Black Resilience by K. Braeden Anderson

Author:K. Braeden Anderson [Anderson, K. Braeden]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781637585085
Publisher: Post Hill Press
Published: 2023-02-01T05:19:31+00:00

Following these four steps raises important questions along the way. Is there any clear evidence of bias in the situation in which I find myself? Would it be reasonable to assume that implicit bias is likely present? Is there any harm in assuming that this person may hold biases against me? What conclusions should I draw based on the answers to these questions? What are some alternative theories? If I reach the conclusion that bias is negatively influencing someone’s opinion of me, what should I do about it? Is it worth it? Is this person important to my life? Could this person’s bias be permanently damaging to my future prospects?

The process of thinking through the answers to these questions will instill us with confidence in our ability to solve the problems we encounter in our daily lives, whether related to race or something else. But gathering information and reaching correct conclusions is not the final ingredient. Effectively using tact to overcome bias still requires one last element.

Diplomacy

This skill is the most critical to persuasive communication, and employing it appropriately often fosters mutual respect. The art of diplomacy involves asserting your ideas or opinions in a manner that does not damage the relationship or offend. David Frost famously wrote, “Diplomacy is the art of letting somebody else have your way.”

So, you suspect that your boss may be racist. Or perhaps, she has explicitly made a racist comment in the course of a workplace conversation. But now what? Determining the manner in which to respond, choosing a course of action that will not permanently damage your future professional prospects, is a difficult process.

Let’s think about the situation you find yourself in a little differently. Instead of saying to yourself, My boss is racist, reframe this conclusion to, My boss does not yet fully understand who I am or what I am capable of. While you may feel compelled to explicitly call out your boss for her racist statement, that’s not likely the smartest course. Rather, the most effective response may be to simply withhold your opinion of her behavior and allow her to stumble over herself to quickly save face.

Commonly, racism in the workplace takes the subtle form of not being as valued by your superiors as your white peers; not being respected by your colleagues; not being considered by management for the best opportunities; and not being recognized for your accomplishments. How should you confront these subtleties? Perhaps you should boldly express yourself, clearly etching out your professional goals and how you intend to achieve them. Or perhaps, you may find it beneficial to introduce your perspectives more quietly, allowing the other person to feel as though they have reached your conclusion on their own.

As a Black basketball player with tattoos, I learned to accept and proactively head off my professors’ propensity for harboring bias against me. As Black people, we must employ the same strategy to address bias in the workplace. Bias can be as resounding and conspicuous as a gunshot or as quiet and mysterious as being laid off.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.