"It's important to create space to have difficult conversations," says Marietta Rodriguez, president and CEO of NeighborWorks America. Rodriguez joined such a conversation this week as part of a panel of leaders, all women of color, to discuss racial inequity and allyship – a relationship where individuals work to foster inclusion and support marginalized people or groups, instead of standing by silently. The panel was sponsored by ALLRISE DC, a Washington, D.C.-based organization working to lift women's careers in financial services through mentoring, networking and education.
Rodriguez, a national leader in the housing and community development fields, says that even before she was in a leadership position, she worked hard and got to know her subject area, which gave her influence. "I had working knowledge that others didn't," she says. "I found people in my organization as allies and built relationships. You need to seek those people out. Don't give up your influence so easily, even if you're not in a position of power. Many times, you can have influence and that can be a bigger tool."
Teresa Bryce Bazemore, CEO at Bazemore consulting, says it's important to have not just allies, but sponsors – people who will go to bat for you. She spoke of the time a client met her in person, realized for the first time she was woman of color, and asked for someone else to take over the account. One of the partners "told him I was one of the best associates at the firm, and if he wasn't satisfied, he could go to a different firm. I call that allyship. I call that sponsorship."
The women gave examples of microaggressions they've experienced throughout their careers – and even now, once they leave the office where they serve as leaders. "People call them microaggressions," says Donna Gambrell president and CEO of Appalachian Community Capital. "I just say that's disrespect." But most of their conversation focused on ways to lift each other up and ways for women to lift themselves up.
They suggested making yourself known in your company by joining committees that have a wide company reach. "If you see opportunities, raise your hand," Bazemore says. And they suggested creating networks of women of color.
And after you've gained help from allyship, says Jonice Gray Tucker, a partner at Buckley LLP, you have to consider: "What are you going to do to give back to somebody else?"
"Diversity at the top matters," says Lisa J. Haynes, chief financial officer and chief diversity and inclusion officer for the Mortgage Bankers Association. "It matters to the folks below who are trying to get there."
And it can eliminate potential issues at the bottom, Bazemore adds.
The women said they believed they had to work harder than men to get their success, what moderator Michael Briggs, general manager for the Mortgage Bankers Association, called "a societal double standard."
Rodriguez says as women of color move toward success in upper management, "we also have to look at organization culture and how we're advancing that to make sure once leaders of color are in these positions, they are indeed successful." She encourages organizations to examine themselves through the lens, "is our culture going to welcome diverse perspectives and diverse people around this table to help lead this organization?"
Rodriguez and Haynes both said they've heard the term "cultural fit" in reference to organizations.
"We have to be careful of those words," Haynes says. "We often pick people who are like us." It's important to have a variety of people in the room, she says, people "who are in the room and will speak up."
Tucker says it's also important to be aware of unconscious bias. Some organization may provide diversity training "to check the box." But they need to make sure that an ongoing dialog continues to keep those issues "top of mind." She says it's also important for women of color to take care of themselves, to maintain energy during times like now, where diversity and justice discussions take center stage in the wake of the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.
The women said they were often asked by coworkers to explain current events and feelings. Haynes says that while she's exhausted, she doesn't mind teaching as long as others work at getting an education. "People in the majority have to educate themselves," she says. "I'll teach, but you need to learn."
Rodriguez emphasized the importance of making space for important conversations, even if they're difficult. "As leaders, as leaders of color and women, sharing our story is really important," she says. Sharing experiences allows people to connect emotionally and to learn. "It's courageous," she says. "I think it can be incredibly powerful inside an organization and a peer group."
Gambrell says healing the racial divide is everybody's responsibility. "We need to make it clear: We're all in this together." There has to be a commitment to take the words that are coming out of these discussions and change them into actions, she adds.
"What I feel I can do is change one person at a time," Tucker says.
08/28/2020
