An accurate representation of my reaction to the caucasity.
“Not everything’s racist, ya know…”
“Why must you bring race into everything?”
“But slavery happened so long ago, times are different…”
“I don’t see color. All Lives Matter, especially for the boys in blue.”
“I know tons of Blacks. My cousin’s coworker’s barber’s maid is Black.”
The list goes on and on.
Until now, the tension within those phrases, illuminated by their prejudice-fueled undertones had largely gone unnoticed by me. But this matter confronted me head-on this week within my organization. As a Black woman, it’s no secret that inside our professional environments, we’re left at a disadvantage. Never mind the fact that Black women and women of color earn 25 percent less than our white counterparts, the sheer ignorance of many corporate executives coupled with the absence of accountability is what compelled the creation of this blog entry. Here’s what happened:
It was the middle of the week when one of the organization members posted a topic in the weekly “Water Cooler Wednesdays” chat. Because the lady tagged the entire organization, it quickly made its way into my notifications. Typically, these are fun, lighthearted topics such as, “what’s your favorite fall activity,” or “what’s the best cookie shop in town.” Some of the responses are quite humorous and intriguing so I was excited to see what was on the docket for this Wednesday. However, the glimmer in my eyes soon faded once I took a glance at what was posted.
So we’re guessing how many candies are in a jar now? Oh, no ma’am. Not today, Satan.
After the initial shock of it all, I needed to verify that I wasn’t indeed going crazy. I shared this with several other people, who all agreed with me, and one of them outright said, “yeah, that’s racist.”
While it may seem like a fun little game, it immediately screamed, “Jim Crow: Remastered.” During the days when Black people were fighting for their right to vote in the United States, they were administered “tests” to stifle the movement and fuel voter suppression. The infamous jellybean test directly compared to this Water Cooler Wednesday post: guess how many jellybeans are in this jar. The tactic made it virtually impossible for Black people to have a fair chance at voting.
Fuming, I decided to take some time away from my computer for a bit. Maybe she just didn’t know and meant no malice behind it (makes sense). I thought about not saying anything at all. I thought about brushing it off altogether. So I decided it wasn’t worth my time and that I would leave well enough alone…
Until I didn’t.
By that afternoon, the woman who created that post received an email of what I considered to be a respectfully crafted yet educational message delivered right to her inbox.
I shared my email with several others who encouraged me that I did the right thing. A little while later, I received her response.
No apology. No post removal. No accountability.
It’s one thing to be woefully unaware of the situation, but I virtually pulled her to the side and sincerely addressed how that came across. Apparently to no avail. Not only did she reject accountability for her actions AFTER I explained my reasonings, but refused to acknowledge any part of the historical elements referenced in my original email. As if I never even mentioned it.
Wanna know how I interpreted that pathetic excuse for a response? ‘You’re reaching. Not everything is about race. Why must you bring race into everything?’
I will speak up when there is no accountability. I will speak up when I -and women like me- endure workplace disadvantages on a daily. And I will especially speak up because after everything is said and done, these higher-ups will listen to white employees’ concerns of discrimination "50% more than they listen to black workers.” (GoRemotely, 2022)
It's telling when Black voices can't even be heard about the workplace discrimination we face.
While my efforts may have been fruitless this time, I don’t regret having brought that to her attention. I can only hope that the organization is more mindful of these things in the future. Only time will tell.
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