Pause On The Play

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74. Why DEI Work Isn’t Just For White Women

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Summary

One of the biggest misconceptions about DEI work is that it is only focused on black and white issues. The unfortunate truth is that discrimination and oppression have been threaded through the fabric of our nation forever, requiring all of us to reflect and take individual actions to shift to a more equitable world.

Erica Courdae and India Jackson come together to talk about what inclusion really means and why it’s going to require everyone in order to have an effect on the powerful and unjust systems that surround us.

Quoted

“In general, people can easily put DEI work into the bucket of being black and white and it’s so much bigger than that.” - India Jackson

“Inclusion is not about everyone being included; it’s about those that want to be included being part of it.” - Erica Courdae

“There’s a lot of conscious uncoupling that has to happen in DEI work.” - Erica Courdae

After the Episode

Read So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

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Episode Notes

BEYOND SKIN COLOR

Erica begins the episode by acknowledging that there is a large responsibility for white women to bear in doing DEI work. Many white women listen to Pause On The Play and hire Erica for her 1:1 services.

However, DEI isn’t just for white women.

Erica says that we’ve all got work to do to be more inclusive and equitable. She says that it’s too simplistic to call it black and white. It’s about variety and it’s about making sure everyone has a level playing field.

The two point out a specific problem they see with business owners. If you look at yourself and who’s surrounding you and everyone is all the same there’s a problem. And this problem extends well beyond skin color — beliefs, religion, etc.  

Erica poses the questions:

  • What has been internalized in you that maybe you’re not fully aware of?

  • What was normalized that you didn’t consider whether or not it was okay or possibly offensive to say it?

  • What do you do that you really don’t think twice about that invalidates the way someone else has to show up in their life?

Once you answer this question you can move from the phrase “I stand with” to  “I support.”


REPROGRAMMING OUR INTERNAL NARRATIVE

India shares her own experience with bias as a Black woman in America  and acknowledges she has different work to do. 

The two give the example of using the term baby daddy. While Erica was annoyed that she heard a white woman using that term, India admits she’s used with other Black people. This brings to light the inner programming that was put on communities of color that they now use in an endearing way even if it’s harmful.

India points out that things Black Americans were trained to do and say things that would limit themselves and those around them, even if they weren’t aware of it.

“The system was built to hold us down,” India says.

Erica shares a bit more history on this point. She shares that Black people were given a certain amount of programming by whites to maintain order among themselves, to pit them against each other. This is why DEI work is required for everyone — we all have much to unlearn.

This episode begs the question, “What might you be saying or thinking that could be used as a divisive measure?”

Pause On The Play talks candidly so they can open minds and hearts to different ways of thinking, feeling, and being. Erica and India aim to bridge the gaps that contribute to fostering empathy and focusing on the things that matter. 

Share this with a friend who will step in this work with you.

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