February 12 - 18, 2021

On June 19, 2020, I made a commitment to educate myself on the lingering effects of racism, discrimination, and bias in America. Every day through 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 February 12-18, 2021.

 

A Forgotten Black Founding Father 

Harvard political philosopher Danielle Allen writes about the limitations of American history that fails to incorporate diverse perspectives. She cites the instance of Prince Hall, a contemporary of John Adams, who petitioned the Massachusetts legislature for emancipation three years before its Supreme Court declared slavery unconstitutional. Hall also founded a chapter of the Freemasons in Boston and became a prominent community figure. However, the record of life was uncovered only recently, prompting Allen to write, "Historical evidence often turns up only when one starts to look for it. And history won’t answer questions until one thinks to ask them."

 

For Women in Sports Media, Dealing With Toxic Masculinity is Far From New 

Kim Bellware and Ben Strauss of the Washington Post wrote the article on the challenges of covering sports as a female reporter. From Melissa Ludtke's lawsuit against Major League Baseball to today, women are often subjected to sexual harassment and unwanted advances and intimidation from pro athletes, coaches, and executives. Longtime columnist Nancy Armour stresses the importance of men stepping in when they witness such behavior and becoming advocates for women in sports reporting.

 

1 Question: DeeDee Merritt 

Former Rice Senior Associate AD and current Washington State Deputy AD Bryan Blair hosts this episode of 1 Question with DeeDee Merritt, Director of Leadership Development at the NCAA. Merritt covers the Leadership Collective, which is designed to provide more programs and services to develop leadership pipelines for communities of color. The Collective is tailored not just for job seekers, but for prospective employers looking for qualified candidates. Blair and Merritt also talk about the NCAA Pathway Program, which develops future ADs.

 

A Black History Tribute: 'Thank You for Leading the Way' 

Complex Networks highlights 28 important people to recognize during Black History Month. The profiles and thank yous are written by other current figures in sports and pop culture, including Nneka Ogwumike, who cites B.E.T. founder Sheila Johnson as her inspiration. Others profiled include Angela Davis, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Ruth Carter.

 

Amy Cooper, Who Falsely Accused Black Bird-Watcher, Has Charges Dismissed 

The prosecutor in the case against Amy Cooper, a white woman who called 911 on a bird watcher in Central Park last summer, asked for charges to be dismissed after Cooper completed five sessions of racial bias training. Christian Cooper, the victim of the false police report, declined to participate in the investigation, saying he felt Amy Cooper had already paid a steep price, which included being fired from her job. Others believe the dismissal of the charges highlights another example of different justice systems for white and Black Americans. 

 

Ava DuVernay Launches Recruitment Tool to Improve Diversity of Hollywood Crews 

Producer and director Ava DuVernay has launched ARRAY Crew, a database of diverse candidates for below-the-line workers in Hollywood. The service will house more than 3000 resumes of lighting directors, production and costume designers, sound technicians and grips. Usage of the system will be tracked in hopes of following up the statements of production companies with concrete action. DuVernay partnered with Warner Media, Netflix, Disney, and Amazon on the venture.

 

The Costs of Code-Switching 

This 2019 article from the Harvard Business Review defines code-switching and details research into the consequences for well-being, economic advancement, and physical survival of those involved. If leaders are truly seeking to promote inclusion and address social inequality, they must begin by understanding why a segment of their workforce believes that they cannot truly be themselves in the office. Interestingly, code-switching appears to take place both in organizations with little to no diversity and inclusion initiatives and those with strong cultures of D&I. The article finishes with recommendations for organizations, leaders and coworkers, and Black employees on how to better understand the consequences of code-switching.