5 Things / legacy
This week, millions of people mourned the loss of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and mourned the lack of justice for Breonna Taylor. Maybe you were one of those people. Or maybe you’re a leader of one of those people. Either way, I hope you gave yourself and your team grace and space to mourn.
RBG’s death has me thinking about legacy and leaving the earth better than I found it. She certainly did. Did you see the powerful photo of BRG’s former (yes, mostly white) law clerks standing as pallbearers on the Supreme Court steps?
To me it begs the question: how can I be the kind of leader for whom over 100 former co-workers are willing to show up as pallbearers in the middle of a pandemic?
How can you?
Here are some things that inspired me this challenging week, all of which came from outside the U.S.:
Starting with the awards in 2021, all 6,700 voting members of The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) will have to undergo unconscious bias training before casting any ballots. This matters because unconscious bias has meant that film and television has lacked meaningful diversity, with underrepresented voices historically locked out of awards. This is a massive commitment.
France doubled paid paternity leave to 28 days, 7 of which are mandatory. This matters because parent-child bonding is super important, and providing more time for dads is the equitable thing to do and ultimately can provide a more balanced parenting partnership.
The UK government has issued specific and really great gender-identity guidance for teachers, specifying that teachers should not tell children that they might be a different gender based on their personality or the clothes they want to wear. This matters because 1% of people (and about 3% of teens) are transgender / gender noncorforming, and we should support them and include as early on as possible.
And in perhaps the best news of the week, Schitt's Creek swept the comedy Emmys. The joyful and hilarious TV show celebrates inclusion and kindness beautifully. This matters because it's really wonderful to see those values cherished and rewarded. Some of my favorite Black actors (Uzu Aduba and Regina King) were also awarded Emmys this week.
Finally, I wanted to share something my brilliant friend Michelle Silverthorn wrote on LinkedIn on Thursday:
If your company spoke up and said Black Lives Matter four months ago, and today they are silent, then please ask them exactly what they meant when they said Black Lives Matter? Do Black lives only matter when everyone else is speaking up and we have no choice but to join in? Because that is not how this works. At least … it shouldn't be.
Thanks for all you do to build a more inclusive world-
All the best,
Photograph by: The Washington Post