How to discuss race at work
In the midst of the current #blacklivesmatter movement - following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020 - employees and employers are being encouraged to confront the topic surrounding how one's privilege can contribute to unconscious bias and structural oppression within the workplace.
Discussing racism in the workplace can prove an uncomfortable topic for most people, as many places of work do not reflect the diversity in society. So, when race and racial bias is confronted, Black and brown employees often find themselves faced with prejudice, ignorance and discrimination.
Abadesi Osunsade, Founder and CEO of Hustle Crew, wanted to create a toolkit to help people discuss race comfortably and encourage an open dialogue about race within the workplace. She decided to host a free online seminar on the 8th of June, addressing the hesitation around discussing race at work, and how to overcome them. Over 1,300 listeners registered for the sold-out event, with nearly 700 participants tuning in for the online seminar which was hosted via Zoom and Facebook Live. The main topics covered in the seminar were: education about race (or lack of) in our educational system, owning one’s identity, encouraging empathy with colleagues, and using privilege as a tool to combat bias and promote equity.
The seminar began by discussing why teams are not diverse by default, and how this can be challenged, as well as how to tackle racist narratives and deep-rooted patriarchal racism. Listeners were encouraged to submit questions throughout the seminar, which covered matters such as: feeling intimidated by an all-white workforce, dealing with senior management who don’t believe diversity is a problem within their workforce, challenging in-house hiring teams and dismantling systemic racism. Challenging different types of representation was also covered in the seminar, highlighting that men and women are socially conditioned to play particular roles by an oppressive, patriarchal system, with this being more prominent for Black and other minority ethnic people in the office.
A key take-away message from the seminar was the importance of continuing the journey of being anti-racist and the fight against institutional racism - not just at work, but also within our communities.
The month of June also saw the launch of Hustle Crew’s membership service to help individuals upskill as agents of change, join here: https://hustlecrew.co/membership and receive weekly tactic newsletters, case study videos and information on monthly workshops.