Dismantling Systemic Racism
This piece is dedicated to Brandon Hendricks, who was shot and killed last week, an innocent bystander at a party in the South Bronx. I met Brandon when he attended the middle school I founded and led. Brandon was on his way to beating the odds of growing up in a poor neighborhood. He was heading to college in the fall. This is yet another example of how the system is stacked against kids like him. Brandon, we can and will do better.
Dismantling systemic racism: Steps Individuals and Organizations Can Take
In my two previous pieces I provided an explanation of the mechanics of systemic racism and two key tools leaders can deploy to ensure fairness and equality.
This piece offers concrete steps individuals and organizations can take to dismantle systemic racism. Obviously, everyone should read the books and understand how systemic racism works. But that’s not enough.
First let’s start with individuals. Here’s what you can do:
Demand accountability from your elected officials. Call them, send emails, and letters telling them you want to see systemic racism dismantled whether it’s defunding police, re-instituting community policing, increasing education funding, revamping sentencing guidelines that disproportionately impact people of color or any other policy where people of color are disadvantaged.
Support candidates who get it - Vote, volunteer for or give money to candidates who are vocal about issues of systemic racism.
Challenge voter suppression - The more people who vote the more representative our government will be. Call your representatives, request the right to vote by mail and demand that there are enough polling stations in predominantly black and Latino communities. Call out gerrymandering practices of drawing of district lines to advantage one party (and race) if it is happening near you.
Support mobile phone voting - There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to vote on our smartphones since we can do almost everything else this way. It is safe and secure and currently being piloted. Read more about vote-by-phone efforts here.
Demand social media platforms hold themselves and their users accountable. Twitter recently took a positive step in this direction. Facebook not so much. A number of prominent companies have halted advertising on Facebook to protest how it handles hate speech. If individuals stop using Facebook perhaps that will have an impact as well.
Run for office - Sometimes you just have to do it yourself. If you’re passionate about ending systemic racism, being a member of the governing body will give you a direct line to set policy and hold the system accountable. Organizations like the Arena can help you get the training you need to effectively run for office.
Steps organizations can take:
Diverse staffing: How many people of color are at your organization? How many are on your leadership team? How many are on your board? Diversifying your team makes good ethical sense but also good business sense as diverse teams are smarter and produce better results.
Build a pipeline. Commit to building a pipeline of diverse candidates in your recruiting and hiring pool. Do the extra work to make this happen. Look at candidate experience over their academic credentials since we know the education system perpetuates systemic racism.
Review your Interview process. Ensure you filter out unintentional bias when hiring. Get clear on the competencies that will lead to success in the position and create a process that focuses on rather than pedigree.
Review your culture and policies. Ensure they do not unintentionally disempower anyone. Two places where this most frequently shows up are in compensation and promotion so look closely at those two.
Beware the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) pigeon hole. If you have a DEI leadership role at your company first make sure they are not the only person of color on your leadership team and second, that the DEI work doesn’t stop for everyone else just because that role is in place.
Deploy your money and resources to minority owned businesses. Review your vendors and update your bidding process to include equity as a criteria. If you’re a foundation prioritize funding organizations that are led by people of color.
If you’re on a board, make sure board seats are not only filled by white men. Alexis Ohanian stepped down from Reddit’s board and asked that the seat be filled by a black board member. Less than a week later it was.
If you’re a Venture Investor:
Stop funding companies that are founded by all white teams and build pipelines of diverse founders
Push diversity hiring in the start-ups you fund
Increase Angel investment in founders of color
Diversify leadership in your firms. How many partners of color do you have?
If you’re a startup, do the above AND don’t take VC money from firms with only white partners
Have a zero tolerance policy for racist or racially insensitive behavior. Here are two approaches former CEO and current venture investor Ben Horowitz recommends when someone transgresses your culture:
Object lessons - This is a dramatic warning you put into effect after something bad has happened.
Shocking rules - Any rule so surprising or extreme it makes people ask “Why do we have this rule?”:
It must be memorable. If people forget the rule they forget the culture
It must raise the question, “Why?” The rule should be so shocking that everybody who hears it is compelled to ask, “Are you serious?”
It’s cultural impact must be straightforward. The answer to the “Why?” must clearly explain the cultural concept.
People must encounter the rule almost daily. If the rule doesn’t apply to situations people face frequently, it becomes irrelevant.
Hopefully, we have reached an inflection point in the systems that have oppressed people of color in this country since slavery. There is outrage and energy unlike many of us have experienced in our lifetimes. But we need more than emotion, we need action. Will you take it or will you confirm what many black Americans are secretly fearing, that this is just a trend that will fail to lead to real lasting change.
What commitments will you make?