Anti-Racism Reading List May 2022

“The Black talent you don’t see is a direct reflection of what you don’t do. And it’s nearly impossible to undo decades of exclusion and discrimination by hiring one diversity leader. The talent pipeline that runs dry leads to a well you never watered.”

“Although I wrote this great think piece, no one really wanted to hear from a Black woman who actually has an opinion and (gasp) thinks. I realized that society is more comfortable having individuals who are not familiar with my work in the area of diversity, research, academics and mental health, and who also don’t look like me to speak for me, instead of allowing me to publicly speak for myself. And in the end, society has made a conscious decision to reward these individuals instead of me.”

“The survey of 250 professional Black women across various industries, found that four in 10 (44%) Black women do not believe they are offered the same career advancement opportunities as their non-Black female colleagues.

Two thirds (68%) reported experiencing racial bias at work. This figure rose to 84% of Black women in senior management positions.”

“What I wouldn’t give for a bit of something f----g unusual for once, y’all. The shock on my face if the mass murder of melanated bodies wasn’t a blip in the news cycle, something that happens with such regularity that white people don’t even bat an eyelash.”

“Left out of the discussion, every time, is whiteness. Black victims of racism are made hypervisible, while white perpetrators are kept invisible. There is power in this invisibility. Because white people are not racialised – they are seen as the default, and any other racial group is seen as “other” – their experiences are presented as those of individuals: race is not considered a factor in what they do.”

“I have some bad news for you…

Anywhere settler colonialism/european colonialism took place, you have the stain of systemic racism, and white supremacy in your society and culture, and that happened all over the world, so miss me with that.”

“When they packed up their lives and moved to new cities, Black Americans brought with them the stories of survival shared with them by their own grandparents, some of whom were likely enslaved. Those stories of pain and resilience were passed from one generation to the next, documenting a history they knew would not be taught in schools. When we lose elders prematurely in the way we did on Saturday, we are losing a loved one, a community member and people whose lives and stories connect generations. Such a loss is incalculable.”

“the parallels between that narrative [Animal Farm] and the history of Black people in America are stark. It’s obvious hypocrisy to found a country on the principles of equality and freedom while establishing and supporting a society and economy based on chattel slavery and race-based subjugation (even going as far as adopting a Constitution defining Black people as 3/5 a person).”

“You will encounter pushback from your White colleagues, your White managers and other White people in your professional networks. Don't let this discourage you. Keep a conversation going with them about why this is important. Give them data.”

“We must understand that we are not in competition with each other—white supremacy has fooled us into believing we are.”

“Black people make up 12% of the U.S. population, and Black workers make up 12% of entry-level jobs, according to research from McKinsey & Co. However, only 7% of Black workers move into management roles. On today’s trajectory, Black employees will reach talent parity (12% representation) in 95 years. The consulting firm predicts that addressing the major barriers to Black advancement could cut that timeframe to 25 years.”