#31 - Drip by Drip
Sharing an email from a friend to his company
This past week I’ve been listening and learning. Part of this was reading an email that a Black friend wrote to his company. This paragraph was a wake up call:
I have personally never felt overt racism while working at *****, though I know that is not the case for many other employees. However, it deeply saddens me to see the lack of black employees at *****, especially in executive and management positions. Most of you will never have the misfortune of walking into a room of 50 people for an All Hands and not seeing a single person that looks like you. Or to be confused with somebody else of your race, who looks nothing like you, and have to stop yourself from saying “I think you mean the other black guy." Many people have asked me what they can do to help. In my opinion, the best thing anyone can do is to TAKE ACTION.
The email, published in full below, offers concrete suggestions on how to take action.
It goes without saying that systemic racism and police violence are huge issues. Seth Godin offers a helpful perspective on tackling overwhelming problems in Stuck on Enormity:
When a problem appears too large, too intractable and too unspeakable to deal with, it’s easy to give up. There never seems to be enough time, enough resources or enough money to make the big problems go away. Perhaps we can start with a very small part of it. One person, one opportunity, one connection. Drip by drip, with commitment. Those are the two hard parts. The insight to do it drip by drip and the persistence to commit to it.
The best way to start is to pick one thing and do it. Then, if you’re able, do another. Drip by drip.
Talk is cheap, so here’s an action: I will match a total of $500 in donations to organizations fighting for equality and racial justice. Respond to this email with a donation receipt. Many organizations are doing this important work. A few that I’ve been supporting are Campaign Zero, Community Bail Funds, and Fair Fight.
The full text of my friend’s email is published below. I’ve removed his and the company’s name:
Subject: Thoughts From a Black ***** Employee
Hi Team,
In the last few days, many of our ***** leaders have shared their own messages regarding recent events. Some very thoughtful and genuine. Others, less so. I thought it might be helpful to hear from a black employee. By no means do my thoughts represent those of other black or POC employees here at *****.
I have personally never felt overt racism while working at *****, though I know that is not the case for many other employees. However, it deeply saddens me to see the lack of black employees at *****, especially in executive and management positions. Most of you will never have the misfortune of walking into a room of 50 people for an All Hands and not seeing a single person that looks like you. Or to be confused with somebody else of your race, who looks nothing like you, and have to stop yourself from saying “I think you mean the other black guy." Many people have asked me what they can do to help. In my opinion, the best thing anyone can do is to TAKE ACTION.
I realize that it may be overwhelming to figure out what you, regardless of your race, can do to help. So I took a few hours to comb through several resources and identify ways you can participate, depending on the amount of time you’re willing to invest. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it will get you started. If you can pick 2-3 things from this list over the weekend that would go a long way. I would encourage you to take this time to get out of your comfort zone. You might be surprised what’s waiting on the other side of fear.
Call, Text or Tweet Your Mayor to reduce police brutality (5 min)
Go too www.8cantwait.org and search for your city. This site lists which of the 8 policies that your city has enacted that have been shown to reduce police brutality by 72%. These policies don’t require passing laws, the mayor can choose to enact them whenever they see fit.
Call, Tweet or Email your Mayor (feel free to use email template here)
Donate (2 min)
NAACP Legal Defense Fund here
Black Lives Matter here
Split donation between 70 different bail funds here
Get Educated (1.5 hours to several hours)
Read a book by a black author and buy from a black owned book store that ships nationwide. Here
Watch a documentary - 13th (Netflix), I Am Not Your Negro (Prime Video), Central Park Five (Prime), 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets (HBO)
Join a Peaceful Protest (a few hours - WARNING: You might enjoy it)
Chicago: https://www.protestchicago.com/
Share Messages (30 min to a few hours)
Talk to your managers about racism. Hold them accountable.
Talk to friends and family who are racist. You know which ones I’m talking about. It’s not enough to 'not be racist’.
Vote (however long it takes, just do it)
More Resources
AirBnB made a great, much more extensive, guide here
Anti-Racism Resources here
All the links you could ever need Here
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” -Martin Luther King Jr.
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