How white is your world? 🏳
↩️UNFOLLOW University — May 26, 2023
Happy Friday!
It’s been 3 years since the murder of George Floyd became a tragic turning point in American race relations.
Widespread apathy became worldwide empathy. People of all backgrounds spoke out, stood up and sat down to have uncomfortable conversations.
Our long-delayed racial reckoning was finally happening. As one of the only Black leaders at my company and one of the few Black leaders in my industry, I jumped in headfirst.
For the next 2 years, I wrote articles, taught courses, led groups, launched campaigns and talked more openly about “being Black in America” than at any time in my life.
I was hopeful that an honest diagnosis of the realities of racism would lead to a much-needed treatment plan.
I prayed that this moment would be a heart transplant for a nation in need of healing. Yet, it turned out to be another heart attack for a nation in denial.
Three years later…
My former company is less diverse now than it was before; unwilling to reconcile its ongoing lack of equity with a legacy of discrimination and slavery. 🚫
My former church is publicly committed to becoming a multicultural Christian community but privately refuses to take action against racist leaders or risk losing economic and political influence. 💰
My state is in the process of eliminating all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs from public colleges, two years after passing a law dictating how schools can teach the history of racism in America. 😶
My school district is banning books by Anne Frank, Toni Morrison and others because they address “racial identity.” They also banned the Bible at one point. 📚
My industry - advertising and marketing - pledged millions of dollars in support of diversifying its ranks and set a goal to have 13% of the industry leadership be African American by 2023. Turns out, it was all a decoy. 🥸
My country is tired of talking about racism even though the racial gaps in income, housing and healthcare remain fully intact. Support for “Black Lives Matter” (the movement, not the organization) has waned, with 51% of whites opposing it. 🤦🏽♂️
Many of my white “allies” have returned to the relative comfort of life pre-2020. They’re back to the de facto org charts, church pews and policies of a world that works just fine for them. They are more aware of injustice but also more immune to acting on it.
Three years ago, hate became a trending topic. Today, talking about race is considered race-baiting. Pointing out the divide is seen as being divisive. Telling the truth about our history is treason.
The great reckoning is now the great reversal.
🤯 Radical Truth
Racism no longer requires racists.
America doesn’t care about Black people because most white Americans don’t really know any Black people.
Research suggests 75% of white Americans have entirely white social networks. From Democrats to Republicans, Southerners to Westerners, senior citizens to young adults, men to women; the overwhelming majority of white Americans only have meaningful interactions with other white Americans.
Two of the fastest-growing racial groups, Asian Americans and Latinos, are also more segregated today than they were in the past. To make matters worse, limited contact with African Americans is preferred by every other racial group.
America is simultaneously growing more diverse, more separated and more anti-Black.
This is not accidental. Segregation has been designed into our lives from the beginning. More than 80% of major cities in America are now more segregated than 33 years ago. And minority residents of these hyper-segregated areas have lower income, shorter life expectancy, less education, lower home values and less medical access than their counterparts.
We live in an age of self-segregation where racism is reproduced without any need for people to “act” racist. For many, the race-based separation of our past has become a preference. The whiteness of a community, company, church or school is perceived as an indicator of quality.
The result? We value diversity as a general principle but reject it as an actual practice. Here’s an example:
College-educated whites say they are comfortable living around Black neighbors and having their children in diverse schools. But, in reality, they are one of the most segregated groups from African-Americans and are significantly more likely to remove their children from public schools as Black enrollment increases.
Are they more racist?
Not exactly. They are better able to build the ideal life they feel they deserve. In a racially segregated country, this means a life with limited relationships with Black people.
And in a society where your zip code overwhelmingly dictates your income, education and life expectancy, this blueprint of segregation means Black families of all socioeconomic backgrounds are also sorted and separated from critical resources.
Is this a Black problem, a white problem or a “we” problem? Here are 3 observations worth considering:
Race is not real. Genetically, I have just as much in common with my white friend Daryl as my black friend Shakir.
Racism is very real. Race impacts where my children go to school, the likelihood they will go to jail, the safety of their drinking water, the strength of their job application and the amount of police surveillance they will endure.
Racial data doesn’t change minds. Facts fail to motivate people to rethink their biases. It takes community to build compassion.
The one thing we so desperately need is the thing we stubbornly deny: relationships. All the diversity programs in the world would be obsolete if we simply had real friendships with people who look, think and act differently.
In 2023, perhaps “Black Lives Matter” works better as a question instead of a statement.
Do Black lives matter?
⚡️Courageous Question
How white is your world?
(Take the 60-second survey below)
🗣 Wonderful Words
“Race is the child of racism, not the father.”
🙏🏽 Prayer Package
God, we are all created in your image whether we believe in you or not. The way we show your love to the world is through our oneness, not our sameness. Break our hearts the way we break yours when we hurt, ignore or deny others. Allow me to see beyond myself. To see my brother or sister as equally worthy of justice, protection and freedom. May my relationships with others be evidence of my identity in you. Amen.
🎵 Heal (Find A Way) - Brian Courtney Wilson ❤️🩹
🛠 Practical Tool
I love how Tana Turner explains “racism without racists” and the impact of racism as a structure versus an individual act: “Systemic racism means that we can all be nicer to each other, hire people from diverse backgrounds, and create more inclusive workplaces and simultaneously reproduce racial inequality within organizations and society.”
So, how white is your world?
It’s a simple question with a powerful implication. I’ve led many people through this exercise and I invite you to try it today. The chart below is from a webinar I hosted and it only takes 60 seconds to complete.
*Three years ago my number was 10. Today it’s 6
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Every Friday I’ll send you 5 courageous ideas to help you redesign your work life by making better career decisions:
🤯 Radical Truth - A story from me
⚡️ Courageous Question - A challenge for you
🗣 Wonderful Words - A quote worth remembering
🙏🏽 Prayer Package - A moment of meditation
🛠 Practical Tool - An actionable resource
