How do I want to show up in social innovation?
Upon some very sound advice, I wrote this blog post yesterday and then slept on it to see if my words or thoughts might have changed. Yesterday when I wrote this, I was still fuming and a bit dazed from what had happened during the day, past weeks, and honestly years of being in this work. I had hoped that I could capture the fire that I feel in my body when I talk about white supremacy in social innovation. I don’t know that I achieved that. But I know that not writing anything would be worse.
I am writing this preamble to my blog post now to demonstrate what my internal gaslighting does to me. It makes me question my own feelings and reactions. It makes me anxious with thoughts of how all-consuming the work of trying to dismantle white supremacy in social innovation will be. It is all around me. In my work, in the organizations, I work with, in the people I meet, in the way I was educated, in the way I raise my children, and in the systems we participate in every day. But I can’t unsee it. And so I know that for me the only way to take care of myself and my future generations is to do something about it now. So with that I share this blog post as a reflection of my thoughts of yesterday and a reminder to myself that this isn’t the beginning, but it certainly is not the end.
In 2018, I started writing a blog post. I started to talk specifically about a national social innovation conference I had attended where I realized for the first time that I am a racialized person. But I never published it. I would look back on it from time-to-time when I would be reminded of that feeling of being isolated or lonely in this work.
And now 3 years later, I am asking myself, “Why does it still feel risky to be a person-of-colour naming this within a sector that in its very essence is supposed to be making the world a better place?”
One of the most powerful experiences I was left with from that social conference in 2018 was participating in a racial caucus. The morning of day 1 of the conference, Camille Dumond suggested that there be a racial caucus. This was a term/concept I had never heard of before. She explained that it was a space for BIPOC only. When Camille first mentioned it, I wasn’t sure it was for me. As the day progressed at the conference, I felt called over and over again to show up for the racial caucus. The racial caucus wasn’t part of the official agenda. It was scheduled for before the conference the next morning. (It was later brought to my attention that racial caucuses often happen off to the side where they don’t disrupt the main programming.)
During the racial caucus, I was joined by 12 or so other folks who each shared in their own way how this work was draining and how they needed to prove themselves more so than their white counterparts. I felt warmth, frustration, community and anger — and I believed things would be different. I should have known better.
It is 2021, after the police murder of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter and organizations doing performative anti-racism work — there is still a lot of talk and not a lot of action.
So today, during the SI Canada national gathering, I was the one that asked for and hosted a racial caucus. I was joined by 20 or so folks who echoed the sentiments that they too have felt like the social innovation sector including but not limited to nonprofits, academia, government, funders are still not walking the talk.
I was shaky at the start of this conversation but felt cared for when others stepped into hosting and facilitating. My job of making space was already done. I had created a sense of psychological safety that we didn’t have until then.
The group was probably too big for Zoom to really have the types of conversations we were all craving. This is just the beginning. We clearly need more of this. There are a lot of different ways this could look. The group is asking for a monthly call.
I know there is more work to do. As individuals, as organizations, and as a sector. We need a level of criticality that doesn’t currently exist in this work.
I want to be clear that this is not just about making spaces for BIPOC to be off somewhere talking about the problems of racism. Racism is NOT a problem created by BIPOC.
The idea that we as BIPOC need to keep this burning is superficial and privileged, it is already on fire — every single day, we are living in spaces that are upholding white supremacy with people who are not willing to name it.
You cannot do the work of social innovators, changemakers, system change leaders, designers, advocates, social entrepreneurs, educators or anyone else trying to make the world a better place without acknowledging the harm, damage and danger that is perpetuated by systems of oppression, racism and colonization.
If you don’t know where to start, Google is really helpful. Start with the characteristics of white supremacy by SURJ originally from Jones & Okun, me and white supremacy by Layla F. Saad and An open letter to corporate America, Philanthropy, Academia, what now by Aiko Bethea.
Whatever you do, do not expect BIPOC to do the labour for you.
But for me, I continue to grapple with the fact that we cannot change the game, the rules and the players overnight. We need to work at this piece by piece.
So to start, we need the players in power to acknowledge that they have been playing with an unfair advantage and they need to step back, share the wealth and get out of their comfortable positions. If you feel like you are doing enough already, know that you are not. There is so much more to do. When you say you are going to do better, actually do it! Prove to us that your words can be trusted.
