Adrian Pereira’s Post

I once received a job description stating, "this role is reserved for a Black candidate." You can't make this stuff up. This from a business owner trying, in his clumsy way, to make space for Black talent. Obviously we declined working the role. In the wake of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor's murders, our world felt like it was on fire. Companies rushed to support Black Lives Matter, and DEIA efforts surged. Overnight, LinkedIn profiles transformed, with many suddenly claiming a decade of DEI experience to land those coveted roles. New positions were created, events launched, and corporations loudly professed their commitment to diversity. Recruitment agencies with a history of discriminatory practices started hiring Black and Brown talent and boasting about their DEI expertise. We even faced competition from an agency known for discriminating on behalf of clients, all because they spun a tale about being experts in placing diverse talent. The vultures were out in full force. Fast forward to 2024: Companies now claim they lack budget for DEI but still wanted Black speakers for Black History Month—for free. Here's the bottom line: DEI is not a passing trend or a marketing tool. If your company truly cares about DEI, it will commit to it, even when it's not convenient or profitable. Real change requires real commitment.

It's almost the end of Black History Month. (What luck, we have a bonus day this year) Here's a reminder of what we can do to help support the Black community in corporate culture not only in February but year-round. 1. Recruit Black candidates 2. Hire Black candidates 3. Promote Black employees 4. Provide proper onboarding to Black employees 5. Listen to Black employees 6. Pay Black employees what they're worth 7. Empower Black employees 8. Celebrate Black employees (And yes, your recent company offsite photos make it obvious that you have a diversity problem)

February is Black History Month in the United States. An opportunity to observe, remember and celebrate the events, milestones, and achievements in the lives of Black Americans and the nation. This year’s observance has added significance in the U.S. amid the ongoing struggle for social justice and equity. It is imperative that we continue to listen and learn so we can lead better together. The diversity gap still exists in 2023 especially in leadership roles, but what do we gain from diversity? More diversity means more breadth and depth of ideas and experience and research repeatedly shows that businesses that make diversity a priority outperform their peers. The real experience of DEI looks less like buzzwords and more like constant cycles of iteration, action, and assessment to see if our work is having the impact we intend, and then doing it all over again to keep change coming. It's not as sexy as a viral catchphrase, but that's how we get shit done. That's what impact really looks like. This Black History Month make that DEI strategy count, start with your own culture of inclusion, and listen to the voices of your employees. Remember that Black History Month is not a ✅ the box exercise or the one☝🏾time to speak to the Black community, but rather should be the beginning of the journey to amplify, celebrate, honor, connect, and advocate for the Black community.

As Black History Month closes, I have a lot on my mind about what I am doing (or not doing) as a leader to support Black talent and how our industry is using our platforms to help the Black Community thrive. A few things are top of mind. The first was inspired by messaging at this year's ADCOLOR: Recommit, Reaffirm, and Reignite. Of course, I believe our dedication to diversity and inclusion should be as activated and potent as ever, but I also think it needs to evolve. Representation and inclusion will continue to be the bedrock, but as our agencies become more diverse we have new areas to work on: advancement and mentorship, meaningful feedback and constructive performance management, and work that more explicitly reflects the diversity of our teams. The second is something that has stuck with me for awhile. Van Jones was the opening keynote speaker for Where Are All The Black People in 2020 and he challenged our industry in a way that moved me. He made the point that all the gains in civil rights were not lead by policy, rather that policy followed shifts in public opinion, opinions that were largely influenced by the arts - TV, Movies, Books, Music....but not necessarily advertising. Brands have big platforms, the stories we tell and the experiences we make have influence - what are we doing with that privilege, that obligation? Do we too easily give ourselves a pass because it is the client's call or because we are here just to sell stuff? I believe that it is imperative that we use the work we create to not just reflect society as it is, but to shape it as we dream it to be. The third is informed by an NPR interview I recently heard with 'American Fiction' writer-director, Cord Jefferson, who talked about the tendency for the mainstream to only celebrate stories of underrepresented groups' trauma. Those stories are important, but the singularity of them in the mainstream leaves us without the nuanced, dimensional view of these groups. Is our industry perpetrating this as well, are we using stories of trauma dressed as purpose work as award show bait? Perhaps the most poignant thing on my mind is feedback from a Black employee that warned of agencies being all empathy, little action. We all know better now, so we must DO better.

