5 things / anti-racist conversation starters
This week, I spent a lot of time thinking about what it means for me (a privileged cisgender, white, lesbian) to be an anti-racist ally to people of color. I've seen peers on social media wondering the same thing. Here are some really simple, apolitical places to start:
Reach out to each of your black and brown friends and check in with a simple text, "thinking of you amidst all this trauma. hope all is well."
If you're a leader, send a message to your team and co-workers and let them know that you and the organization support people of color and are committed to embracing diversity. Create space for authentic conversations.
Be deliberate about expanding your network and circle to include more people who are different from you.
When you have opportunities or content to share, amplify people of color.
Consume podcasts, books, articles, TV shows, etc created by people of color. I'm happy to make suggestions.
Talk to your kids about race so it's not a taboo topic. Here are some conversation starters.
Want bigger ideas? Watch this video.
Hit respond if you want to talk through these or other principles of anti-racism, or if you want to discuss training your team on inclusion. We have awesome facilitators who can help you hold these conversations in a way that allows each of your team members to feel valued.
This week I read some inspiring things as well:
Amazon opened a permanent homeless shelter inside its Seattle HQ. Although the shelter has been planned for several years, it opened during the pandemic with some Covid-specific considerations.
You can be in the NYC Pride virtual parade by responding to this casting call (by Monday!)
This ranking of corporate America's response to Covid-19 has lots of great stories. For example, I had no idea that Verizon committed $54 million in contributions to nonprofits.