October 2 - 8, 2020

In honor of Juneteenth 2020, I've committed to educating myself on systemic racism, discrimination, and bias. Every day from June 19, 2020 to June 18, 2021, I will read an article or book chapter, listen to a podcast, watch a movie or documentary, view a webinar, or do something substantive to educate myself in these areas. As part of that commitment, I will post to this blog each Friday with a list of what I've done over the past week as well as any pertinent thoughts or reflections.

Today's post covers the week of October 2-8, 2020.

 

Every Mother's Son

The PBS series Point of View aired this documentary on three mothers of New York City sons who were killed by the police. The 54 minute video covers the case specifics and outcomes, as well as focusing on the efforts of these women to reform the NYPD. The mothers - Iris Baez, Kadiatou Diallo, and Doris Busch Boskey - come from very different backgrounds but are united through their shared suffering and desire for change.

This Moment Cries Out for Us to Confront Race in America

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pens this op-ed for the Washington Post in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing. She writes of her own upbringing in Alabama during the Civil Rights Era and calls for systemic change, acknowledgment of implicit bias, and individual action. Rice calls race an "anchor around our country's neck," and says we will have trouble implementing change until we are honest with each other. 

On the Use and Abuse of Critical Race Theory in American Christianity

David French, fellow at the National Review Institute and senior editor of The Dispatch, looks at Critical Race Theory (CRT) through the lens of an Evangelical Christian. French sees CRT as a useful tool for Christians to view and understand the oppression of marginalized groups, but he also believes it's limited and somewhat contradictory to scripture as a totalizing ideology.

 

Diversity Without Dollars 

This article in the Chronicle of Higher Education focuses on the University of Houston's efforts to diversify its faculty on a small budget. Using a grant from the National Science Foundation, UH built a toolkit for administrators and started mandatory training for search committees. As a result of these and other efforts, UH saw a 42% increase in tenure and tenure-track faculty of color from 2014-2019.

The Trayvon Generation

Elizabeth Alexander, President of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, writes this essay for The New Yorker in which she talks about being a mother of Black children raised in an era where images of anti-Black violence are always at their fingertips. The creative expressions of this generation provide a mixture of both resignation and hope, of sadness and joy intertwined.

Want More Diverse Senior Leadership? Sponsor Junior Talent.

The Harvard Business Review addresses evidence that corporate diversity programs aren't working well and points to another tactic with proven results: sponsorship. Sponsorship works when a senior executive personally advocates for a junior-level employee to take on a key role in the organization. Sponsors differ from mentors in that they use their power and influence on the behalf of the employee. These programs work best when both parties are trained and iterate throughout the process.

 

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness 

In this podcast episode of Unlocking Us, host Brene Brown talks with author Austin Channing Brown on her book and her work in anti-racism. The two authors discuss different perspectives on Protestant theology, typical personal defenses against racism, and the role of proximity in being an ally to marginalized groups. Says Austin Channing Brown, "When curiosity comes first, you find yourself in proximate relationships that don't benefit you." This is a fascinating and fun discussion between two thought leaders.