While this post is meant to be satirical, it reflects a reality many Black employees face in the workplace during Black History Month. For many, the arrival of October brings anxiety about awkward conversations, subtle or even overt microaggressions, and the pressure to relive and amplify past traumas. Let’s be clear: Black History Month is NOT... ❌ A time for Black employees to take on extra work ❌ Diversity and Inclusion Month ❌ An excuse to ask people to work for free ❌ A month to focus on trauma and racism alone Black History Month should be an empowering experience for Black people and an opportunity for everyone to learn, celebrate, and reflect. Too often, the responsibility to carry out the meaning of Black History Month in the workplace falls on the shoulders of Black employees. And all too frequently, there’s a push to generalise the focus from Black issues to “People of Colour” (POC). While there are intersections, the issues Black people face are not always the same as those experienced by other POC. Black History Month should be about centring Black experiences, history, and contributions. Let’s be mindful of what this month is not, and aim to reach a point where such a designated month is no longer necessary because Black lives are valued, respected, and celebrated 52 weeks a year. Credit: @thejcharm

If your company's Black Employee Resource Group has low participation it may be due to a narrow view of Blackness and a lack of executive support OR both. Not every melanated person feels safe self identifying as Black. Some are racially ambiguous - they are perceived to be European, Indian, Indigenous or identify as multiracial; others immigrated from societies where Blackness (Afro-descendants) was erased as a way to explain away racism (there's no racism where race does not exist), and similarly others do not see the value in identifying as a racial group (out of fear that the group is exclusive). To address these concerns Black ERGs MUST BE as diverse as the diaspora! We are a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-generational community. We represent a thousand shades of melanin. And our ancestors have inhabited every livable continent. ZERO FUNDS for diversity initiatives highlights the lack of value placed on employee well being. Where companies choose to invest is equal to where they want to benefit. And your Black employees understand the correlation all too well. Here's how to turn that around in your favour. Spend on training, reward success, invest in supports and allocate resources for engagement events. This is what diverse investing looks like in DEI. With BHM wrapping up, please share how this Black History Month changed your employee experience. And let's build a stronger community together. I hope you enjoyed my contribution, LeRoy Briggs Visible Majority Advocate and Black Talent Recruiter

Happy Black History month! ❤️💛💚 Celebrated every year in the US in February, so we can all reflect on the accomplishments of Black Americans and consider the ongoing struggles of inequality in our country. “Black history is essential to our past, present and future” Our community aims to positively impact the future of Customer Success through our work. Supporting Black professionals, increasing diversity and inclusion in the industry in February AND every other month of the year! ✨ How being Black has influenced your customer success journey? ✨ What does it mean to you to be Black and in CS? ✨ What are the unique gifts and superpowers you bring to the profession? As an ally, what are some ways you are honoring and celebrate Black professionals in CS? We will spotlight some of the answers from our members throughout the month. Let’s hear yours in the comments ⬇️ ____ Need a speaker 🎤🎙️for an online or in-person event this month? Hire a SIB speaker! SIB has a speaker bureau with a range of talented speakers. Send ‘SIB speaker’ a in the DM for more details #BlackHistoryMonth2024 #successinblack #customersuccess

7 actionable ways to celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth. The group behind Anti-Racism Daily has a 28 Days of Black History email series that starts today. You can sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gXE-vQy6 Valuably, they're kicking the month off by telling you *exactly* what you can do to talk the talk AND walk the walk this month (and I pray you don't work in an organization that only discovered TODAY this was coming). Their advice includes (the below is copypasta from their email): 1) Address pay equity in your organization. Use this month to solve the pay inequity at your organization. If you’re not in a leadership position to do this, start by inquiring: what were the findings of the latest pay audit performed by your company? What initiatives were put in place to solve them? Talk about your salary with your coworkers, regardless of their race or gender identity. A culture of pay transparency can help mitigate these discrepancies in the future. 2) Rally for DEI. At a minimum, continue to champion DEI initiatives at your organization. Show up to DEI council meetings, and tell your managers how much it matters to you. Keep conversations going with your peers about its importance, and invest in alliances or other initiatives to keep DEI going in your industry. 3) Just rally. Change isn’t created in silence. Continue showing up at protests and other demonstrations as best you can. This includes protesting physically in the streets and providing essential services to protestors. This can also include consistently sharing action items on social media and defending protestors through advocating for legislation and donating to bail funds and other emerging needs. 4) Celebrate Black History all year long. The calendar might mark the occasion, but Black people deserve recognition and support 24/7, 365. Make the time this month to plan for how you're supporting Black history. As an individual, this can look like planning time to watch movies, or learn about a new leader each week. As a workplace, this can look like ensuring that your internal speaker series isn't just melanated in February, exploring other holidays related to Black culture, adding reminders to check specifically how your equity and inclusion initiatives support Black employees, and making an ongoing financial commitment. Discover the rest at the link above.

🌟 Today is Give Praise to a Black Colleague Day! 🌟 Black history is being made every single day, and it's not always the well-known figures we hear about. So, let's take a moment to celebrate the amazing Black professionals in our lives who have made a difference: If you don’t typically know how to celebrate Black history month, start here. Give a shout out to a Black coworker, colleague, or friend who has: 💪🏾Improved a process ✨Made strides in your industry 🗣️Given you effective feedback 🎯Led teams flawlessly ✊🏾Had your back at work 🎤Or anything else you’d like to call out. 🎉 Let's make some people smile and spread positivity in our work environments. 🎉 By the way, this holiday is completely made up, but it should be official! Let's make it a tradition to recognize and appreciate the contributions of our Black colleagues. Share your stories and tag your amazing colleagues in the comments below! Let's celebrate together. 🙌🏾 #blackhistorymonth #colleagueappreciation #workbuddies #careersupport #careeradvice