt included, had access to opportunities, and called out racist actions for me so I didn’t have to. This was my introduction to allyship, and I cannot begin to explain how grateful and appreciative I was (and still am) for that support.

I began my career very aware of how my race and gender would work against me, but the acknowledgement and support from my organization and mentor was incredible. This is the work of allies—those with privilege must use it to hold space for, amplify the voices of, and advocate for the needs of those who are marginalized. That is what true support looks like.

Commitment

The moment I accept a new job, position, or challenge, I am fully committed and will give the opportunity my very best. I’ve never thought to ask my employer to make a reciprocal, explicit commitment to anti-racism; to me, that should be the starting point for any organization. By commitment, I don’t mean the commonly found “we are an equal opportunity employer” on a website or a job posting. Those are just words. Organizations need to take actual action to ensure they are being actively anti-racist and working to eradicate systemic racism. For example, implementing policies, practices, and initiatives that directly support disenfranchised individuals in the workforce.

Is there diversity at all levels of your organization, or is diversity situated only at the more junior levels? If it’s the latter, your hiring practices and professional development programs need to be reviewed. It’s also crucial that a diversity and inclusion lens is applied to all corporate goal setting and decision making, so it permeates an organization’s culture and is more than a one-off checklist item. Anti-racism is an ongoing and holistic commitment that organizations must make.

Relationships are difficult. We often spend more time (virtual or otherwise) with our work family than our actual family. If the past year has taught us anything, it’s the importance of transparent, respectful, and meaningful connections for our emotional and mental well-being. More than a year after George Floyd’s murder sparked international outrage, my hope is that organizations, colleagues, friends, and family continue to define their own growth objectives, navigate difficult situations and conversations with empathy, and educate themselves on how to be anti-racist in a genuine, lasting way. ◆

REACHEL KNIGHT is business strategy coordinator with the Calgary Parking Authority. She can be reached at reachel. knight@calgaryparking.com.