Step 9: Welcome Checks and Balances

Welcome back! Apologies to anyone who was looking for my posts the last couple days, I took some much needed time to regroup and engage with some of the comments and previous posts, but let’s hop back in - don’t worry, we’re only three posts away from curing racism! :)

So today, let’s talk about Step 9: Welcome Checks and Balances

The other day in Step 5, I took a quick tongue-in-cheek detour where I suggested those desiring to be agents of racial change should leverage some of the “Greatest Hits” of racial oppression from the last few decades, and flip them back at the institutions where systemic racism experiences the most room to flourish. But since the last time I’ve posted, I’ve watched and cringed as countless ‘good folks’ continue to post “All Lives Matter,” I’ve seen a tone-deaf and reactionary march scheduled here to celebrate local law enforcement, I’ve re-watched “Black Panther (the marvel movie, not the documentary),” I watched “The Banker” on Apple TV for the first time (great movie!), I became more aware of the gross and probably nefarious delays in freedom attached to the true story of Juneteenth, I’ve reflected in comments and conversations on my own experience with the compromises black Americans make with the American Dream, and I’ve watched the leader of the free world continue his march into the history books with a deeply divisive and dangerous rally, doubling down on an ‘us vs. them’ narrative and touting outright racist sentiments like referring to this pandemic as The Kung Flu.

So, playtime is over. Now I’m not saying this jokingly. I stand by all of these ideas and will flesh them out as a map for the more interesting hike here, the march towards American Equality. While these are a step away from the “actions of the individual” approach to this list so far, it’s rooted in the idea that we should all welcome checks and balances in our organizations and workplaces. We should all be ready to endure the thorough examination required to cleanse ourselves of this national stain of racially-driven inequality, anywhere it might live. Let’s Go:

Policy Suggestion 1 (A reimagining of Stop & Frisk): Instead of authorizing the over-policing black and brown skin, Policy 1 would authorize random audits of racial equity in American businesses and institutions. It could look like a federal group that swoops in like the IRS or a Health Inspector (but with cool unnecessarily militarized outfits just to make everyone uncomfortable!) to adjudicate equality. I love to name things, so for the sake of conversation, let’s give them a fun name….let’s call them CARE Agents (Commission for American Racial Equality). They’d get immediate access to the Human Resources records and thus would have full transparency into salary disparities, hiring statistics, and complaints from employees. Employees from underrepresented minorities as well as their supervisors could be interviewed by CARE Agents on their perspectives on the corporate culture and all employees could fill out a rubric that grades the business on key metrics. If the business passes, they’re good to go. Mind you, that business doesn’t earn a gold medal, they just keep fighting the good fight. If they don’t pass, swift and meaningful action could be taken, not limited to fines or criminal charges.

Policy Suggestion 2 (A reimagining of “Broken Windows”): My good friend Wikipedia defines Broken Windows theory as the following: “A criminological theory that states that visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior, and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes.” So what could a reimagining of this look like? Easy! Let’s get our MAD LIBS on, think about organizations instead of cities, and ‘culture and equality’ instead of crime and BING BANG BOOM we have a new policy - a theory that posits: Visible signs of RACIAL INEQUITY create an ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE that encourages further RACIAL INEQUITY.

So this would mean if you have a company where the board, leadership, or staff, appear to reflect inequity, it is enough of a reason for us to dig in further. Cue the well-dressed CARE agency I outlined in Policy Suggestion 1. Likewise, this bureau can monitor the public statements of an organization and even smaller complaints and concerns of BIPOC employees or customers. After all, as we know, where there’s smoke, there can be fire.

Policy Suggestion 3 (A reimagining of “Three Strikes” laws): If we were to re-tool the bones of Three Strikes policies for the goal of equality, we would again bring in our awesome new federal agency that actually pays close attention to inequities. They would adjudicate the grievances reported or inequities observed in businesses, schools, even governmental departments, and take action. After three serious “strikes”, the agency would have the latitude to take big actions including serious fines, temporary or even permanent closures.

Yes, these three ideas are over-simplifications but the underlying goal of each is valid. This isn't a passive aggressive exercise in 'punishing the sins of the father' - it's proactive action with zero-tolerance for conscious inequity. If we want real progress, we need a society willing to actually police itself when it comes to systemic racism, and willing to take meaningful action when we find we’re missing the mark. The ability to apply stricter punishments, that can have a direct impact on both gainful employment of individuals and the overall survival of a business or organization sends the message that we’re no longer playing around. We’re no longer trying to score political points with platitudes, and we’re no longer willing to look away. We are out of cheeks to turn.

A reflex many of you might feel when reading this is the question “How would a business really combat something like a board of all white members, or a staff of racially skewed employees?” This is a fair question. Something for us to talk through for sure. But I think similar to how American Idol has made us collectively better judges of when a stranger is singing out-of-tune, the events of the last few years have made us better judges of when corporate or institutional behavior and leadership structure is not in the spirit of an equal America. We can figure this out. To be better and more informed participants in this dialogue, I think we all could use a refresher course in programs like Affirmative Action which are even today, dismissed, looked down on, cringed at, or deeply misunderstood by many conservatives and liberals alike (liberals are just more likely to use their indoor voice when doing the dismissing.) If anyone has great resources on this, please feel free to link to them below!

My posts so far have focused on finding a common ground to talk with people of any political perspective about race. To forgive past wrongs, to increase current consciousness, to create better outcomes for tomorrow. I'm still there, but please know that is not a vision absent of awareness or experience with the conscious bad actors, or in any way accepting of the status quo as the end of the arc to justice. In conclusion on this step, the more policy and infrastructure we can create as a country to prohibit willful misdeeds, the more we will encourage people to “Think Twice” when they are making decisions that can negatively impact and continue the unequal representation and disparate experiences of black citizens.

Back soon for Step 10: Separate Idolatry from Patriotism