Black culture has always been a fad amongst white people. For a while we have been what was trending with regard to fashion, politics, art, cuisine and social commentary. We were the delicacies that were often times sampled but never adopted into the concept of American fare. In many ways we are still trending on the palates of white American consciousness however, we are simply ornamental hors’d’oeuvres placed on America’s table, good for decoration but never enjoyed as the main course.
This can be seen in the recent Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts many organizations, agencies and companies have recently adopted/aborted. These are performative at best and at worst, retraumatizing to those who they are intended to benefit. On the surface the menu says DEI but often times the ingredients are lacking leaving a bad taste in the mouths of most Black, Indigenous People of Color.
Most of the DEI efforts instituted at this present moment lack clear direction, adequate leadership and genuine support. Most of the times they are run by people of color as a smoke screen used to mask internal bias and bigotry. Many persons of color who act as officers of these initiatives do not realize that they are merely show ponies being trotted out by white administrators to illustrate a companies effort to be more inclusive, more “woke”, more, well, diverse. Many times we as people of color are so grateful to get a seat at the table we don’t realize we are on the menu. We are literally being eaten alive under the guise of DEI!
Many white administrators feel that Black people should be happy with the crumbs of solidarity offered. They feel that black people complain too much about what they are not getting and are insatiable when it comes to efforts made to increase diversity and cultural awareness. Thing is black people know when someone is trying to piss on them and call it rain. These performative efforts to increase diversity within the workplace are disingenuous and suspect because thing is once we have secured a seat at the table, we are expected to assimilate to the workplace culture. Oftentimes this culture is Eurocentric and replete with westernized hegemonic models of thinking. Many times we are the mere token blacks and have no representation whatsoever therefore we have no real stock in the agency.
It’s like this: We are invited to the party but not asked to dance. And if on the off chance we are asked to dance and we say we don’t know those moves, those westernized, poorly devised moves, we are often ignored, shamed, alienated and iced out in favor of the dominant culture, usually that being white culture.
As one of the very few black people at my current place of employment, I can attest to this. For years I was the only black person at my job and let me tell you, it was hell! Sure I was granted a seat at the table but often times my ideas, suggestions and insights were unduly challenged, repeatedly undermined, discounted and dismissed. My thinking was constantly questioned and never incorporated within the main structure of the company. In many ways, I was given the illusion of inclusion as many of my coworkers wanted to sample my exotic cuisines by having a “diversity luncheon” (this was what they called it, SMH) but when it came to incorporating my thinking into the main structure of the agency, I got constant pushback and occasionally gaslit when I would disclose my feelings. And sure, I got false assurances from my coworkers that I was respected and that my thinking was valuable but this was not the case. The truth is bias is real and often times it is unconscious which means that it does not always lend itself to the awareness of white people.
And it’s not only white people that struggle with racial bias. Even black people struggle with internalized racial bias. I don’t know how many of my black clients, not used to seeing a black professional would undermine my credibility as a clinician. The mistrust of the black male professional is a thing. Often times as black male professionals, our insights, suggestions, guidance and advice are discounted and dismissed by not only white people but also black people too. Due to the pervasiveness of white supremacy, white people are seen as the sole authorities on most things and because of this it is the misguided belief that all we as black men know how to do is die early, get arrested, leave our families and make babies that we do not take care of. Such negative stereotypes work to perpetuate bigotry and challenge the very notion of equity and inclusion.
Diversity, Equity and inclusion relies on a sense of belonging that is just not offered at most agencies. For one, those who hold office in these positions are not given adequate support as mentioned earlier. Such positions are currently in their infancy phase and often times not provided the resources, tools and investment needed to develop properly. Their positions are often times seen as “fluff positions” and often eliminated when the agency feels as though it has reached its benchmarks. Many employers feel that once they have hired a certain number of black and brown talent then they have satisfied their goal of making their workplace more diverse, more equitable, more inclusive. Thing is most of the new black hires do not stay because the culture of an agency forces them to assimilate for the sake of professional survival. They come in black and they leave grey. Their culture, food, music, hair and interests are often times tolerated with vile curiosity but always seen as “other”. Some are comfortable with this proposition for the sake of social prominence. Other black people are unwilling trade their blackness for the illusion of inclusion as to them it is not a fair trade. Thing is, when you are a black professional working within predominately white spaces, you often times feel like you have to assimilate to survive. You feel like even being on the inside is marginalized as many times you will not be asked for your opinion, your thinking, your knowledge and when you are, it is strictly out of courtesy, proof to say “see we did ask. We did make an effort to be inclusive” which belies the intention of DEI efforts. As black professionals working within these spaces, you feel as though you are still a corporate slave relying on the plantation/institution of white kindness for your survival. Needless to say it is a very unsettling feeling.
I wish I was unabashedly optimistic with respect to DEI efforts however I proceed with cautious optimism. If history has taught black people anything it has taught us that white folk are good at blowing smoke up our asses! We are always given the illusion of equity but rarely ever the reality of equality. This is why we have to create our own agencies, our own structures where we can truly model, uphold and maintain DEI efforts. We must first begin to decondition our minds with respect to our own internalized biases as sadly we still see our own knowledge, culture, skills and abilities as subpar. We still measure our worth using the yardstick of white supremacy. In doing that we will always feel like we are less than deserving of everything we are worth having. This is where we must start if we are to ever truly see any real Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
