In this week's Work Friend, Roxane counsels a woman who wants her workplace to "do better"... which is like catnip for Roxane!
[quote][italic]I work for a prominent classical music organization. I am the only nonwhite person on my team. I have tried to raise awareness around having a structured equity, diversity and inclusion plan in place. I am the sole person on my team who has been vocal for change.
[quote]I recently had an argument with a close colleague, who I trust and who is white. I exclaimed that no one cared about diversity and inclusion at our organization. She became defensive and has stated in the past that she does not like “making people uncomfortable” by discussing these issues and that “this is the world of classical music.” I am growing tired of being the only person doing the work and beginning to feel resentful. What can I do to feasibly enact change, both with my colleagues and at the institutional level? — Anonymous, Toronto[/italic]
Roxane:
[quote]It is lonely to be the only nonwhite person in almost any situation. In the workplace, this means that you and your white colleagues do not have the same job. They get to focus solely on their work while, all too often, you have to do the work for which you were hired and the work of diversity, equity and inclusion, a specialized field you probably have no training in. I understand why you’re trying to raise awareness of D.E.I. and make your employer establish a structured plan. And I imagine it is very lonely being the only person who is willing to do this work.
[quote]Unfortunately, there is little that we can do to make people care about these issues. At some point, you have to decide how long you’re going to do this extra work for colleagues who aren’t willing to meet you even halfway. Of course you feel resentful. This is an absurd situation and one that you should not have to deal with. As for your colleague, it is the height of privilege to be able to avoid the discomfort of discussing difficult issues. So much important work toward change happens in the uncomfortable moments where we are forced to confront the things that challenge us.
[quote]Your colleague asserted that “this is the world of classical music.” What does that even mean? People of color both create and consume classical music. I would suggest starting small with the change that you want to see. Perhaps you can organize programs for your colleagues that can help educate them about classical musicians and composers of color, like Scott Joplin, Florence Beatrice Price, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and George Bridgetower, and contemporary artists, like Lara Downes, Wynton Marsalis and Jessie Montgomery.
[quote]That said, you can do only so much and, frankly, you have done enough. You may well be surrounded by people who are unwilling or uninterested in living in the real world where diversity exists. If that’s the case, it could be that you need to move on to an organization whose values are more aligned with yours.
