The planned focus of the blog today was to expand on our postings of last week, related to exceptional leadership. However, I couldn’t do that without weaving into this posting the demand for change which we the people are rallying for. Not only to be seen and heard but more crucially for real action and change. Inspiring statements from corporate leaders in support of “Black Lives Matter” are beautiful and many are heartfelt. But, it is the actions that follow these words that will matter, and authentic leaders will now have the opportunity to be the catalyst for these actions for lasting change. And for those who have remained silent: Your silence is deafening and the message you are sending by being silent speaks volumes.
Martin Luther King’s “Dream” speech is timeless in its hope, inspiration and challenge to us all. For many of us, certain snippets of this very serious speech are branded in our minds…..for me, it has always been his hope that “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. It is reported that The “Dream” sections of Rev. King’s speech that day were actually not in his formal address. He went off script and he spoke from his heart. That is why his plea is still a powerful message and call to action today. The same can be said of the message delivered by Atlanta mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, a week ago when peaceful protests were disrupted. Her unscripted and passionate speech was powerful.
During this time, we made some progress, but there is still so much to progress to be made. Small actions matter. Just think about Rosa Parks’ deciding on that fateful day in 1955 that she was not going to give up her seat to a white person. That action, literally was the beginning of the end of the segregation laws in the South. It can’t have been easy, but she later said, “she was just tired of giving in”. We have made progress certainly since that day in 1955. I won’t list statistics here because that level of progress made is simply not sufficient and it is frankly not about percentage of blacks in corporate boardrooms, or upper management, or attending prestigious universities, although that is important too.
The breadth and depth of the issue is so much more…….race is just the tip of the iceberg in modern times and in a world that in many ways has been made so much smaller and accessible by technology, is a chasm when it comes to equality, justice, access to excellent education, health care, home ownership, and access to economic opportunity. This chasm is fully supported by data, which we should all take time to absorb.
“We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice. Not in love with publicity but in love with humanity. Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the pressing urgencies of the great cause of freedom…..a time like this demands great leaders.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Business is a critical platform for change and equality. So, to corporate leaders everywhere who have spoken up this week (and to those who haven’t): Let’s start by saying out loud: each of us is actually not treated the same as the person next to us. That’s the proverbial “elephant in the room”, that needs to be stated and accepted. How does that then change the way we think, act, and lead. How does it change our expectations of our responsibilities to, ourselves, to others and the rest of humanity? The script is already there in “The Dream”. We each have personal responsibility to own this narrative and act accordingly.
As I sit thinking about my own personal responsibility, I paused to reflect on how I have in the past, and will in the future, apply the tenets of “The Dream” to my actions each day. I would love it if each of you would do the same. I am “brown” and have had my fair share of “challenges” as I moved along my career path, but at this moment for this piece, it’s not about me.
The reality is that I am a privileged nationalized American. I had a supportive family, access to great education, access to economic capital and opportunities resulting from all of that. Truth be told, even though I think I understand the struggle and the inequality, my understanding is simply a scratch of the surface. Somewhere along the way, I came to realize that nothing could be further from the truth and so I continue to try to learn and grow and be a positive catalyst to help raise others up and be a catalyst for change, albeit a small catalyst.
In my journey, I realized that, if we don’t communicate directly with each other we will never understand each other. If we don’t mix directly with each other we will never be able to move forward. The more we hide behind our differences the more we will continue to isolate and distance ourselves and the “Dream” will continue to become a “Nightmare”.
I hope, I have given you something tangible to think about and put into action. As always, we would so very much welcome your input and the opportunity to discuss and debate these issues with energetic candor and respect.