Giving Compass' Take:

• Laura Morgan Roberts, at Darden Ideas to Action, offers advice for how leaders can fight towards and insist on racial equity in the workplace.

• What are you doing to have conversations about pervasive injustices in the workplace and beyond?

• Learn about how we can address successes and failures in the struggle for equity in philanthropy.

Recent events have moved diversity and inclusion conversations from the issue of marginalization in the workplace to a much bigger debate around the deep and enduring stain of racism in America. This moment calls for us to acknowledge that systemic racism is not just an artifact of past, but it permeates the present. Moreover, racism doesn’t just play out in the streets with threats of violence and videos of police brutality. Racism in overt and subtle forms also shows up in workplaces.

This is a critical moment for committing to lead change, and the best place to start is with initiating or escalating your process of lifelong learning about the ways race has fundamentally shaped our economy, and how racial inclusion and demonstrations have advanced democracy in U.S. workplaces. Now is the time to step outside of your personal experiences and examine the broader context, in which race, gender and social class are interrelated.

Feeding your intellect is necessary but not sufficient for moving forward. As you engage your heart, you affirm your Black and brown colleagues’ and clients’ right to personhood. You practice affirmation during your heartfelt embrace of someone else’s truth — being able to sit and listen without becoming defensive. Courage is also part of your heart-work: letting go of the fear of talking about race and instead gaining the skills to have difficult conversations about differences.

The current moment may give rise to a take on 21st century leadership — people who are experts in learning, embodying humility and wisdom to be able to listen and learn, and practicing courage to hold themselves and organizations accountable.

Read the full article about racial equity in the workplace by Laura Morgan Roberts at Darden Ideas to Action.