Progress vs. Feeling Better
There've been no shortage of ad-hoc mentorship programs and opportunities being created by companies and brands all in the service of helping to level the playing field.
They're very much well-intentioned, but context really matters here. If you're a solo individual who is offering up your time, that's a meaningful contribution in the sense that time is one of your most valuable assets.
However, if you're a profitable company, particularly one that has leverage in an existing market it's important to ask whether your program is really about advancing your field, industry, company forward or whether it's really just about making you feel good.
For such companies, Bernice King offers a good barometer:
Even the statement, “Let’s invite more Black people to the table,” implies ownership of the table and control of who is invited.
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) June 17, 2020
Racism is about power.
For that reason, I think it's worth keeping an eye on sports, where Black athletes have long held power that had not quite been fully realized.
First, there's the NFL effectively submitting to the will of the players:
According to multiple league sources, this video of Goodell, who responds directly to players' requests in powerful video yesterday, came after series of emotional meetings w/ league content creators dissatisfied with original NFL statement, and vocal player dissatisfaction. https://t.co/s2vpkPrZ1D
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) June 5, 2020
And then, there's Kyrie Irving's statement (he's really come a long way from the whole flat earth thing):
Kyrie Irving “proposed” in a group chat with Nets that players could start their own league, per @SBondyNYDN pic.twitter.com/GhXH5rkPOX
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 16, 2020
He's completely right on this. This is exactly what all the players should do.