June 4 - 10, 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 June 4-10, 2021.

Tulsa, 100 Years Later

This episode of the NPR podcast Code Switch examines the Greenwood Neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma - the Black Wall Street - 100 years after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. As new economic development spurs growth in Greenwood, many residents don't agree that such growth is good for the neighborhood. The Greenwood Rising project (a museum commemorating the 1921 massacre) is helping draw in more business development, but several current residents and business owners cannot afford to stay as a result. This leads to the question - who is Greenwood 2.0 really for?

 

Erec Smith on Anti-Racism, Wokeness, and Disempowerment, Part 1 

Will Reusch, host of Cylinder Radio, welcomes York College Associate Professor of Rhetoric Erec Smith to talk about his views on current anti-racism thinking. Smith argues that much of the anti-racism and critical race theory doctrine is not aimed at persuading people, but rather a purposeful neglect of audience. He describes himself as "a black guy who has an appreciation for dialogue ... I am now this person who is going to make sure that the mode of anti-racist pedagogy and scholarship that seems to be emerging as hegemonic in my field at least gets critiqued to the point where other people are saying maybe there are alternatives to doing this. That's kind of my mission right now."

The Problem of Dropping Standards in the Name of Racial Equity

Columbia Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature John McWhorter writes this opinion piece in The Atlantic on Princeton's recent decision to drop the Latin or Greek proficiency requirement from the classics major. McWhorter argues that Princeton's decision, based in part on the university's desire to create more diverse intellectual community within the major, weakens the discipline by taking away a critical skill needed to fully interpret the literature. "The Princeton decision is discouraging students from even beginning this process. Professors may think of the change as a response to racism, but the implicit intention—sparing Black students the effort of learning Latin or Greek—can be interpreted as racist itself. All classicists recognize that, really, you need to know the languages to fully understand the texts. This is also true of other literatures."

 

It's Time to Reimagine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Three partners at the Boston Consulting Group write this article on new ways to think about and implement workplace DEI initiatives. Too often, companies engaged in DEI work err by unintentionally creating a majority-versus-minority mindset and ignoring a portion of the workforce who could benefit from DEI. Leaders must start by understanding the needs of every individual then look for patterns of difference that cut across the whole organization and matter the most in driving positive outcomes. Solutions should holistically address those differences. The key is to recognize patterns in the ways employees’ needs meaningfully intersect, even when their circumstances differ. The goal is to push beyond the standard, pragmatic, technical solutions to meet people’s emotional needs (“I want to feel in control”) and functional needs (“I need predictability in my schedule”).

 

The Hardest Part of Having a Non-Binary Kid Is Other People 

June is Pride Month, so I've included this piece from the mother of a non-binary child published in last week's New York Times. Sandy Jorgenson and her husband are the parents of two children, and about a year ago, their eldest child began to question their traditional gender identity. While the Jorgensons initially pushed back on their child, they began to learn more from doctors and mental health professionals about how to assist them. Sandy comments that while she and her husband have learned how to create a supportive environment, they still encounter resistance from family and friends.

Was This Antiracist Task Force Set Up to Fail?

Sarah Brown authors this piece for the Chronicle of Higher Education on the University of Michigan's attempt to address policing and public safety on campus through an anti-racism approach. Michigan convened a task force last fall consisting of 20 members of the campus community, including public safety officials. For some members of the task force, the charge was too broad to develop meaningful changes and recommendations in just one semester of work. The task force ultimately scaled back its focus, leading some members to feel disappointed in its final recommendations. Earl Lewis and Daphne Watkins, faculty co-chairs of the task force, defended the 50-page soon-to-be-released report, saying that the the 29 recommendations they developed will bring immediate and beneficial change to Michigan's campus.

 

Compliance Officers Play Leading Role In Pursuing Diversity Goals 

Mengqi Sun of the Wall Street Journal writes about the role of compliance and risk management personnel in company DEI initiatives. A compliance officer’s specialty in mitigating financial and regulatory risks can be applied to helping alleviate governance risks that may arise from a lack of diversity. Compliance is also a natural fit to assist in diversity hiring and inclusion initiatives, in large part because it often already plays a role in the on-boarding process of employees and investigation of whistleblower complaints.