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The Only Black Guy in the Office
Why I’m Skeptical About Joining My Company’s Diversity Committee
Sure, I want to help voice our race-related concerns, but am I playing myself?
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
There are few things more cringeworthy than performative White wokeness in the workplace — and I have a feeling most Black folks working in corporate America will back me up on that. In the weeks following George Floyd’s death and the subsequent uprisings, we watched as big brands added to the stockpile of Black solidarity squares, wondering if the profound quotes they paired them with were simply masks for hollow promises. Now that doing away with systemic racism and doing better by the few Black employees in some of these spaces is at the top of everyone’s to-do list, companies know they’ll need some guidance to avoid getting canceled.
My job already had its share of fumbles: A few White colleagues called out leadership for failure to release an internal or external statement in response to the glaring and traumatic examples of racism in the news. But higher-ups have personally encouraged me to share ideas on how they can keep the subject matter top of mind, whether…
