Black Future
In the last few days of Black History Month, we are grateful to have worked with companies that highlight Black stories, uplift Black voices, and honor our history. Black History Month provides the necessary space and time to honor our experiences, contributions and triumphs. How do we honor us in an enduring way, every day of the year?
To understand how companies can do this, we have to take a step back and see the context in which our companies operate. As a society, one way we have attempted to “solve” the problem of exclusion, marginalization, and segregation is by creating spaces of acknowledgment for realities that we have not fully reconciled with. For example, we have not fully recognized or reconciled with the lasting impacts of institutional racism in the United States. There are attempts to acknowledge this reality by reserving special spaces or periods of time to remember, like Black History Month. While it’s incredibly important to make time and space to remember our past and honor the work of our ancestors, Black history is the history of the United States. We cannot separate the history of Black Americans from any discussion of labor in this country. When leaders dedicate a specific event or month to honoring Black history, we sometimes excuse ourselves from integrating that honoring into the everyday. Racial justice requires committed, consistent work. The difference between honoring and marginalizing is the difference between what is said and what is experienced.
This is especially destructive when temporary recognition in a company replaces an ongoing recognition of Black team members. Consistent recognition is necessary to truly acknowledge and integrate lived experiences. Equity and inclusion come through creating company systems that honor diverse groups of people. These systems must center groups that have been historically marginalized and oppressed.
To create cohesion and collaboration in your company, you must remove the divisions and barriers and correct for the imbalance that created them.
Today, leaders are in a difficult position. The necessary work — reconciling societal inequity with company strategies and resources — can be challenging. So how do companies honor Black lives, history, and team members all year long? Create systems that integrate and celebrate our daily contributions. Build recruiting systems that expose you to the breadth of diverse talent. Correct where recruiting efforts index on false identifiers of potential, such as limiting your search to “top” schools. Build a company worthy of Black talent, that is safe and welcoming with clear paths for merit-based advancement. Build learning programs that close skill gaps, including interpersonal skills, across the company. Build compensation systems that check for manager bias. Build spaces in the company for creating real connections so that teams do not rely on assumptions as they collaborate. Build accountability systems for exclusionist behavior and exclusive decision-making. Build paths for Black leaders to emerge from within the company. Build a future that is equitable and forge paths towards that future today.
Learn HERE more about ways your company can build an inclusive future.
Lenore Champagne Beirne
Lenore is the founder of Bright Ventures, and an expert in Inclusive Innovation. Under her leadership, the team at Bright Ventures invests in and coaches startup leaders, and cultivates equity and access in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Lenore is deeply committed to developing and partnering with leaders to build a future that represents the needs and interests of communities of color.
