February and the Future: Reflections on Black History Month
(Image Credit: Kevin Oetiker on Unsplash)
As February has now ended and we wrapped up Black History Month, we look back on the month and add our reflections on how we can all continue to support the black community and create change.
Throughout February we shared various posts about Black History Month on our social media on notable black Canadians who made a difference in society.
We covered many topics last month such as important historical black figures, how to foster diversity and change in the workplace as well as how to support the black community. We celebrated them and honoured those also creating change today. Our mentor circle featured an amazing current Canadian, Carol-Ann Marshall who is continuing to pave the way for others. You can learn more about her here.
I encourage you to keep going, not just once a year and during this month, but for years into the future. As human beings, we must continue to create space for others, and safe environments for the well-being of all humans. We must continue to strive to create change and work towards equitable workplaces and society. The last several years have highlighted the ongoing issues regarding racism and the only way to end it is to acknowledge the need for change and take action. But the action cannot only occur during Black History Month, it must be part of an everyday movement, throughout the year, and into the future.
Some of the notable Canadians we celebrated last month were Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Carrie Best, Lincoln Alexander, and Viola Davis Desmond. These incredible human beings stood up for their rights to make a change in society and so many wonderful Canadians continue their fight and pave the way for change today. All of these individuals were trailblazers, and there are countless others who should also be honoured from the past and currently in Canada and south of the border.
Today, women like The Honourable Jean Augustine, Amanda Parris, Claudette McGowan, and Carol-Ann Marshall are making a difference and showing the importance of powerful black women in the world at large. Think about Amanda Gorman, and Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris and Oprah Winfrey. This is just the beginning.
In our mentor circle Combatting Discrimination and Reclaiming Your Power, our guest speaker Carol-Ann Marshall, founder of Freedom to Fly and author of the book I Dare You! Conquer Fear and Free Yourself from Emotional Abuse, shared not only her story but also strategies to create diversity. We discussed her experience being the first black woman in her graduating class for the Ontario Provincial Police, her work experience as a human rights advocate having worked in the Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Section of the government of Ontario, and her first experiences in the United States after leaving home where she was in the majority. We also spoke about ways to make the workplace more diverse and equitable, and Carol-Ann says that the two most important strategies are choosing the right managers, and having leaders who walk the talk.
Here are some of her thoughts:
Choose managers wisely
One of the first things Carol-Ann says you need to look out for is how you choose managers within a company. She states that you have people chosen to be managers because they have technical skills but no people skills, which is an issue because emotional intelligence is crucial to creating a diverse and comfortable workplace.
One doesn’t need to have all the technical aspects of the job, but they do need to know how to talk to and communicate with employees. Carol-Ann says that If you’re hiring a person to be a manager, and you think they have lots of technical skills, send them to get people skills.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion are not a Checkbox
The other tip she mentions is that senior people within a company have to make it their mission to have diversity and it cannot just be a checkbox.
This means if you don't have the system and belief in place that throughout your organization there will be equality, then it won't work. In other words, it can't just be lip service as Carol-Ann says or “the ‘flavour of the month’.”
Carol-Ann also says that this is an approach with managers and from the leaders and those “higher-ups” because it all starts at the top and the people who are most affected are the people on the bottom. “If there is no belief that this is what’s important, then it’s hard to influence people to believe it too.”
To create diversity and equality in the workplace it needs to start with the employers and those who are higher up in the company, otherwise, it becomes harder to create that belief for change.
I’d also add that every individual can also have a belief they can help with change. If we continue to follow some of these ideas and strategies every day we can create more equal and diverse workspaces even after Black History Month is over. February and Black History Month might be behind us, but it is not the end. The journey to end discrimination is ongoing and with time and effort, we can reach a world that embraces uniqueness and promotes the wellbeing of all.
For more information on how you can offer support, check out Carol-Ann’s website along with our resources!