Building a Just World and a Just Workplace
Like you, I was horrified when I learned another unarmed black man had been killed by a white police officer. Someone entrusted to keep George Floyd safe had killed him in cold blood, in broad daylight, with seemingly callous indifference. Like you, I won’t forget the image of Derek Chauvin’s knee on George’s neck, George’s gasps for breath and his cries for his mama.
Racism and xenophobia are not new. And yet, this time, something feels different. We seem to have crossed a tipping point, one where enough of us, of all colors, nationalities, religions, occupations, and even political parties are saying, “ENOUGH. We will NOT let this continue to happen. We will do what is needed to transform this country and become a model of justice for our children and for the world.”
Like so many, you might be thinking, “What can I do to help?”
At The People Piece, our focus is on creating better and more human workplaces, ones where all people are heard, included, and treated with dignity and respect. Now is a time of openness, focus, and newfound commitment, a unique time to facilitate conversations and take actions that can help our organizations and our country improve.
In order to support workplace efforts for healing and justice, The People Piece is committing the resources of our facilitators with expertise in the diversity, inclusion, and meaningful conversation spaces to support people like you to do the following:
Hold company and group-wide virtual conversations and town halls on race that get beneath the surface and go deeper
Support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committees to be even more effective in their efforts for workplace justice
Provide toolkits and resources that equip employees to learn, develop awareness, and take positive action
Please get in touch if you would like to learn more about how our facilitators can help your organization engage in meaningful dialogue, empathy-building, and sustained action during this pivotal moment. We know that deep and lasting change requires so much more than this, and we want to play our part, however modest. If we can’t help, we’ll connect you with a colleague who can.
We’ve also taken the time to curate 15 resources (below) to support you on your continuing journey of educating yourself and your colleagues, and taking action to improve and transform your organization. Please share this list with your colleagues and anyone you think may be interested.
Thank you for opening your hearts to this message.
Roni and The People Piece team
RESOURCES ON RACE, JUSTICE, AND WORKPLACE EQUITY
PERSPECTIVE Trevor Noah
Daily Show host Trevor Noah puts the comedy aside and offers a powerful 18-minute analysis.
INTERVIEW TED Interview: Reckoning with racial injustice in the U.S. — and where we go from here
A powerful and highly informative virtual conversation featuring Dr Bernice King (CEO of the King Center and MLK’s daughter), Anthony Romero (President of the ACLU), and Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, CEO of the Center for Policing Equity.
ACTION Developing More Just Workplaces
A basic primer from the Society for Human Resource Management on basic steps you can take to eliminate racism in your workplace.
ANALYSIS + PODCAST Police Culture and Accountability
Why is it so hard to enact sensible and humane policing policies? Even police chiefs struggle with making chante - here’s why from cultural, policy, legal and organizational perspectives
The Organizational Reasons Police Departments Don’t Change (HBR analysis)
The Systems That Protect the Police (podcast)
MOVIES - Hollywood Takes on Racism
Amazon Prime Video has made several movies focusing on black history and activism free to viewers, including titles like Just Mercy and I Am Not Your Negro. 13th (Netflix) is a powerful and thought-provoking documentary analyzing the criminalization of African Americans and the US prison boom.
TOWN HALL - CNN/Sesame Street Racism Town Hall
How to explain racism to kids - A potent resource for anyone with children in their lives.
COURSES Learn about race, inequality, and social justice
Free courses from Coursera on race, inequality and social justice.
GUIDE Anti-Racist Resource Guide for the Tech & VC Community
Just what you’d expect from the title.
BLOG Naming the Elephant in the Room
Our 2019 blog on facilitating meaningful conversations with your organization or team.
WEBINAR
People Piece collaborator and colleague Toby Herzlich (and friends) leads a potent timely and potent virtual conversation today at 11am Pacific on what nature can teach us about becoming better allies, partners, and change makers.
MOMENTUM
Over the span of just two short weeks, actions that may have seemed unthinkable just last month have become a new and inspiring norm:
Hundreds of thousands of Americans of all colors - mainly young people - have taken to the streets of every major city, of every state, and of hundreds of small towns across the US to express their grief, their solidarity, and their demands for justice and reform. Worldwide, hundreds of thousands more have stood, knelt, and marched in solidarity.
Police chiefs from across the US have called the tragedy in Minnesota what it was - murder - and have stood firmly for accountability and reform, sometimes marching with protesters.
Military leaders both past and present have taken the unusually bold step of publicly standing against racism in any form and for the right of all Americans to protest for justice.
Elected officials from both the left (Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and many others) and the right (Mitt Romney) have marched for justice.
Thousands of organizations have communicated their outrage, expressed their support, and committed to action, both externally and internally.
These actions and countless others demonstrate that this may indeed be a tipping point moment for this nation when it comes to race, policing and social justice.
Lastly, we encourage you to visit sites including Black Lives Matter, NAACP, and others, to learn from the experiences, perspectives, ideas, and demands of black people.
How can we help?
Get in touch to bring us in for a webinar, town hall, or supporting DEI committee.